A BUSINESS idea that started life at a dining table in Dursley has become a global website company.

Rob Thomas, from Dursley, had a vivid dream that left him with an idea for a new website.

He roped in a few friends and together they created Your Nutshell, a private, secure website where members can store everything that’s important to them, from financial information to photos and memories.

The website launched two weeks ago and already people from all over the world have shown interest in the site.

"It has been really mad since we launched a few weeks ago," said Rob, 47. "The website has been a great success already so we are all really pleased."

Rob is managing director of the company, his wife Nadine also works on Your Nutshell and Rob called on friends Becky Hoyle, from Cheltenham, to concentrate on PR, and web programming expert Andrew Cope, from Charfield, to create the secure databases.

Rob, a father of two teenage sons who attend Rednock School, came up with the idea after a dream in which he thought his father had died.

"I remember that in the dream I was very upset that my father had left nothing that I could remember him by, no photos, memories or anything," said Rob.

"This got me thinking about a way we could collect important information such as photos, memories and also financial information.

"I have one friend for instance who couldn’t get at her insurance details to make a claim last year in the floods, because the water in her cellar had swollen her wooden filing cabinet shut."

Now the business idea has become a reality, but the dining table at Rob’s house, in Uley Road, is still the place for the Your Nutshell team to meet for conferences each week.

To visit the new website log on to www.yournutshell.com.