A woman who was made redundant has used the opportunity to meet one of her life-long goals of being self-employed.
Amy Wilson has gone into business with her mother Liz Monks, with the pair running a franchise of LIPA 4:19, a dance and acting school for young people, The Franchise Magazine reports.
She had previously worked with script-writers and told the news source that being her own boss was something she had wanted to do for a long time.
"When mum presented me with the idea of opening our own stage school, I jumped at the chance," she told the news source.
"After I was made redundant I wanted to find something that would rekindle the fire in my belly for performing arts and fit in with the demands of having two young kids," she added.
Ms Wilson said that although setting up a new business is a "huge challenge", the recent success of High School Musical has made more people want to learn how to sing and dance.
"We're feeling confident," she added.
Her business is based in Leeds and is backed by LIPA - the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts - which was co-founded by former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.
Another person who has become self-employed after losing their job is Mark Smith of Ipswich.
He set up his own web design and property firm when he ended up out of work last summer, using help given to him by the Learning and Dkills Council's nextstep service.
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