I used to be an officer in the Royal Navy, and when my husband was offered an overseas posting I retired to go with him and focus on raising a family. We spent three years in the USA, and on returning home moved to Gosport - very close to the sea where I found a new love for beachcombing and collecting sea glass!

As our children started school the desire for more self-identity and an occupation of my own became stronger. With such a young family self-employment seemed the best option, and I longed to do something creative after so many years in the military.

I had enjoyed making beaded jewellery as a hobby years before, and added metalsmithing to my skillset so I could use sea glass in my designs. I set about teaching myself to work with silver and built a small business to sell my work. Willow & Twigg was launched in 2019 and I haven’t looked back!