Flying the freelance flag for York

York-based businesswoman Helen Reynolds has reached the final of the prestigious FSB Freelancer Of the Year awards for Yorkshire and The Humber.

"I'm incredibly chuffed to be a finalist," says York resident Helen. "I'd worked on digital platforms since 1997, but always as an employee. So starting a business was a steep learning curve. However, I could see there was a gap in the market for someone to act as an extra pair of hands for small businesses and marketing agencies. I choose York as my base and its business community could not have been more welcoming.”

In 2014, she founded Ink Gardener Copywriting to create fresh digital content, from tailored social media posts to full-scale content overhauls. Since then, her projects have ranged from revamping Durham Cathedral's website to catapulting a British-made hamper company to the top of Google.

As well as writing content, Helen has added a website MOT package to her services plus training in boosting social media, 'getting by' in Google and writing for the web. She is a member of the Hiscox Business Club, founded the York Copywriters' Coffee meet-ups, and delivers taster talks to groups such as Business Ladies Around Harrogate and York City Council's Connect Over Coffee.

"Although I help businesses across the globe, the foundation of my success came from working with Yorkshire-based clients," says Helen. "My earliest projects were for a pet behaviourist on the Yorkshire Wolds, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Dawnay Estates near Scarborough where I spent my teenage years," says Helen.

The final of the FSB Awards takes place on 24 February in Leeds. "Curiosity is a strong driving force in my writing," adds Helen, "so I'm really looking forward to meeting the other finalists who include a voiceover artist, a fashion designer, and a virtual reality developer!"