I’ve been named a finalist in the Soldiering On Awards 2025, in the New Business category.
You can read more about it (and the incredible stories being recognised) at www.soldieringon.org.
I cried when I found out.
Not just because of the recognition (although I’m deeply honoured), but because of what it represents. Because sometimes it’s not about the moment itself, but what it symbolises. For me, this moment says: you matter, your work matters, and it’s not too late.
Weebert’s World didn’t begin with a pitch deck or an investor. It began with love. With a small robot made from scrap, a Cold War spy camera, some copper wire, and opera glasses for eyes, and a story written for my grandchildren, just for fun.
That was all I had.
But something about Weebert lit a spark. And once that door opened, more characters came, more stories followed, and suddenly Andy and I were building something that felt bigger than us.
Now, we have a brand. A world. Children across the UK are meeting the Berts through our school visits. Families are discovering us online. We’re working towards stop-motion animation. And behind it all is one simple idea: give children permission to play, explore, imagine and create, and be themselves.
For 27 years, I was a military spouse. I raised our children, moved house more times than I can count, and supported Andy through his Army career and civil aviation work. I loved our life, but like so many spouses, I was often in the background. It becomes easy to forget that your dreams matter too.
Starting a business at 60 isn’t what people expect. There were times I felt daft for even trying. I’d look at business terms and feel completely lost. I had no qualifications in this world. But I had stories. I had belief. I had something that felt real.
And now, to be standing as a finalist in the Soldiering On Awards, an award that celebrates members of the Armed Forces community and those around them, well, I honestly can’t describe how much that means.
One of the things I’ve learned is that imagination is underestimated. It looks soft, but it’s powerful.
Children need it, not just for fun, but to understand the world, to build confidence, to dream of what’s possible. That’s why our school visits matter so much to me. We don’t just read stories, we show them the Berts, we talk about building things from scraps, we give them permission to invent.
One school described our session as “magical, educational and motivating.”
At another, a teacher told us: “The girls absolutely loved the robots and imaginative stories. They were so engaged and inspired, one girl even started writing her own robot adventure story!”
And one parent said:
“I noticed a leap in her imagination and she couldn’t stop wanting to create and invent all evening – and a few days on, this is still the case.”
That’s what makes all of this worth it.
We’re so grateful to X-Forces Enterprise for believing in us early on. Their support helped us learn, grow, and keep going even when it felt overwhelming.
And thank you to the Soldiering On Awards for recognising that businesses like ours, started quietly, creatively, and later in life, are still valid, still valuable, and still capable of making a difference.
If you’d like to read more about the awards and the finalists, visit:
👉 www.soldieringon.org
And if you’re a school looking to book a visit with the Berts, you can do that here:
👉 weebertsworld.com/schools
If you’ve ever felt like your moment has passed… it hasn’t.
If you’ve ever questioned whether you have anything left to offer… you do.
You’re not too late. You’re not too small. You’re just getting started.
This Yorkshire lass, a behind-the-scenes expert, over 60, female founder, is incredibly humbled and proud to be standing there as a finalist. And I got here by being nothing more (and nothing less) than just me.
So if you’re wondering whether you could do it too… you can.
This isn’t just for me. It’s for all of you.
💛
Lotty
