ONE for sorrow, two for joy. Alison Bell plans to get a tattoo of a magpie so whenever she sees one of the birds, she will be filled with hope.

The social entrepreneur was given a £15,000 grant by West Dunbartonshire Council earlier this year to excel her business and the 30-year-old is forever dreaming big.

But from her studio at Skypoint in Faifley, she is firmly grounded in Clydebank and by the childhood friends she lost to personal but all too familiar tragedy: addiction and suicide.

Craig and Nicola Gordon were both 20 when they died, months apart, and Alison said Clydebank’s issues with addiction and suicide were well documented.

Whatever the cause of those deep-seeded problems, it’s where the social impact of everything in the town has to be considered.

Alison told the Post: “What is it that West Dunbartonshire has that these two siblings were not for this world? It really affected me.

“I think about Nicola and Craig every time I see two magpies. And usually when I’m struggling or overwhelmed.

“When we were younger, we were always obsessed with finding two magpies – two was best and for being hopeful.

“I never forget where I come from. I’m going to get a tattoo of one magpie so I’m always ‘two for joy’.”

Alison was attending art school in London when Craig died and she managed to get back in time for Nicola’s funeral. Both tragedies serve as reminders of how much life can change in just a few years from when they were playing together as children, growing up together in Dumbarton Road, Dalmuir.

She had dedicated her final project in art school to the siblings, an urban art idea to get into the heart of Clydebank.

Alison tried working for big companies in London but, after being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, re-evaluated her priorities and returned to Clydebank, a place where there is a strong sense of belonging.

The social enterprise challenge fund investment by the council has allowed Alison to buy items of furniture to then rent out for weddings and create more unique designs, particularly with paper and fabric frills. She’s using her gran’s Singer sewing machine and vowed to kill off the scourge of seat covers and bunting.

Everything is being sourced from Glasgow for her Frill Factory and is hoping to employ young people to help expand.

Alison said: “I feel really privileged that West Dunbartonshire has invested in the creative industries that’s doing something unique.

“They’ve given me taxpayers money and without that, I would not be at the stage I’m at. It’s excelled my business in six months what I’d not have been able to do in two years.”

For Alison, this isn’t just about giving people bigger dreams but instilling from birth that Bankies can do anything.

“I feel Craig and Nicola on my back pushing this,” she said. “It’s not just about growing up and getting a job – it’s about what kind of life you want.

“I love living in Clydebank. Why not look at the history as an opportunity? How can we be inspired by the Singer archives and photographs? I walk down the street and see opportunities everywhere – that’s how economies thrive, not only how we can get rich.

“A lot of young people I’ve spoken to are pushed to going into a job. I believe we should be chasing a dream and passion and finding a way to make a living out of it.”

She added: “It’s me being true to myself. I’m listening to what I’m meant to be doing. I’m on to something big.

“Life is worth the risk – you only get one of them.”

Visit alisonbelldesign.com to see more of her work.