A "fearless" mother has been awarded £10,000 for an unusual childcare business which she runs from her garage.

Lorraine Bostoff, of Merlin Close in Waltham Abbey, won the prize after impressing broadcaster and judge Melissa Porter with her business Coochy Coo Nappy Cakes.

Mrs Bostoff designs and makes new baby gifts using baby products like nappies, bibs and toys arranged to look like a cake.

Nearly a thousand other businesses entered the Liberis Great British Makeover Prize, which is handed out to encourage small companies to develop.

The business was established in 2012 when Mrs Bostoff’s sister started publicising her hobby designs over social media.

She immediately received orders and within six months had quit her job in tourism to develop the brand.

Mrs Bostoff is now a top seller on Amazon and has just added Tesco Direct to her list of stockists and resellers.

The mother, who fits the business around looking after her two children, said she was delighted to receive the award and will use the money to build a small extension.

She said: “I don’t want to run a multi-million pound business, I simply want to run a successful lifestyle business with the flexibility all mums crave, to pays bills and be available for my children.

“I was stuck in a vicious circle of needing the space to cope with capacity, but didn’t have funds to allow me to expand without getting into debt.”

Melissa Porter, who is best known for presenting Escape to the Country, said: “I admire working mothers. Having to juggle work with children is a responsibility that should be applauded.

“I also admire individuals who are focused and fearless enough to carve a career out of their passion and Lorraine has done just that.”