VANESSA Fairweather has always dreamed of starting her own networking website for new mothers.

Now the Kingscliff mum has won $20,000 in prizes as the winner of the APN Better Business Great Ideas Grant.

The competition was designed to give one local entrepreneur the chance to win $10,000 cash, $5000 in APN advertising plus a $5000 Officeworks package to help get their project off the ground.

The winning idea grew from Mrs Fairweather's experience as a new mum lucky enough to find support in the challenging first year of motherhood.

Mrs Fairweather said she is passionate about providing planned events for Tweed and Gold Coast mums and their young kids to get out and about and meet other mums in the area.

Her business idea for a website with a busy event calendar, full of local activities where local mums can connect and communicate, get tips and share photos is something Mrs Fairweather believes is missing in the community.

“When I had my three-year-old in 2007 I met a really great group of women in my ante-natal class who became my best friends,” Mrs Fairweather said.

“After the classes ended we stayed good friends and made visits to the park and met for lunch.

“When you've just had a baby, for that first year you need support and friends, and I think I was very lucky to find that because I know many women don't have that and it's easy to feel isolated.”

Mrs Fairweather said the challenging first year of motherhood was her inspiration to help others

“That's where this all came from, I wanted to help other mums,” she
said.

“This way I can introduce them and offer coordinated activities, and hopefully form some friendships that these women can have for life.”