Rugby business 'Suitcase Trains' on track for success at shed of the year competition - have a look at some of their wonderful creations

Rugby businesswoman Sheena Powell Bevan is through to the finals of the 2020 Cuprinol Shed Of The Year competition by transforming her garden shed into a workspace for her family business.

Named Suitcase Trains, the business sells hand-crafted model railways fitted in vintage suitcases.

The Suitcase Trains shed was designed by Sheena after she needed a place to work.

And its unique and nostalgia design has seen it made one of three on the shortlist in the ‘Unexpected’ category.

Sheena said: “My shed is where I run my business.

"We have been running our business for one year now, creating bespoke working train sets housed in vintage suitcases.

“I have tried giving the shed a bit of a left luggage office feel, with storage, a space for building, paperwork and an area for filming our Youtube videos.

"Every day I look at it and feel incredibly proud of it.”

The competition sees 27 competitors battling for the crown across nine categories. A winner from each will be decided by public vote, then an overall winner will be crowned by a panel of shed experts with a giant golden crown for the winning shed.

Alongside eternal shed glory, the overall winner will also receive £1,000, a plaque and £100 of Cuprinol products.

Head judge and founder of the competition Andrew Wilcox said: “More than ever, the events of recent months have shown us what a valuable role sheds can play in our lives.

“They are spaces where we can help our NHS heroes, educate our children and care for our family.

“They highlight all that is great about Britain - our ingenuity, our eccentricity and our determination to help others.”

Kirsty Woodbine, Marketing Manager for Cuprinol said: ”We’ve been astonished by the quality of entries to this year’s competition.

All our entrants have responded with real creativity and imagination, but more than that the introduction of this year’s new lockdown categories has shown a real outpouring of kindness and community spirit.

“This year more than ever Cuprinol Shed of the Year has served as a platform for those going above and beyond for each other”

Last year’s Cuprinol Shed Of The Year was won by Chris Shield of Buxton, Derbyshire, whose Hobbit-inspired hideaway was described by Andrew Wilcox as “brilliantly creative”.

Public voting is now underway for the 14th annual competition and will close on Sunday 9th August. Check out all of the 27 finalists here.

Cast your vote here: www.readersheds.co.ukTo learn more about Suitcase Trains, and to see their work, visit www.facebook.com/SuitcasetrainsSuitcase Trains was started around a year ago and has proved a success.

Many of their supplies are sourced from Tony's Trains of Rugby, the independently-owned model railway shop based at The Locks in Hillmorton.

Sheena said: "It was all trial and error at first, working out measurements and trying to fit a functional railway inside so it can be portable as well.

"Once that was done we worked on the scenery, so it looked authentic.

"The first sold to a gentleman who owns a model railway but cannot get into his loft anymore to play, so it was perfect for him to run his trains still.

"One gentleman took his with him into a care home,.

"It made the daunting situation more bearable and less scary for him, and he definitely gets many visitors to his room.

"Another lady contacted me as her grandson had spent his summer holiday designing his own suitcase train and wanted to come and show us, he had a surprise when his grandparents had commissioned this for him, and he came to pick it up.

They have even sold one to award-winning authors M.G Leonard and Sam Sedgman, who have written a series of books, including children's bestseller 'The Highland Falcon Thief'.

Sheena added: "They have touched so many people than I ever thought possible and we love to see people's faces as they peep inside our tiny worlds."