Paula Woolven, Body Shop Direct's co-ordinator for Sussex, has become a national record-breaker and gained the company's first 'senior level' promotion in the South East.

Senior level is awarded within the Littlehampton-based company when teams have consistently achieved high levels of sales and recruitment and where training and management is judged to be exceptional.

Paula, of Telscombe Cliffs, said: "Our team sales were not only the highest in the country but they smashed the previous records held by a friend of mine in the South West.

"She has vowed to get her title back but I'm determined not to lose it."

Paula's team of self-employed consultants based across Sussex demonstrate Body Shop products in customers' homes and have produced sales of over £38,000 in the last two months.

The 28-year-old mother still manages to balance looking after her two small children with running the team.

She said: "I do the hours to suit my family. It's a fantastic career and it's been a real rollercoaster ride.

"I'm over the moon to be the first person in the South East to be promoted to senior level status.

"I have a fantastic team of consultants and team managers."

Paula has been with body Shop Direct for three years and was delighted to take her family to spend the day with the management of Body Shop Direct and Anita Roddick, the company's founder, last week.

"We had a wonderful day out and my daughter Rebecca loved chatting with Anita who promised to introduce her to her grandson."

Paula hopes that one day there will be two women recognised for starting their Body Shop businesses in Brighton.

Paula has also made a name for herself in the beauty and cosmetics industry after her recent trip to address the Government's Self-Esteem Summit.

Among the achievements of the event was to get fashion magazine editors to agree to use a greater variety of women's body shapes in their publications and not concentrate on waif-like figures.

Paula said: "I have promoted Body Shop's self-esteem campaign for more than 18 months through Body Shop Direct, which celebrates diversity and discourages harmful self-criticism.

"I've appeared on many daytime TV shows talking about self-esteem.

"I'm concerned as a young mum of two children how they will grow up to see themselves."