A BUSINESSWOMAN has won an award after overcoming the death of her husband to create a successful dry ice skate making company.

Karen O'Neil's husband died three years from a rare form of cancer of the blood vessels prompting her to quit her job as a leisure contracts manager for the council because she was too distressed to work.

She said: “When I was dealing with the death of my husband there didn't really seem much point to my days.

“I didn't know what I was going to eat tonight let alone what I was going to do the next day. The business gave me my focus back and helped me take control of my life again.”

Ms O'Neil got into the ice skating business by chance when she helped out her friend, Karen Coombes, an ice skating coach, by buying some boots to allow children to continue to rehearse for a Christmas pantomime when an ice rink broke down.

After discovering there are is shortage of ice rinks across Britain, Ms O'Neil realised there was a need for ice skating without the use of a traditional ice rink.

Ms O'Neil, 43, contacted an American company which supplies ice skates and agreed an exclusive deal to use them in Britain.

She arranged a series of workshops, taster sessions and weekly visits at schools and from their response she realised she had stumbled upon a gap in the market.

Working alongside Ms Coombes, the pair developed dry ice skates and set up KCO inline skating limited in Queens Grove Road, Chingford, in March last year and started trading in September delivering learn to skate programmes to schools across London.

The pair have no applied for patents and a European Trademark for their designs and it has also been recognised by the National Ice Skating Association.

The skate allows the user to perform the same skills on ice on a hard flat surface anywhere.

Ms O'Neil became aware of Barclay's Trading Places Awards, a nationwide competition which honours businessmen and women who struggled against adversity by setting up a successful business, by visiting her local branch.

She was surprised to be named as one of Britain's top 100 businesses in the competition.

“I was shocked when I got the phone call. It gave me a lot more confidence and has opened my eyes to other business competitions and awards,” she said.

She is now in the running to compete in the national final where she could win £5,000 for her business and £2,000 worth of computer software.