Jane takes on the men at their own game

On The Ball - www.ontheballpr.co.uk - has already helped South Yorkshire’s biggest non-league club, Stocksbridge Park Steels, to kick off its season and is hoping to secure more contracts on the back of Sheffield’s “City of Sport” reputation.

Jane got advice on setting up her business from Andrew Davies at STEP and has based herself at STEP’s business centre at Deepcar.

It was Mr Davies who introduced her to UK Steel Enterprise, the Corus Group subsidiary which provides finance for companies setting up in areas where there have been closures and redundancies in the steel industry and has provided a bursary to fund a laptop computer.

UK Steel Enterprise regional manager Keith Williams said: “Like many other people starting out in business in the Stocksbridge area, we were able to help Jane with a small bursary towards her last minute expenses.

“When someone spots a gap in the market it takes a lot of guts to go for it. She is also working in a field very much dominated by men... so we wish her luck.”

Jane Whitham has been a journalist for 15 years - the last eleven as a columnist and feature writer with The Star, working under her maiden name, Jane Cartledge.