A COUPLE made redundant following the closure of the SSI Redcar steelworks have had their lives reignited by their daughter’s passion for ballet.
With inspiration from talented 12-year-old ballerina Amelia, parents Anne-Marie and John Tyler have started their own business after attracting the attention of North-East dancers with home studio equipment.
The Saltburn family were encouraged to sell ballet barres made by John, 44, for Amelia after she won a scholarship to attend a ballet school in Birmingham and needed barres to practice with at home.
Mr Tyler worked at the SSI site for five years as a shift fitter engineer while Mrs Tyler, 37, was employed for more than 12 years across different departments before the steelworks closed in 2015.
The pair joined the £43m SSI Task Force initiative led by Redcar and Cleveland Council which was set up to help former steelworkers to re-train, take on full-time courses or to become entrepreneurs.
Mrs Tyler said: “It seemed like the end of the world when we both lost our jobs, but it has been the start of a new and exciting adventure and I can’t thank the Task Force enough for everything they have done.
“The response to the pro stretch and ballet barres has been fantastic and I’m really pleased to be in a position to launch the website and reach a much wider customer base.”
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