Harrogate woman wins award after making success of her independent business from home during pandemic

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Linzi Oldfield set up her quirky home accessories company Copper and Blonde after being made redundant nearly five years ago.

Since then has been working part time on the business until she was again made redundant due to the current climate and decided to run it from home.

The online business, which creates handmade accessories out of industrial copper pipe and fittings, has performed so well that it has been recognised in the Handmade Hamper Awards.

The delighted Copper and Blonde owner said: "I was over the moon to have been one of the winners of the Handmade Hamper Awards, securing 12th out of 1000 small businesses.

"It felt amazing to have been noticed and reaching the top 15 when the competition was so strong was an amazing accomplishment."

Linzi, who studied illustration at Brighton University, was inspired to set up Copper and Blonde when when she spotted an art installation mounted on an wall of a bar in an airport, which was made from copper pipe.

Since then this imaginative businesswoman has aspired to create quirky eclectic pieces for discerning home interiors enthusiasts.

Her online business offers a wide range of products, including bathroom accessories, candle holders to wall art, and works on bespoke one off pieces to meet with her clients individual brief.

Linzi said: "Copper and Blonde creations look perfectly at home in both commercial and residential abodes.

"My 'shop' contains a range of items from striking candleholders to add warmth and style to any dining table, to quirky hooks which could be used in the bathroom, hall or porch to mention just a few.

"You can style your bathroom with copper accessories with contemporary copper pipe toilet roll holders, both free standing and wall attached to functional towel holders offering the full caboodle.

"When not surrounded by copper I can be found painting as I studied illustration at Brighton Uni and that love has never left me."

The Handmade Hamper Awards is run by a community that supports creative businesses and the creatives within it.

The entries were judged by a panel of five companies including the British marketplace Folksy.

To find out more about Copper and Blonde, visit www.copperandblonde.etsy.com

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