South Shields calligrapher celebrates business milestone

A former journalist-turned-calligrapher is celebrating five years in business.

Angela Reed launched Creative Calligraphy in May 2014 and has seen the business grow year-on-year, with workshops proving particularly popular.

Former North East Press journalist Angela, 37, from South Shields, has taught hundreds of people since running her first workshop for The Cultural Spring in January 2016, with many of those people becoming regular attendees following their first taste of calligraphy.

She said: “I really have The Cultural Spring to thank for getting the workshop side of my business off the ground. It gave me the confidence to explore the possibility of running more and I now have several regular venues.

“I didn’t think I’d be running workshops when I first started out, at least not for a while, but I really enjoy doing them. It’s a pleasure to share my skills with others and I get to meet a wide range of people, all brought together by a love of calligraphy.

“People are definitely investing in experiences and there’s an increasing interest in crafts that take them away from their phones and tablets and screens. I’d like to think that I’m playing a small part in keeping the art of beautiful writing alive.”

Angela runs regular workshops throughout the North East, and her work has appeared in styled shoots and real-life wedding features in magazines and blogs.

She has also taken on a wide range of commissions and bespoke requests, from marriage proposals to the restoration of historical documents. Last year, she took part in the Pages of the Sea event at Redcar and her work features on the decorative panels at Bede Metro Station.

In the last five years, she has worked with leading brands, including Aspinal of London at House of Fraser, Manuscript Pen Company and The Pen Shop.

Angela set up her business with support from the North East Business and Innovation Centre in Sunderland and Tedco in South Shields. She was also able to gain access to the government’s New Enterprise Allowance scheme.