A Maidstone mum who designed and launched her own clothing range for breastfeeding mothers just months ago has scooped a prestigious gong.

Lauren Hampshire, 34, won a PayPal International Award at a glitzy ceremony in London last week, where she was presented with her prize by Virgin boss Richard Branson having wowed judges with her unique products.

The specially designed breastfeeding t-shirts, which feature zips on the side to enable easy access, have been the subject of hundreds of orders from as far as Australia and the United States since launching earlier this year.

Speaking after the ceremony, Mrs Hampshire, who has no background in design and had never made her own clothes before, said: "I was in total shock.

"I brought no one with me to the event because I never expected to win, so had nobody to hug when my name was announced.

"I got to go for a special lunch with Richard Branson, who was really lovely. He told me he needed some of the t-shirts for his grandchildren, so I'm going to send one for his daughter to use for free.

"I hope the clothes allow mums to breastfeed more easily, while also giving them more confidence and style."

As part of her prize, the mum-of-two will receive guidance and support for six months from bosses at online payment giant PayPal to help boost the global development of The Milky Tee company, which is run from the living room of her family home in Grove Green.

"They saw the potential for us to grow as an international brand," Mrs Hampshire added.

"They're going to look at our website payment system and how we can improve on a global scale.

"To me as a new business, to have that kind of support is totally invaluable and worth more than any sum of money - it's really hard to find something like that."