If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be standing at the Soldiering On Awards as one of the final three in the New Business category, I’d never have believed you. Yet here I am, a 62-year-old woman who once doubted whether she had anything left to offer the world, now standing proudly alongside some of the most inspiring people in the UK.
When Andy and I started Weebert’s World around our kitchen table, it wasn’t a business idea, it was a way to help Andy’s mental health after leaving aviation and to bring a little joy back into our lives. What began as one man making robots out of scrap has become something that neither of us could have imagined.
Andy is the creator of the scrap-built robots, each one made from salvaged aviation parts, cameras, and vintage components. Every Bert he builds carries a story, a sense of history, and a spark of hope. Those robots became the heart of Weebert’s World.
And me? I’m the storyteller and the businesswoman who took that spark and turned it into a world, a stop-motion animation universe that gives children (and their grown-ups) permission to play, explore, imagine, and create.
Together, we’ve become the perfect team. Andy is the maker. I’m the dreamer and the entrepreneur. And between us, we’re building something that blends engineering with empathy, imagination with innovation.
The journey to this point has been anything but easy. There have been tears, doubts, and a fair few late-night cups of tea while wondering whether anyone would ever really “get” what we were trying to do.
But through it all, we’ve been supported by an extraordinary community, especially X-Forces Enterprise, whose belief in people like me has been life-changing. Their business masterclasses don’t just teach spreadsheets and strategy; they teach resilience, purpose, and courage. They remind us that business isn’t just about profit, it’s about people.
And that sense of community, of being seen and supported, is something I’ll never take for granted.
Recently, I watched the BBC drama Riot Women, about menopausal women breaking free from the cloak of invisibility through music. It struck a deep chord with me. Because that’s what I’ve been doing too, not through music, but through creativity, storytelling, and entrepreneurship.
For a long time, I felt invisible. After decades of being an army wife, raising three children, and supporting Andy’s career, I lost sight of who I was. And when menopause arrived, it sometimes felt as though the world had stopped seeing me altogether.
But Weebert’s World changed that.
Building this world, with our little scrap-made robots and the stories that bring them to life, gave me a new voice and a renewed sense of purpose. It’s shown me that creativity doesn’t have an age limit, and that reinvention is always possible, no matter how far from your comfort zone you’ve travelled.
Our mission with Weebert’s World has always been about more than just children’s entertainment. It’s about sparking imagination and showing that creativity and engineering can sit side by side. It’s about helping children see that being curious and inventive is something to be proud of.
But more personally, I also want Weebert’s World to inspire women like me, especially military spouses who have had to start over multiple times, and post-menopausal women who may feel their best years are behind them.
They’re not.
If anything, this stage of life brings with it wisdom, creativity, and courage we didn’t know we had. I want those women to look at Weebert’s World and think, “If she can do it, maybe I can too.”
Because the truth is, I’m still learning every single day. I still doubt myself at times. I still make mistakes. And I’m still out of my comfort zone, constantly. But I’ve learnt that stepping outside of what feels safe is exactly where the magic happens.
As I stand at the Soldiering On Awards tonight, surrounded by people who’ve overcome challenges far greater than my own, I’ll be thinking about everyone who’s ever felt invisible, and I’ll be quietly reminding them (and myself):
You are not invisible. You are evolving. You are powerful.
Whether you’re a child with a wild imagination, a military spouse searching for purpose, or a post-menopausal woman wondering if it’s too late to start again, it isn’t. It’s never too late to create something new.
Weebert’s World was built from scrap, from things other people had thrown away. But maybe that’s the most fitting metaphor of all. Because we can all take the pieces of our past and turn them into something extraordinary.
Tonight is a celebration of that belief, of imagination, resilience, and courage. And whatever happens at the awards, I already feel like I’ve won.
If our story resonates with you, I’d love you to follow our journey. Visit www.weebertsworld.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or simply share this post to remind someone that they are not invisible.
Because when we give ourselves permission to play, explore, imagine, and create, that’s when the magic truly begins.
with love
Lotty x
