Mr Site community

Thank you to everyone who submitted their credit crunch stories. Not only have you shown us some great websites, but we've heard lots of inspiring accounts from Mr Siters that have beaten the recession to follow their dreams and ambitions. This month's winners of a luxury hamper are Heather and Piers Locke of Gourdgeous Gourds –

www.gourdart.co.uk

The husband and wife duo started their Mr Site website in October 2008 and haven't looked back!

"My credit crunch story goes back to last June when I was made redundant from my cherished London job after almost three years working there," says Heather. "Our entire team was let go and I was crushed. My husband was also looking for work so we were terrified that neither of us would find anything and our modest savings would be eaten up in rent and bills. Luckily, I found another job but it was a lot less money for longer hours and the work itself was quite tedious. It was at this point I decided to take a leap.

I'd been carving and painting gourds as a hobby and people had been telling me that I should sell them online. I was no web building buff and never took their advice seriously, but with my new job being so boring I needed something to help me feel happy again. Now I sell my gourd art at a crazy rate. My site gives me a great sense of purpose and accomplishment and I never would have done it without Mr. Site. My husband recently got a job and we've moved to Wales, where I plan to sell my gourds full-time. It's been a bizarre year, full of worries and uncertainty, but I think we've finally landed on our feet."