This International Women’s Day, we celebrate women who are building worlds — creatively, courageously and collaboratively.

From their homes in South London and Bromley, author and illustrator duo Teresa Mahoney and Kate Sweeney created Terry’s Travelling Trousers, an imaginative fantasy series following Terry, a hard-working boy who lives in a launderette and discovers magical trousers capable of transporting him to extraordinary places.

What began as a picture book originally intended for boys quickly proved to be something bigger. Terry’s adventures are now loved equally by girls and boys aged 4–8 — a reminder that great storytelling transcends expectation.

The first two manuscripts — Terry’s Travelling Trousers and the Punky Pirates and Terry’s Travelling Trousers and the Quirky Queen — blend playful rhyming, energetic alliteration and visually distinctive artwork. The illustrations combine traditional collage with digital techniques using an Apple Pencil and iPad — a fusion of hands-on creativity and modern artistry.

Now, with a third manuscript underway — Terry’s Travelling Trousers and the Veggie Vampires — the vision is expanding. Teresa and Kate are developing a 30-second animated proof of concept to pitch to commissioners, with ambitions for an animated series and merchandise. The possibilities for Terry are endless.

And what makes this next chapter particularly powerful is this:

It is entirely female-led.

All mothers.

All working in the arts.

All bringing their own creative discipline to one shared vision.

Meet the Team

Kate Sweeney (“Kate in Kent”) – Creator, Author, Illustrator, Performer & Instagram Creator

Kate is the creator of Terry’s Travelling Trousers, a children’s story about a young boy, his magical trousers, and Freckles, a Scottish crab. She previously self-published Oh Well What The Hell, exploring dyslexia, schooling and growing up in South America. Kate developed a love of art at the age of two after breaking her arm and has illustrated all the drawings in the first and second Terry’s Travelling Trousers manuscripts, with a third currently in progress. She is also an actress known for the werewolf feature film Love Bite. A Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award achiever, she sailed around Scotland as part of the programme and met King Charles III. Kate shares her creative work and adventures on Instagram as “Kate in Kent” and is a proud mother to her 11-year-old daughter, Holly, who is already following in her footsteps as an artist.

Teresa Mahoney – Co-Creator, Author, Producer & Performer

Teresa Mahoney is the co-creator of Terry’s Travelling Trousers, having developed Kate Sweeney’s original idea into the first manuscript, which was praised as “charming” by Christopher Little, the literary agent who discovered J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. She has produced award-nominated theatre (Stop Trying to Look…) and served as Production Manager on The Kryst, based on the TV sci-fi series Ascension. An actress and former corporate banker, Teresa has over twenty years of experience across stage, television and film and is known for the feature films Hurricane and Avengement. Alongside her stand-up work, she has showcased her comedic range as the straight lady in sketches with leading UK comedians including Katy Brand, Julia Davis, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Steve Coogan and Alan Carr. Teresa met Kate Sweeney fourteen years ago on a film set and they have been friends ever since. Teresa is the proud mother of her 12-year-old son, Theron, who is already following in her footsteps as an actor. Kate’s daughter Holly and Theron have grown up together, contributing their ideas to Terry’s adventures.

Yasmin James – Singer-Songwriter, Producer & Performer

Yasmin James, also a mother, produced the original catchy theme tune for Terry’s Travelling Trousers, giving the animation its musical heartbeat and playful tone. A singer-songwriter, producer and performer based in North West London, she has experience across advertising, television, film, podcasts, documentaries and radio. Yasmin earned a BA (Hons) degree in Drama and Education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She is an actress best known for her roles in the TV dramas Doctor Foster and Silent Witness, and she continues to write and perform her own music. Teresa met Yasmin on a TV set and, after showing her the Terry’s Travelling Trousers manuscripts, Yasmin immediately agreed to come on board and help with the project.

Apbbey O’Neil (Lollie-Bow) – 2D Animator & Caricaturist

Abbey O’Neil, known as Lollie-Bow, is the animator behind Terry’s Travelling Trousers. A 2D animator and caricaturist, she is also a mum of three — Kie (18), Tillie-Jo (11) and Nicie (9). Growing up in South London with comics, anime and video games shaped her creative vision. While pregnant with her daughter, she began drawing caricatures and selling them at a Brixton stall, and her first animation project — creating a short for her friend Diva’s skate film Back and Forth — gave her the confidence to pursue animation professionally. She draws inspiration from the story, her collaborators and her children’s imagination, living by her mantra: always say yes to the scary thing — then turn the drum and bass music up and start drawing. Teresa met Abbey on the school run, as their children, Theron and Tillie-Jo, were in the same class.

Building a Table, Not Waiting for One

The creative industries can often feel competitive and male-dominated. Yet here is a group of women — all mothers, all artists — collaborating across writing, illustration, animation and music to build something joyful and ambitious.

They are not waiting for permission.

They are expanding a literary world into animation.

They have created a theme tune for their animated TV series.

They are creating a proof of concept.

They are pitching.

They are supporting each other’s growth.

Whenever there is chaos and despair in Terry’s fictional world, the magical trousers transport him somewhere extraordinary.

And in the real world, when women come together with vision, courage and collaboration, extraordinary things happen too.

This International Women’s Day, Terry’s Travelling Trousers is more than a children’s series.

It is proof that motherhood and ambition can coexist.

That creativity does not pause for life — it grows through it.

And that when women back women, stories travel further than ever imagined.