| Crafting a future |
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Businesswoman Catherine Trillo is using her expertise in furniture and textiles to give damaged women a fresh start,  writes Grahame AndersonA bohemian lifestyle in ’80s London certainly appealed to North Shields-born Catherine Trillo. But away from the mix of talented musicians, free thinking artists and adventurous friends, the 21-year old had her darker moments. “Taking a Bible, hammer and telephone to bed was a necessity living in a bedsit in a troubled part of the capital,” she says. “One night however, having cried out to God in prayer, I’d been filled with the most amazing feeling of peace and tranquillity. God had filled me from top to toe and I wondered why I’d ever been afraid, now feeling safe in his security. “The next morning the sky seemed a much brighter blue and I began to notice the little things I’d previously taken for granted.” She recalls the moment as we chat over coffee in her showroom, beautifully adorned with restored antique furniture and framed textiles. The amiable businesswoman has come a long way from the early beginnings on Tyneside and the house she shared with four sisters and five brothers. But her journey is only just gathering momentum, just weeks after the launch of a project aimed at helping female former offenders, alcoholics and drug addicts. Her shop, Lydia’s House, was named after a biblical merchant who sold expensive cloths to the rich and gave her profits back to the poor. “I had Christian beliefs as a young girl, but pushed them into the background between the ages of 16 and 21. But through my own experiences in life I can relate to what some women are going through.” Catherine admits to using recreational drugs in the past. Then there was the nightmare of being kidnapped in Amsterdam, with only a miracle escape saving her from life as a prostitute. She married a talented Italian jazz musician who suffered from manic depression. But despite the joy of giving birth to their son Bede and great efforts at trying to make it work, the couple eventually parted. “I found a church in Battersea where most of the congregation seemed to be made up of single professional parents. It proved to be a fantastic source of comfort as a young single mum. God was telling me life goes on.” The good times saw her working for both The Gallery of Antique Costume and Textiles and Christie’s auction house, before becoming a successful furniture restorer – though her real talent lay in textiles. Catherine moved on to manage a high-class antique shop attracting many well-known clients including Dustin Hoffman and Joan Collins. While working in London she became a youth worker at weekends in both Brixton and Battersea, eventually studying to degree level. After 13 years in London she returned to the North East, establishing the Revive Youth Project, restoring furniture and working with young adults who had been hooked on drugs in the Blyth area. “I grew tired of the big city and yearned for the countryside and the coast,” she says. “Having worked hard in London, my attentions turned to a farmhouse near Morpeth in Northumberland complete with two and half acres of land. It seemed ideal for the business project I had in mind and as a people person I wondered how I could use this to help others. “So why not open up the house to help support and rehabilitate women and teach them vital life skills?” These days she teaches women how to work in soft furnishings, antique restoration and textile conservation as well as bespoke picture framing. And the work of the ex-offenders and addicts has been bought by big stores like Liberty’s and Fenwick, castles, various country manors, city luxury apartments and top hotels. Now the National Health Service has become involved, and the scheme looks set to take off in a big way. “I believe we can all help each other, and people in business especially can help by providing jobs and hope for those who want to get their feet back on the ladder,” says Catherine. “It really is the way forward. My dream is to help establish a number of similar schemes nationally in the future. “But for now I feel really blessed by my faith and ready to help those women who need it most.” For more about Catherine’s work go to www.lydiashouse.org.uk |
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