Chelmsford mum says art became therapy after baby loss

Charlotte Clemence pitched the idea to the Dragons with her husband Grant

A businesswoman says grieving the death of her baby daughter inspired her to create artwork as a form of therapy.

Charlotte Clemence, 48, from Chelmsford, Essex, co-founded YardArt UK with Rebecca Lund in 2019 after they bonded over art on the school run.

Mrs Clemence and her husband Grant successfully pitched the business to the BBC's Dragon's Den show on Thursday.

"Art was really a tonic for me, it was really like an outlet," she said.

Mrs Clemence's daughter Fleur, a twin, died at eight days old of a rare heart condition in 2011.

"She is a part of our lives and we never want her to be forgotten," she said.

"The same with our journey - everything has happened because of her, she died but she has had a massive impact on our lives.

"She created the person I am today."

The family told how they had raised thousands of pounds for the East Anglian Children's Hospices (EACH) because of the support the charity provided for their daughter.

"I suffered quite badly with my mental health after I lost my daughter, probably some of it was post natal depression as well," she said.

Creating art became "an outlet", she said, adding: "It was my therapy."

Charlotte Clemence told how the death of her daughter inspired her to turn her art talent into therapy - and a successful business

Mrs Clemence pitched YardArt UK to the Dragons on Thursday's show, describing it as "a daunting challenge", and successfully secured investment from Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett.

She said the idea was about transforming ordinary garden walls into works of art - and the company had collaborated with a range of artists in order to bring the vision to life.

The "micro company" is currently appearing at the Ideal Home Show in London until 7 April.

Rebecca Lund (Left) and Charlotte Clemence (Right) started their business in 2019

The working mothers said they wanted to show their children, especially their daughters, that "we can do it as well," said Mrs Clemence.

"We want our daughters to be proud and know 'you can do it' so it is a really big thing for us.

"We want our children to know that we can be mums and also be successful entrepreneurs."