A HEADTEACHER is living her 'retirement dream' of opening her own shop as she bows out after more than 30 years.

Sue Little is preparing to bid farewell to Low Furness C of E Primary School following an impressive 32-year career in teaching.

Jitterbug in Ulverston is home to an ‘eclectic’ collection of goods.

She said opening the shop was her ‘retirement dream’.

Sue said she will miss working with children everyday: “It’s a massive change, and it is the best job in the world.

“I kept saying to them, ‘you know where to find me’, and I think a lot of them will make an effort to come visit.”

“I need to be active, so retirement was quite daunting,” she said.

“I wanted it to be really eclectic so there is something for everyone. I want to be able to take the time to sit and chat and listen to people who come in.”

Sue and her husband Bill bought the ‘wonderfully quirky’ three-storey building in November 2021 and have been gradually renovating the property over the past two and a half years.

The building on Market Street was a complete ‘mess’ when they bought it, complete with exposed pipe work and dangling wires.

The electrics have been replaced, the roof redone, all of the exposed brick has been tidied away, the space has been completely redecorated and transformed.

“It was a warzone, but we gradually got it done.”

The first two floors of the building are devoted to the shop, while the top floor has been transformed into an art gallery.

Sue said there was an extremely overwhelming period when she was still working fulltime as an active head teacher while setting up a new business. But now school has broken up for summer, she can focus on Jitterbug.

Her daughter Kim is also a teacher and will be lending a hand in the shop during the holidays as well as helping out with the social media.

Sue said: “It is fantastic, and it’s been a big learning curve. I have to say everyone has been so supportive, family and friends have been so helpful. There’s been a lot of goodwill which is what Ulverston is all about.”

She mentioned Sally Benson, Sarah Currin, Alison Stubbs, Laura Anderton, Ann Whaits, who all display their craft work at Jitterbug.

As well as Hannah Doran who designed the original jitterbug which can be seen on the loyalty cards and bags and Nat Tyson who created the wonderful artwork on the outside of the shop.