WITH the cost of childcare and the threat of sudden unemployment, two Chepstow mums decided to follow their dreams and start their own business making cupcakes.

Helen Child Villiers, 31, of Hardwick Avenue, and Veronika Norman, 29, set up the Chepstow Cupcake Company in September.

Changes in their lives encouraged them to give the business a go.

Ms Child Villiers separated from her partner and became a single mother to 18-month-old son Nathaniel.

But going back to a full-time job was not possible.

She said: “My family doesn’t live nearby so it was not cost effective for me to go back to work. I’m living off savings at the moment.”

Mrs Norman and her husband Giles Norman were both made redundant in September when the insurance company they worked for went into liquidation.

Mrs Norman had been working part-time so she could balance working with looking after her 21-month-old daughter Miaya.

Ms Child Villiers said her friend was quite worried and upset so they thought they would give the cupcakes business a go.

Ms Child Villiers, who also has two stepsons aged 12 and 14, has always wanted to open a cake shop and said she would love to open a tea room in the future.

The friends are specialising in cupcakes, having more than 20 flavours at their fingertips including sweet, alcoholic and savoury.

They want to set up “Mums and Buns” where mums and toddlers meet at a church hall in Chepstow to chat and have tea and cupcakes while the children play.

This will cost around £4.50 per mum and will be held once a month to begin with.

Ms Child Villiers said: “We all go to mums and toddlers on a Wednesday morning which is really nice but this would be something different.”

The friends also make Christmas decoration biscuits and plan to start making wedding cakes.

For more information see www.chepstowcupcakes.com