A company that makes bedroom makeover kits for children has won an international award after increasing its overseas sales.

FunToSee, of Heathfield, near Crowborough, was named exporter of the year for Sussex and Surrey at the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) Awards.

Directors Rachel Sellers and Louise Dutton received the accolade at an awards ceremony in Surrey organised by the Government export agency.

Their company makes self-adhesive stickers - up to two metres in length - which can be used to decorate nurseries or children's bedrooms.

The stickers are sold at Harrods, Selfridges, Hamleys and Tesco as well as selected nursery and DIY stores and toy and gift websites. In the past two years FunToSee has focused on increasing exports, which now account for 24 per cent of the company's sales. The firm sells to 30 countries.

Rachel said: "Our first export order was to a small independent retailer in Iceland back in 2004. Later we started selling through a distributor in Germany.

"It was all quite reactive. But since we joined the UKTI's passport to export scheme we have had a proper strategy in place to grow that side of the business.

"We have been to overseas trade shows and we are soon to employ a distribution manager to target specific countries we think the product will sell in."

Rachel and Louise are to visit the US to drum up more business, aiming to distribute through fulfilment houses - warehouses that will store and send out goods on their behalf.

The business partners spent two years developing the stickers - making sure they could be easily removed - and say they give the same effect as a handpainted mural. A pack containing enough stickers to decorate an average size room costs between £40 and £45 - whereas a specialist painter could charge up to £1,000.

On receiving the export award, Rachel said: "This shows what can be achieved through hard work and a willingness to make good use of the support available from the UKTI.

"It demonstrates that growth firms in Sussex can take on the world."

Danny Lopez, director of marketing at the UKTI, said: "FunToSee has shown that although moving into new overseas market can seem a daunting step, the rewards can be significant.

"And it is great evidence that Sussex is a hotbed of entrepreneurship."