Becky Allen first started hula-hooping three year's ago as a novel way to keep fit down at her local park, which quickly developed into an idea to help encourage people to get active whilst having fun.

 
And thanks to some expert coaching from Derbyshire Enterprise Agency, Becky is now trading - offering a range of demonstrations, classes and workshops, where adults and children alike can have a go at making their own hoops before using them to learn the art of hula hooping.

Becky, from Derby, said: “I saw a hula hoop display at a festival and was amazed by what I saw, so I decided to give it a go for myself. It’s something completely different and is just a fantastic, fun way to exercise and keep fit.”

That was a year ago. Today, Becky, who also works with youngsters in Derby as a Green Activity Ranger, has started to make and decorate her own hoops. She made contact with the Derbyshire Enterprise Agency, which helped Becky develop her confidence and encouraged her to think about turning her hobby into a business venture.

“I make and decorate hoops from home, and have now got to the point where I am considering selling them. I’m also looking at doing festivals and other events, both selling my hoops and giving demonstrations, workshops and community classes. With the DEA's support, I did demonstrations at the Bearded Theory festival near Ashbourne, which was a massive success, and I’ve also had a lot of enquiries from friends and colleagues about going in to their places of work to deliver staff workshops and things like that.”

Becky’s plans for the future are to set up a hula hoop club and get as many people hula hooping as possible. She’d also like to get a hoop dance qualification and wants to encourage people to make and decorate their own hoops.