WHEN she’s not studying her design master’s degree, working as a part-time print technician or taking care of her daughter who underwent a lifesaving liver transplant – Lesley-Anne Pace is also setting up her own business.
And to help balance her busy life, mum Lesley-Anne has turned to the University of Sunderland to help kickstart her new enterprise, The Angel Press, drawing on her design skills to create luxury letterpress stationery.
The university’s digital incubator supports students and graduates with digital skills to explore the possibility of working for themselves as freelancers.
“The digital incubator has been a fantastic support, helping me organise all the admin jobs from tax and pricing to social media, all the stuff I don’t want to do as a creative,” said Ms Pace, 47, from Low Fell, Gateshead.
“I was not even sure where to start and kept putting these jobs off, but the digital incubator has motivated me to keep all those things in order. Being part of a community and having a support network has been great too, and certainly helped with all the things I have going on.”
Her life has been a whirlwind since the birth of daughter Phoebe 11 years ago.
Two weeks shy of her second birthday, the mum noticed Phoebe’s skin seemed yellow while they were out swimming.
Following a visit to the GP, Phoebe was referred to Leeds General Infirmary where tests were run and doctors broke the news that the little girl was suffering massive liver failure and need an urgent transplant within 48-hours.
Since her transplant, Phoebe takes medication every 12 hours and undergoes regular three-monthly health checks, but that certainly has not held her back and she has since gone on to win three gold medals for swimming events at the World Transplant Games in 2019.
The dramatic changes in life also made her reassess what was important to her, and after years of moving jobs in office and admin work, recruitment, an estate agent, to working as a forklift truck driver for The Royal Mail, she decided to follow her childhood passion for design and began studying a Textiles and Surface Design degree at the Northern School of Art in Teesside.
After graduating in 2018, she was then offered a part-time role as a print technician on the same course, helping the students in her care achieve their own ambitions.
Still hungry to develop her skills further, she decided to move on to a master’s degree in design at Sunderland, to further develop her techniques in areas such as graphics, print and linoprint.
“I wanted to go to art school when I was 16, but my parents said there were not many jobs in this area at the time, and suggested I did secretarial work, so after many years of doing all sorts of roles I am now fulfilling my ambitions,” said Ms Pace.
She added: “Sunderland gave me a new direction and inspiration, and was incredibly flexible and open to what you wanted it to be and that was appealing. The idea for setting up The Angel Press, was around using my skills to earn an income, while working part-time."
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