A business is selling jewellery designed to help people protect themselves against the sun’s potentially harmful rays.

UV Angel specialises in unique handmade accessories using beads which change colour when exposed to dangerous levels of ultra violet rays.

Sutton-based entrepreneur Angela Thompson came up with the idea after one of her friends developed an aggressive form of skin cancer.

She conducted research into a range of beads which are highly sensitive to ultra violet rays.

She said they change from being white to much brighter colours when exposed to this type of solar radiation.

Together with Oakworth business colleague Kerry Dean, Angela began promoting a range of fashionable, fun jewellery and gifts, which incorporate the special beads.

Their enterprise has been trading since August last year and sells its goods in people’s homes and via the website uv-angel.com.

Angela warned: “Ultra violet radiation is an all year round threat.

“As one of today’s biggest ‘silent’ killers we want to raise awareness of the increasing dangers of ultra violet rays causing melanoma.”

The business has forged links with skin cancer charities. Bradford & Airedale Cancer Support is selling UV Angel’s jewellery in its own Bradford store.

The company also has a connection with the charity Factor 50, which funds research into melanomas at Christies Hospital, in Manchester. In order to take their firm further forward, Angela and Kerry sought the expertise of business growth advisor Charles Kitchen, who works at Airedale Enterprise Services, in Keighley.

Kerry said: “The benefit of taking advice from someone not directly involved in the day-to-day running of the business is that they can see the wood for the trees.

“It is really great that such publicly-funded advice is available for a new venture like ours, which just couldn’t afford to pay for it otherwise.”

In future the company plans to have its products endorsed by manufacturers of more traditional ultra violet protection measures.

It will also mount a campaign to draw more attention to its website.