Over the years, I've painted porcelain, worked with crystal glassware and even turned my hands to cake-making professionally. I've always found joy in making things, and that hasn't changed with time.

Now, as a grandmother, I'm taking a gentler pace and putting that creativity into something a little different: making soft friends that bring joy to others.

What started as a little hobby for Olivia quickly became a neighbourhood topic. Before I knew it, my little creations were finding their way into other homes and finding new friends of their own.

It genuinely makes me happy to see something made by my hands make someone else happy. Along the way, I realised something quite simple: we all need a soft friend, no matter our age.

Every Soft Folks friend is handmade by me in the UK, including their little clothes, using thoughtfully sourced materials.

This is my small contribution to the generation my granddaughter will grow up in making things by hand, choosing materials with care, and bringing a little more happiness into the world, one soft friend at a time.