A SOUTH Lakeland business has some extra sparkle after securing the rights to supply a stunning collection of Christmas tree decorations.

For fine furnishing and interior design specialist Dorothy Wightman, it marks the end of a four-year-long pursuit of New York-based Christopher Radko’s exclusive Christmas wonders.

Since first spotting the hand-made decorations when a client brought one back from the United States, she has been determined to become a supplier.

“They are out of this world, they are different from any other decoration that I have ever seen,” said Dorothy, who runs her highly successful business from a converted barn at Lupton on the A65.

Ranging from three to 12 inches high, the hand-painted glass ornaments are stunning to look at and feature some remarkably intricate detail.

They have graced the mantelpiece of the White House, featured on top TV shows and been snapped up by a host of celebrities, from Elton John and Oprah Winfrey, to Robert Redford and John Travolta.

For Dorothy Wightman, who has collected tree decorations since she was a girl, they are simply exquisite: “I love perfection and you are not going to get nicer Christmas decorations anywhere else.” She added: “They are particularly wonderful because they tell a story from every angle. Some people might want to decorate a whole tree, but others will just buy the odd one at first and maybe go on to start their own collection.” Individually priced from £16 to £84, the Christopher Radko decorations do not come cheap, but Dorothy said each one was a collectors’ item and an heir loom.

With one-third of the designs changing every year, the creations become very collectable and values have soared. A peach tree originally sold for 38 dollars made 1,000 dollars when it came on the market again.

Up until now, the decorations have only been available in the UK through an exclusive London department store, and Christopher Radko was reluctant at first to allow Dorothy Wightman to sell the treasures.

However, four years of dogged determination has paid off and she is now the sole supplier for the north of England and Scotland.

Farmer’s wife Dorothy set up her own business 18 years ago, initially making curtains for shops on the kitchen table at home before opening premises in High Newton.

She moved to the showroom and workshop at Lupton two-and-a-half years ago, and has rapidly earned a reputation for her high quality work as a fine seamstress.

Today, the business employs ten full and part-time staff, working on commissions for people all over the country and in Europe, doing everything from a humble cushion backing to a full-blown interior design service.

Clients, including the rich and famous, flock to her door thanks to word-of-mouth rave reviews, and her sheer enthusiasm for her craft is clear for all to see.

“Whatever job you do in life, don’t class it as work, class it as a hobby. My father told me that when I left school and that’s stayed with me,” she told Business Gazette.

“My mother was an excellent needlewoman and, ever since I was little, I had been brought up with it. There was always something being made up.” She plans to pass on some of the tricks of the trade to people by running a series of soft furnishing courses, sponsored by Brother, during 2004.

“I want to make it really exciting. Anyone can machine sew something, but it’s a dying art to know how to do things properly,” she said.

For details about the courses, ring Dorothy Wightman on 015395-67550