A LADY was shocked at winning a Facebook competition that meant she could open her own shop in Launceston for a fortnight.

Rene Trewern from Virginstow has been taking up temporary residence in a shop in Launceston’s Market House Arcade after winning a competition on the arcade’s social media page.

She has shared the space for two weeks with Jatzii Wood, Joy McEwan, Krysia Wood and Deborah Jones, with crafts for sale including woodwork, mosaics, textile arts and jewellery. Their last day in the shop was last Thursday.

She said it was a shock to have won the competition: “I had no idea I was going to win. I was a bit shocked and a bit overwhelmed.

“Within five days I got everyone together, we moved in and set up the shop. It’s the first shop I have had. I love it.

“I used to work in retail, always commercial products, never my own. I love shop keeping and playing around with the displays! It’s so nice someone walking off with something you created.

“I think more businesses should be looking at short term pop up shops rather than having something empty in the high street, because they could be earning money.

“It’s brilliant giving small businesses the chance to try something out without the massive commitment and it’s a win win for everybody.”

Rene worked in retail until moving to this country from South Africa to get married. After having a daughter, She had time to craft again, and started selling her craft when she realised she could not keep everything she made.

She usually enjoys going to local craft fairs, and to Bude Farmers’ Market, where she met the others sharing the shop with her.

She said on sharing her shop with the others: “You’ve got to give people a variety — I’m not everyone’s cup of tea! And I wanted a nice variety of things.

“These people are really good at what they are doing, it’s an actual profession, and brilliant craftsmanship.”

Rene also had with her at the shop one of the octopuses that her craft group has been making for premature babies — they are designed to stop premature babies pulling on wires, and the tentacles are said to resemble the umbilical cord.

Rene said: “My craft group does the occasional charity projects. We are also making a blanket at the moment that will be raffled towards a charity eventually.

“One of my students saw the idea [for the octopuses] on Facebook and said it would be nice if we could all make them. We have a basket of leftover yarns. We thought we’d just use this up and see how we get on.

“It’s just a nice thought using our leftovers to make a tiny difference.”

Although the group wants them to go to premature babies, they are not sure which charity or hospital to donate to yet — anyone interested in the octopuses can contact Rene via her website www.eccentricella.co.uk