THE FARMING community has helped boost a new businesses which was founded weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

While on maternity leave from her job in January last year Laura Brewer, from Ross-on-Wye, decided to turn her love for painted nails into her own business.

She retrained as a nail technician before founding Pink Wellies Nails not knowing the challenges her first year is business would bring.

"I enjoyed my job for a farm and food software company but I wanted to see if I could work so I didn't have to go back," said Mrs Brewer.

"I love painted nail gels and so decided to try and do some gel manicures from my home to start with.

"I was doing really well and had some booking but come March it all came to an end with lockdown and I didn't qualify for any help."

The national lockdown forced Mrs Brewer to diversify her business.

Unable to have clients to her home for gel manicures her business went in a different direction.

"I need to do something so I started creating press on nails with different designs," added Mrs Brewer.

"When I started selling the press-on nails, I spent £50 on all the kit I needed.

"I planned to retail the nails at £10 so I told myself that I only needed to sell five sets to have broken even and I would not have lost anything by trying.

"By the end of the year, seven months later, I had processed more than 150 sets of nails."

Mrs Brewer went to Harper Adams University and runs the business along with helping her husband, Pete, and his family run a Duchy farm.

She said that the online farming community had helped her business succeed during lockdown.

"I began sharing my designs with fellow farmer's wives and partners," she added.

"Even in the best of times the community might not get their nails done but they like the press on nails.

"It's definitely juggling everything each week but it works well."