A Hampshire businesswoman who once relied on food banks and lived in a mother-and-baby hostel has built an award-winning cleaning company employing more than 20 people across Hampshire and Surrey.

Shona Taylor, from Aldershot, launched Taylor Made Cleaning Services after returning to the UK from Australia in 2018 in her mid 20’s with her four-month-old son and no permanent home or employment.

Now aged 33, Ms Taylor oversees a business turning over around £300,000 a year, specialising in domestic and commercial cleaning as well as specialist biohazard, trauma and hoarding cleans.

She described the difficult early days after returning home. “The first time I walked into a food bank, I just cried my eyes out because it wasn’t somewhere I ever expected to be,” she said.

Unable to return immediately to her previous care work because of childcare pressures, Ms Taylor began taking on small cleaning jobs for family and friends while caring for her son.

During the Covid pandemic, she worked in hospital intensive care and Covid wards while continuing to grow the cleaning business on the side.

A turning point came in 2021 when she secured her first HMO cleaning contract and hired her first members of staff. Today, the company employs 22 people and carries out between 100 and 150 domestic cleans each week, alongside specialist work for councils, housing associations and social services.

Ms Taylor said the company’s specialist services often involve helping vulnerable people living in unsafe or uninhabitable conditions. “Those jobs are really rewarding,” she said. “Our work goes far beyond cleaning it’s about making a real difference to people’s lives.”

Looking back on her journey, she said: “Your starting point doesn’t define your future. I had no business background at all, but I was determined to build something better for my family especially my two sons.”