Making redundancy a piece of cake

11:56am Sunday 18th May 2008

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When Norma Anderson was told she was being made redundant last year she decided to pursue her dream of a lifetime - baking cakes for a living.

The 60-year-old moved to Britain when she was 16 from her native Jamaica to join her parents who had already set up home here.

“I thought at my age, no one was going to employ me which was really upsetting. However, I had always wanted to start my own business and thought this would be the perfect time.”

Norma Anderson

At first she found it very hard to adjust but survived by remembering her life in Jamaica - and her gran and the taste of her homemade cakes - and remained optimistic her life would be greatly improved by staying in England.

But years later, after marrying and having three children, Norma's husband left her alone to raise her family.

This proved to be a turning point when, unable to afford the costly children's birthday cakes in the shops, Norma started to make her own.

Perfecting her recipes, she soon realised that, like her gran, she too possessed a skill for baking.

After being made redundant Norma was worried her age may be a barrier to success. She added: "I thought at my age, no one was going to employ me which was really upsetting. However, I had always wanted to start my own business and thought this would be the perfect time."

Now, with the help of Croydon Enterprise, the entrepreneur is running a successful business - Norma's All Occasions Cakes - selling items for any occasion.

Norma said: "My cakes are made with lots of love, as well as lots of rum. They are made with attention to detail and enormous patience. Having the patience is vital as the secret is all in the lengthy process of mixing. My advice to anyone, though particularly to those of mature age is to find yourself a hobby, go to college if necessary - then if redundancy looms, you might be able to turn that hobby into a successful business, as I have done."

• For more information on the Croydon Enterprise programme call the Business Support Hotline on 0208 680 6161 or visit croydonenterprise.com.