HOMEWARE PRODUCTS ARE GIVEN CARIBBEAN FLAVOUR

AN award-winning Plymouth businesswoman is causing a stir in the homeware industry and is bringing a bit of Caribbean colour to the city.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

Maya Lawrence, from Peverell, won the "trailblazer" award at the BAME Gala business awards in Plymouth this month and is now plotting to place her products on sale at major retailers across the country.

Her brand, Mayajoy, features greeting cards, wrapping paper, kitchenware such as oven gloves, tea towels and aprons, and other homeware, including cushions, table runners and napkins. They are all printed with Mrs Laweye-catchingly rence's colourful designs.

"I want to see Mayajoy products stocked by large retailers, and it pays me a living," she said. "That's the goal." Mrs Lawrence is a former interior designer who worked for Laura Ashley in London before returning to Plymouth, where she grew up, with her family. Her husband is in the Royal Navy and they have two daughters, aged eight and five.