A RAMSBOTTOM woman has taken big steps towards a new career in shoe design since leaving a secure job in her mid-30s to go back into full-time education.

Nicola Hassall, of Holcombe Lee, is showing that it's not just young whizz kids who can make it in the fashion industry.

She won three awards at a university catwalk show, picking up two bursaries and a trip to Bologna with Italian fashion house Linea Pelle, and has already designed shoes for Clarks and handbags for Dunes.

The 38-year-old left her job as a PA at a company in Bolton three years ago to embark on the sudden career change.

She said: "My dad was an artist and I've always been surrounded by art. Stuck in an office, I always felt there was something missing and that I wasn't on the right path. Finally I decided to change my life."

Fellow students on the footwear and accessories HND at Northampton University are at least 15 years her junior but Nicola thinks her maturity has been an asset.

She said: "I had given up a good, secure job so there was no way I was going to university for the clubbing. I didn't know what the standard would be like so I worked all hours to make sure I measured up. I'm always the last person in the sewing room at night."

Despite her passion for shoes, Nicola insists she owns only a very small collection herself. It was partly her difficulty finding shoes in the shops that measured up to the images in her head that inspired her to design her own.

She said: "I'm very fussy. I would spend all day searching for the perfect pair of shoes. If I didn't find them I wouldn't buy anything but I'd come home with my head full of images of the shoes I wanted to find. I always thought it would be great if I could just get them down on paper."

Nicola is currently looking for sponsorship for her final year collection - three bags and three pairs of shoes inspired by the theme of antique sewing machines.