AS a keen hiker and mountaineer, former Wellington School pupil Laura Sweet was keen to take her newborn daughter on her family adventures.

But she was unable to keep baby Maya properly warm hiking on Exmoor when she was just two weeks old and quickly became disappointed with the lack of choice for good quality outdoor clothing for children.

So Laura, 34, who had been working as a commercial insurance broker, decided to do something about it and set up Amamaya Clothing in April 2016, specialising in Merino wool clothing designed especially for children.

Laura said: “My husband Simon and I have spent a lifetime together walking, mountaineering, skiing and generally enjoying the great outdoors.

“We tried taking our daughter up a few mountains in a carrier when she was small but it was so tricky keeping her comfortable – and frankly it was more stressful than it needed to be.

“I decided I could do better and Amamaya Clothing was born, shortly after my daughter.”

Laura decided to use fine, soft Merino wool for her products because it regulates temperature, which stops children getting too hot or too cold.

She said: “Synthetic clothing or cotton just doesn’t do the job when you are trying to keep little people warm and I’ve never been keen on pastel colours, so wanted to brighten things up.

“Generally when kids moan when out walking they are usually tired, hungry, cold or uncomfortable. We deal with the cold, uncomfortable bit. Comfy kids are happy kids and happy kids stay outdoors longer, which is great for everyone. The whole range looks great, feels beautiful but most importantly, it is designed to do its job.”

All the clothing, which is designed by Laura and made in the UK, has been thoughtfully designed to deal with issues faced by children in the great outdoors – adult designs are not just shrunk down into kids’ sizes.

The base layers are long in the body so they stay tucked in, getting rid of cold bellies and backs – and also have a high neck to stop chilly gaps.

Laura believes that growing up in Somerset has a lot to do with where she is now and attributes a lot of her success to her time at Wellington School.

She said: “It was much more than a classroom. It taught me so many life lessons in independence and creativity.

“We are so lucky here in Somerset with the Quantocks, Exmoor and Dartmoor on our doorstep. There are woods, beaches, valleys and hills to explore.

“I’ve made clothing to help everyone be able to enjoy all of this with their families. If it wasn’t for spending so much time outdoors growing up here, I wouldn’t have had such a sense of adventure and I may never have taken this path.”