A MUM of two who hand makes laundry care products from her home in Ilkley is celebrating this week after winning a competition and with it £1,000 to invest in her business.

Sarah Turner is the founder of Little Beau Sheep, the only UK producer of 100 per cent natural British wool dryer balls. She entered the exporting category in the “What’s your idea?” competition from Crowdfunder and GoDaddy.

She is now using her £1,000 winnings towards a crowdfunding campaign, with the aim of raising £2,000 which enable her to remove all unnecessary plastic from her product packaging.

Sarah is driven by a need to make a difference to plastic pollution on a local level and beyond. As President of Ilkley BlueBelles WI she’s also involved in their campaign to End Plastic Soup - the microplastic fibres that contaminate the ocean.

Sarah said: "At the moment, Little Beau Sheep’s dryer balls come in a recyclable plastic box. This lets customers view the sheep through its clear window as there are many different characters to choose from and it’s robust enough for postage in the UK and overseas, but can be recycled. When we launched it seemed like the perfect solution. However, since Little Beau Sheep started, we’ve all learned a lot more about the disastrous effect of plastic on our planet and especially our amazing oceans. That’s why I now want to do what I can to be part of the solution and not the problem."

She added: “One of the shocking truths I’ve learnt is that even when plastic is recycled it often ends up in clothing fabric which when washed, sheds into the water system and our seas. Who can’t feel sad and angry at the fact there will be more plastic than fish in the seas by 2050? The only solution seems to be ending the use of plastic. With your help, I can do that with Little Beau Sheep and do my bit to keep the world a better place for all of us. ”

Crowdfunding rewards backers as a way of thanking them for their support, so supporters will be able to pledge from £5 and receive rewards from Little Beau Sheep that range from a set of dryer balls, to the opportunity to design your own dryer balls or attend a needle-felting workshop to make your own laundry ball while enjoying afternoon tea.

Offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic balls, Little Beau Sheep tumble dyer balls are a natural alternative to fabric softeners. The dryer balls are chemical free, relying on their native lanolin content to naturally soften clothes. Organic and bio-degradable, they provide a planet-friendly alternative to their plastic prototypes – and also support native and rare sheep breeds along the way.

The crowdfunding campaign can be viewed at crowdfunder.co.uk/littlebeausheep and runs until March 28.