Jeanette will never have the world at her feet

She picked it up to check out the width and the heel height - just like any good grandma would do.

Then she found the right size, sat down ... and tried it on. Perfect.

The grandmother of seven from Norfolk Park has such tiny feet, she has rarely been able to wear anything other children's shoes.

"My four grand-daughters used to love playing in my shoes. But they haven't been able to do that for years - they grew out of them when they were just little girls," says Jeanette.

Now teenagers of 14 and 16, their feet range from a 4 to a 6. but grandma's are still a tiny 1, and sometimes even a 13, in a children's shoe.

She has spent decades traipsing around shoe shops in search of adult styles - usually with wearied husband Derek by her side. But she can rarely find what she's looking for - lovely, feminine, elegant shoes in a ladies' UK Size 1 - or a European 31 to 32. That fruitless search has spilled over into virtually every foreign holiday she and Derek have ever taken. The couple have even journeyed to London just so Jeanette could browse in a specialist shoe store - with specialist prices to boot.

And it was Derek who finally contacted the Star with a desperate plea: "Can anyone help my wife find the sort of shoes she has dreamed of wearing all her life?"

Said Derek: "It's so unfair. When we go somewhere special, she's sitting there in a lovely outfit. But I know that she's checking out what the other women are wearing on their feet - and comparing them to the kiddies' shoes she's having to make do with yet again."

A petite five feet tall, Jeanette is not alone, though - it is estimated over two million women have small feet. But that figure incorporates women of Size 3 and under. There is no record of how many are at the tiniest end of the scale.

"All the shops I visit start at a Size 3 or even a 4 - but that is miles too big for me," says Jeanette, who has tried everything from insoles to extra pairs of socks to pad out too-big shoes that she simply couldn't resist buying.

She was 15 when she realised her tiny feet were going to be the bane of her life - just like her Size 2 mum before her.

"She used to take me to Dempsey's shoe shop in Sheffield's Duke Street - it was the only place that really catered for us. And I also found out that Saxone on the High Street occasionally got tiny sizes in."I still wear some of their shoes - I have to look after the pairs that I do find because I never know how long it's going to be before I find any more. I do so envy women who are a size 5 or 6 and have the shoe world at their feet. I would love to be a shoe-aholic. But I have absolutely no chance!"

Jeanette has all-but given up on finding adult shoes to fit. She has looked at internet shoe stores, but is reluctant to order before trying on - in her experience, it is so rare to find a pair that fit, she simply can't believe the perfect pair will land on her doorstep. And she is put off by return postage charges.

But she has recently managed to garner a small collection at her St Aidan's Way home, though.

Unfortunately, it is thanks to one fashion trend that Jeanette would rather hadn't taken off.

"Some stores have started selling what I would call quite unsensible children's shoes," says Jeanette.

"They have heels, pointed toes and look like scaled-down versions of adult shoes. They are not at all what I would have let my children wear. I don't imagine they are doing children's feet any good at all. But at the same time, I don't know what I'd do without them.

"They don't look too much like children's shoes, do they?" she asks. "I'd love to find beautiful, classy shoes," she sighs.

But as she slips off her Jonathan James children's flatties to reveal tiny, perfect feet, she adds: "I am proud of the fact that I've got pretty feet though.

"And more than I can say for the adults of tomorrow, judging by children's shoes today."Hot-footing it in search of the perfect shoes

We put our best foot forward and set off in search of shoes for Jeanette.

It was like the Cinderella search, only in reverse.

At Meadowhall, we had to turn on our heel; virtually all the shoe stores started their size range at a 36 - a UK Size 3. But for Jeanette, a size 32, that was FOUR sizes too big.

Atkinsons on the Moor pride themselves on offering a shoe range that starts at two. But look at the European size on the sole and they are a 33 - still too big for Jeanette.

"She's not alone - we get a lot of requests from ladies with very small feet," says Jean Kirk, manager of the Pavers shoe department at the store.

And Jean can do more than sympathise; she's a three herself and her assistant Pam Thomas is a size 1-2.

"We are very aware of the problem. Sheffield seems to have a high proportion of small-footed women. There's a bigger demand here than in other cities. We've no idea why that is. In other parts of the country Pavers get inundated with requests for size 9s.

However, Pavers occasionally get hold of tiny Size Ones - four arrived this year and sold immediately.

"We're going to try to get more for autumn," Jean promised.

Our eureka moment came via the internet, though. New company Small Measures was launched by tiny-footed Sue Martin-Loat - a size 1 to 2.

The website mail order firm stock Jeanette's size - and if something you order doesn't fit, you can return it for free.

Says Sue: "After yet another day of trudging round town looking for shoes in my size, my husband finally said: 'This is ridiculous. Why don't you set up a business?'"

She started researching the size of the problem - and found out there were many UK women with tiny feet.

Sourcing small sizes wasn't easy, though. "Most British and European manufacturers made the decision to start their ranges at a three.

"Only two or three companies still make little sizes. Chinese women have tiny feet, but manufacturers there want companies to place huge orders even though the market here is small. And we have heard that Indian shoe manufacturers also make very small sizes which might be another source for us."

Small Measures (contact them via www.smallmeasures.co.uk or 0845 431354) now have around 600 customers and ages range from teens to 70s.

Says Sue: "It is true that feet are getting bigger and bigger, but there are still lots of young girls who have such problems buying shoes to fit their dainty feet."

They have only been unable to help one customer - a lady from Bolton who takes a child's size 12. "But we haven't given up yet," says Sue.

Jeanette browsed a range of styles that would fit her on her home computer and selected two, which arrived just a day later.

And amazingly, one of the pairs were a tad on the small side!

"I've only ever had that happen to me once before - when I had a pair made by a cobbler in Cyprus and he got a bit carried away," said Jeanette. "But the other pair are lovely."

She's still not happy with internet shopping, though - so she intends to visit Small Measures' stock rooms in Cambridge.