A FORMER director of Bannatyne's Fitness is launching a jewellery business in the region with her sister.

Joanne McCue, along with her sister Jacquie Wilby, is opening Lone Star Emporium, in Yarm, Teesside, next month and will be selling semi-precious and coloured quartz jewellery.

The pair, originally from Norton, near Stockton, have invested £100,000 of their own money into the venture, and the sisters are aiming that Lone Star Emporium will become a retail brand familiar throughout the region.

Ms McCue is a trained nurse who went on to become a company director with some of the Tees Valley's most successful businesses, including Quality Care Homes plc, Just Learning and Bannatyne Fitness.

Her sister, Ms Wilby, has worked in a number of regional businesses, including at Bannatyne Fitness.

The collection on offer at the store will also include vintage clothing, beaded evening bags, bridal jewellery and crystal hair accessories.

Ms McCue said: "The Tees Valley has changed dramatically in recent years, and now has a mature retail market that offers scope for high-quality products in addition to the more traditional budget items.

"Yarm has developed as the best location for shoppers seeking lifestyle-enhancing goods.

"We have started this enterprise with real confidence that our jewellery will be popular with local consumers."

The business is in the centre of Yarm High Street.