Spotlight on... Carol John

Why did you leave casino management to become the first childminder in Swansea registered to look after children at night?

I'd planned to stop work to look after my grandson, but when you've worked all your life you can't just stop. I'd always worked nights and my daughter works shifts.

Now I'm cooking children's food anyway and I've got children's toys here so why not make it easier for other parents to work at night?

What were the challenges involved in becoming a childminder?

It's a slow process.

You have to read up on everything and write it in your own words, which is hard with something like a fire drill.

We had to buy a house and make changes. But the more hiccups there were, the more determined I was.

What are the benefits of being a childminder?

I can be flexible, as long as it doesn't coincide with times I pick up my grandson from school, and I class the parents as friends now. If I wasn't doing this I'd just be sat waiting for school to end, and that wouldn't be much fun.