A DAWLISH woman who specialises in roof thatching, was last week crowned one of the UK's Top 10 female-run businesses in the T-Mobile 'Women Mean Business Awards 2003.'

Sam Goss, managing director of Sam Goss Master Thatchers proudly accepted a trophy before an audience of 250 leading businessmen and women at London's Café Royal. The company also received a £3,000 telecommunications package courtesy of T-Mobile.

Launched in February by T-Mobile, the awards are designed to honour the one million women who are successfully running their own independent businesses. This sector is one of the fastest-growing within the UK economy with more than half the female workforce now self-employed.

Sam Goss started her apprenticeship 16 years ago, aged 19, at a time when female thatchers were unheard of. Having hounded her local thatcher, he eventually agreed for her to go out with him one Saturday. Male colleagues jibed that a girl wouldn't last five minutes - but Sam fell in love with the job, and was granted an apprenticeship.

Her boss was keen for Sam to attend the only thatching college in the UK - Knuston Hall in Northamptonshire - only to be told they had been going for 25 years without girls and it would stay that way.

Ever persistent, her boss persuaded someone from the college to look at her work and she won a place. Sam proved her cynics wrong when she gained top honours and a trophy for top apprentice.

Recession hit hard after college but, not to be deterred, Sam travelled up and down the country sub-contracting jobs and gaining valuable experience.

Six years later, she decided to take the plunge and go it alone. Despite opposition from local thatchers, her lifelong dream finally turned into reality and she began trading in April 1998.

Today, her company is going from strength to strength. Sam is training three apprentices (all male!), and already has a two-year waiting list. She is also working closely with the local National Trust and new housing developers who are starting to use old-style building materials on their sites.

Commenting on the national finalists, Brian McBride, T-Mobile's managing director for the UK said: The Women Mean Business Awards acknowledge and celebrate the growing importance of top independent women entrepreneuses.

'Judging was not based on turnover alone – we were looking for women who have demonstrated, through practical example, how they have turned an idea into a thriving commercial venture.

'Sam has displayed innovation, determination and creativity to become a powerful role model to all aspiring business women.

'It is a fantastic achievement to reach the Top 10 and all of us at

T-Mobile hopes that Sam and her company reap even more business success in the future.'

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt, who helped launch this year's Awards, said she expects record numbers of women to start new businesses in 2003.

'In the United States, the level of women's business ownership is twice that of the UK', she said, 'One of my aims is to match, or even exceed, what has been achieved there. To do this, we must ensure that women owned businesses, whatever their size, are valued and supported effectively.'