A children's cutlery business, co-owned by a RAF veteran, has won 'Start Up Business of the Year' at the 2018 Soldiering On Awards.

The awards recognise the achievements of those who have served their country and those that work in support of the Armed Forces community.

The 12 award winners, decided upon by an independent panel of judges, were announced at a black-tie ceremony hosted by broadcaster Jeremy Vine and actress Vicki Michelle at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel this month (April).

Rosie Phelps-Goggin, a former RAF intelligence officer, joined her sister, Cat Dodd, to grow Doddl in September 2013.

Mrs Phelps-Goggin said "It was a genuine surprise and an absolute honour for Doddl to be declared the best veteran-owned start up in the UK, amid finalists with remarkable achievements.

"When transitioning from the Royal Air Force ten years ago, I couldn't have imagined the challenging yet exciting business journey I'd embark upon with my sister."

After Ms Dodd's mealtime struggles with her young children, she identified that toddlers wanted to eat independently without parents having to feed them and designed unique cutlery to suit the grip of a tiny hand.

Following a three-year journey through research, design, manufacturing and crowdfunding, the first sets of Doddl cutlery went on sale in 2016.

Just 18 months on, Doddl is now stocked by major parenting retailers Boots, Amazon UK, Amazon Europe and Kiddicare, plus outlets in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, UAE, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

Mrs Phelps-Goggin's (pictured below inn Iraq, 2004, flying in a Chinook near Basra) first career was as an Intelligence officer in the Royal Air Force and became the first female in an intelligence post on the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW), providing air intelligence support to Special Forces.

After six years of service, with tours of operational duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, she felt it was time for a new challenge in business.

She took her first business from humble beginnings to a multi-award winning company, before joining her sister at Doddl.

After a successful final quarter in 2017, the pair welcomed a new business partner, Laura Thomas, who specialises in global marketing. The three partners are also mums, running the business, based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, alongside their busy families.

Pictured top: (L-R) Rosie Phelps-Goggin, Laura Thomas, Cat Dodd.