A woman has found success as a wine importer after taking voluntary redundancy from her previous job.
Anna Harris, who used to work as a journalist, decided to accept the offer from her employer and go into business with her father, the Journal reports.
Ms Harris, a former farming correspondent, set up The Grape Unknown, which is based in Northumberland, despite having no real experience with the drink.
"I am no wine expert and at first I was quite apprehensive about going into something new," said Ms Harris, who is 38 and has two children aged six and two.
She stated that what she had learnt in her last job helped her, noting that if she can do it, anyone can.
"I think there must be a lot of people who have the skills to be a success in another, very different job, but who don't know what they can do," she said.
Around 7,000 people lost their jobs on Tyneside in the three months to November last year and Carole Beverley, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs Forum, added that redundancy is a great opportunity to try something new.
She said that although starting your own business will not be easy, there has "never been a better time" to try it, because a lot of people are in a similar situation.
The forum is holding a Time to Change event later in February and Ms Beverley told the Journal last month that people who attend will be able to get help with running their own firm and listen to advice from experts.
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