A fledgling Sutton business that overcame the challenges of the pandemic has grown to become a quadruple award-winning success story.

Lisa Gadsby set up Team Prom in November 2019, helping year 11 girls to find the perfect dress to wear at school proms.

Now it is celebrating winning four titles at the East Midlands Small Business Awards — and planning to expand into new premises.

“We had a tough first year because lots of proms were cancelled due to covid,” said Lisa, who founded the business from scratch.

“Despite this, the following year we outgrew our premises and moved to a bigger site.

“I used to be a mental health nurse and saw how much of a struggle teenage girls were having with body image — and wanted to change that.

“We offer completely private appointments for the girls and their families to enjoy the special moment together of finding their dream dress.

Team Prom, currently based on Priestsic Road, was a finalist in three categories at the awards — Best Retail Business, Customer Care, and Business Owner of the Year.

After winning all three, including Lisa being named Business Owner of the Year, Team Prom won the overall accolade of East Midlands Small Business of the Year.

Her team also includes Grace Haslam, Sienna Newnes, Mia Martin, Daisy Tryner and Evie Woodward.

“The whole team was there to celebrate and we danced the night away afterwards,” added Lisa.

“My team — Grace, Sienna, Mia, Daisy and Evie — are the backbone of my business and are all previous customers.

“They deserve the recognition just as much as I do.

“I am overwhelmed after our success on the awards night and I want to thank my team, my long suffering husband, Andy, and, of course, our amazing customers who make it possible for us to continue making girls’ dreams come true.”