A TAVISTOCK mother who lost her son at only eight months old is now launching her own furniture up-cycling business from interests she pursued after his passing.

Kathryn Rowlands and Jon Parsons’s son Alexander sadly died from Kawasaki disease at Derriford Hospital in April 2020 following diagnosis the same month, prompting Kathryn’s sister Hannah Rowlands to immediately set up a JustGiving page in order to help the family which raised over £20,000.

During this time after her son’s death, Kathryn turned her mind to pursuing hobbies — particularly furniture up-cycling — during a time when the country was locked down and advised to remain at home during the pandemic. Her focus allowed her to rapidly turn this hobby into a business, which Kathryn and her sister-in-law Hannah Perring have secured premises for and will be marked with a grand opening of Alex’s Oaktree this Saturday (July 2) in Tavistock.

Kathryn has moved back to her hometown (Tavistock) after living in Plymouth for many years.

Kathryn said: ‘This all started off as a hobby — and a coping mechanism — through grief. Upcycling pieces of furniture that were destined for landfill, and transforming them into a ‘new’ piece became a very therapeutic process for me. Hannah had previously upcycled some of her own furniture and was also dedicated to reducing our waste and reusing as much as we can. We are also passionate about donating to have trees planted in Alex’s name.

‘Starting this up-cycling business definitely unlocked a creativity that I, personally, did not know I had. We have really enjoyed pushing ourselves into slightly different designs that we wouldn’t have thought of previously — although we have both always been interested in interior design and home decor, as well being as eco-friendly as possible. We are very excited for this new venture. Taking the leap from what started as a small hobby to an actual shop feels surreal!’

The business has already and will continue to plant trees in Alex’s memory through donations to and with support from the World Land Trust Charity, having planted over 100 already.

Hannah Rowlands added: ‘Lockdowns definitely gave us some time to deliberate about turning this into a business, but without the devastating loss of our son and nephew, we don’t think this business would exist — which is bittersweet, but it’s really lovely to be able to continue to do something in Alexander’s memory.’

The shop is situated in Paddons Row on Brook Street and many enjoyed its official opening on Saturday (July 2).