A seamstress from Colne has opened up a new shop after demand for her services soared as more people try to save money and be more conscious about fast fashion.

Samantha Martindale has been sewing for 37 years, with 20 of those working in local manufacturing factories, and is eager to inspire young people to consider it as a thriving career.

She opened her stall, Altered to Suit, in Colne Market seven years ago as a trial after noticing that many people were unable to fix their clothes and other items so decided to plug a gap in the market.

Altered to Suit started out as a small space inside Colne Market, and very quickly progressed into a larger stall.

Now, Samantha has taken the plunge and opened a new shop inside the town’s Shackleton Hall.

She said: “I have a very varied customer base with people coming from as far afield as Blackburn and Great Harwood.

"I have many loyal customers that are happy to return time and time again and since the latest move I’ve seen a large number of new customers.

“A good seamstress really does feel like gold dust from what my customers tell me! I often have a waiting list of two or more weeks, thankfully most customers understand and believe it’s worth the wait for a quality repair or alteration.

“It would be great to see young people taking the trade into the future, I believe we are all becoming more aware about waste and are repairing or upcycling old clothes and we need repair or alterations shops to succeed.”

Whilst the current Colne Market renovation has required some businesses to be moved into new spaces, Samantha stated she agreed with plans to give it a major overhaul.

She said: “I feel the Market Hall is now very dated and the renovation is overdue, not an easy task to complete whilst there are active traders in there.

"I do wish them all the best and will be interested to see the final results.”

Samantha says she is happy with her new location in Shackleton Hall and has spent her evenings making over the shop.

She said: “I’m nestled between lots of other small independent businesses in Colne and everyone is friendly.

"I know how much love, hard work and care goes into each one.

“Shopping locally reduces everyone’s environmental impact. I think it’s important to keep the town centre shops alive.

"Small independent shops can offer something that the big out of town stores can’t.”