Wolverhampton woman who overcame tragic death of baby to launch successful business lands royal award

Heartbroken Sami Pitfield, of Wolverhampton, says she did not know where to turn after her four-day-old son Kael died in July 2009.

He had been born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and the lack of oxygen caused irreparable damage.

Although Kael was kept on a ventilator, he was unable to breathe himself and tragically died.

Ms Pitfield, aged 30, said: "I will never forget the pain. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with.

"I was thrown into a whirlwind of emotional distress and I had no idea how to move forward. All I wanted was to be a mother and at the time, I felt as though no-one understood what I was going through."

Unable to find work and plunged into a state of deep depression, Ms Pitfield became fixed on the idea of helping others.

Hope appeared on the horizon in the form of another pregnancy – and this time she was able to celebrate the birth of a healthy baby girl, Eryn, who recently celebrated her 5th birthday.

"Having my baby girl was the best feeling in the world," she said. "I became more positive, and was finally ready to move on.

"Soon after, I realised I wanted to make a valuable contribution to my community, and help local people in their quest for a better life."

Her next step was to enrol on Enterprise, a Prince's Trust programme that supports unemployed young people into self-employment.

This helped her to launch Darlington Street-based community-minded business Wild Bytes, a coffee lounge and internet café where people are encouraged to support each other.

This week her efforts were honoured when she won the NatWest Enterprise Award at The Prince's Trust and Samsung Celebrate Success awards at Villa Park.

Ms Pitfield said: "I wanted to do something everyone in the community could benefit from - something that gave them a support network and the space to read, relax and rehabilitate.

"I am proud to be a working mum, taking all challenges on personally and solving many problems along the way.

"It means so much to win this award, and it really goes to show that with the right support, anyone can achieve their goals."

On starting her business Ms Pitfield faced a number of start-up issues including lease problems and a leaky roof before the launch.

But she battled through and is regarded as an inspiration by many of her customers.

She said she welcomes the homeless with a hot drink, helps customers overcome problems, and tries to make sure everybody leaves 'feeling inspired'.

Ms Pitfield said she hopes to open more Wild Bytes cafes, built around her core values of serving the community and offering a friendly ear to anyone who needs it.

Janat Hulston, Chair of NatWest's Midlands and East Regional Board said: "I'd like to congratulate Sami for winning this prestigious award.

"She has shown real entrepreneurial spirit and her story proves that given the right tools and support young people can create a successful future for themselves."