A businesswoman from Kirby Cane is using her years of knowledge on bowel disease to introduce a range of health eating products in her shop.

Deb Nash, who runs the village post office stores has been receiving treatment for ulcerative colitis for three decades, but had no idea how many other people suffered in silence.

And when a customer with coeliac disease approached her to help source some goods, she decided to provide a new service by stocking gluten and dairy free products.

The new venture has been such a success that Mrs Nash has just launched her website Waveney Wellbeing, where food items can be purchased, as well as holistic candles and burners. She said: “My daughter kept nagging me to raise money for bowel disease so I got a charity pot here for Crohn’s and Colitis UK, and it was amazing how many people came forward to say how they suffered.

“I have a coeliac lady from the village who comes in and said how she can’t stand the loaves in the supermarket, so I got a sack of flour from Doves Farm, one of my suppliers, and had a go for her.

“I asked her what kind of things she would like to see in the shop and she wrote a list, and I spent three months researching products to stock, and where possible I sell local products.”

Gluten and dairy free products have been available in the post office for the past seven months, including flour to make bread, cakes, biscuits, sauces and pasta.

Mrs Nash said: “I was diagnosed 30 years ago, but it was kick started when I got salmonella. I almost died and went down to four stone. I was taken to St George’s Hospital in London and put in the tropical diseases unit as they thought I had typhoid. They eventually found out it was salmonella, which had left me with ulcerative colitis.

“I was in constant pain for the first couple of years, but I went to St Mark’s Hospital, which is now in Harrow and they put me on Azathioprine, which I have been on ever since. I was on an exclusion diet to start with to find out what was affecting me and the only thing I found was oats. Now I am lucky as I am able to eat most things.

“It has been a joy to help others and on my website is a blog page offering help and advice to people. Bowel problems are something people are reluctant to talk about so to be able to talk to others in the same boat has been very useful to the community.

“It’s not just about changing your diet, it’s about being healthy.”

For more information visit www.waveneywellbeing.com

Have you set up a new business venture? Email louisa.lay@archant.co.uk