SHE works in a shed at the bottom of her garden in Orford.

But from that unassuming base, artist and designer Nicole Beswick has not only managed to weather the pandemic but thrive in uncertain times.

The former Penketh High School student, who sells pop culture greetings cards and gifts through her business Native 21, admitted that ‘panic mode kicked in’ during the first national lockdown earlier this year.

All wholesale orders – her main source of income – vanished overnight and with no financial aid from the government, Nicole wondered how she was going to keep her small business afloat.

Luckily, that is where Thortful stepped in. The online platform, that champions indie designers, has seen a big upturn this year due to many more people buying cards on the internet while stuck indoors.

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By adapting and doing more designs for Thortful, an increase in sales of her products online helped cover her losses.

The 25-year-old said: “I don’t know where I’d be without them and I’m so thankful for their support during this unsettled time.

“A lot of people flocked to Thortful’s site because you couldn’t go out to buy cards. It has done very well throughout lockdown and this whole Covid-19 era.

“There have been lockdown-themed cards which sound horrible but it is a comedy twist on what we’re all going through.

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“They’re what people want at the moment – to try and make light of something that is a bit grim.”

Nicole has always been into art and design and did it alongside various day jobs.

But it was when she was handpicked to do an album cover for Scouting for Girls that she had the confidence to take it further.

The former Priestley College student added: “That was kind of a starting point which pushed me to think: ‘I might be able to do this as a job’.

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“I realised there was a bit of a gap in the market for pop culture on-trend cards so I started to focus on them in particular.”

Donna Marie Gifts in Stockton Heath was the first trader to support Nicole with a wholesale order.

Nicola said: “She told me how well the cards were selling so I thought: ‘I’m really going to give this a go’. I then went on Etsy and sold some things on there and it just grew and grew.

"I always struggled working for other people and when I got made redundant I said: ‘Right, that’s it. I’m not doing it again. I’m going to try this for myself’.

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“It was obviously terrifying as you’ve got bills to pay and a house to pay for but it’s worked out.

“There tends to be a bit of fear around it but you can work for yourself. You just need a good idea and the confidence to go for it.”

Her orders may be shipped all over the UK but Nicole is still based in her little studio shed.

She added: “I’ve been in there about a year and a half but it’s literally fit to burst. You should see the number of cardboard boxes.

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“I’m going to try and find a unit soon because I’d like to grow the e-commerce side of the business.”

Obviously, Nicole’s relationship with Thortful has also stood her in good stead for the current second lockdown.

But her mind is very much on others who are affected by the pandemic.

She said: “I have a lot of friends in the small business industry – like little gift shops we supply to – and I’m heartbroken for them.

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“I’m really gutted they can’t operate but we’re doing shares on social media for them and that kind of thing.

“So there’s a good side where we’re really busy but I’m very conscious that it’s difficult for a lot of people.

“Weirdly a lot of wholesales are asking for lockdown themed Christmas cards and mask themes and all stuff like that so there has been a lot of adapting to the times we’re in.”

One of the most challenging – but fun – parts of Nicole’s job is reacting to current trends and events.

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She added: “When the story broke about Dominic Cummings going to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight, I quickly went on my iPad to do a pun card and it sold thousands the next day because it hit that moment.

"We also had a Theresa May one around the time she talked about running through a field of wheat. I can spend a long time browsing through social media and watching TV and think: ‘It’s my job, it’s ok’ – I can get away with it because I’m constantly on the lookout for things.”

Nicole, who has also just got her products into Paper Chase, is best known for her Gavin and Stacey, David Attenborough and Tiger King inspired pop culture cards as well – bizarrely enough – her chicken nugget range which even includes a bestselling air freshener.

Looking back over figures while chatting to Weekend, Nicole told us she has sold 249,181 cards on Thortful since joining the company’s roster in June 2017.

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She said: “It’s incredible really. My ideas always come at totally random moments. I’ll often think of something when I’m driving around or I’ll scroll through social media and I’ll see something that has been trending.

“The main thing with Thortful is being as quick as you can and sometimes having to work through the night as there is a lot of other designers out there.”

Visit native21.com and thortful.com/creator/native21