Bouncing back from a major setback can be taxing. But one young North Oxfordshire entrepreneur simply would not allow that to happen, and is now involved in not one, but two businesses.

Twenty-year-old Tom Woolley was studying sport science at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire and planned to become a professional golfer. Having won a Faldo Series in Norfolk and played for England youth development squads his future seemed rosy.

Then a back injury, incurred while working for a removal firm in the summer of 2008, put paid to those plans.

But instead of bemoaning his lot, Mr Woolley turned his period of forced rest into an opportunity, and resurrected an idea that had been at the back of his mind for some time.

One year after the injury he celebrated the opening of his takeaway pizza outlet in Chipping Norton.

“I have lived in Chippy all my life and always wondered why there wasn't a takeaway pizza place here,” said Mr Woolley.

Salads, side dishes and pasta dishes are on the menu and meals can be collected or delivered to homes and businesses in and around Chipping Norton.

And if that was not enough, he is also involved in a second business that he runs with Jaime Talbot, a co-director at Pizza-Pizaz.

The Aspire Group is a facilities management company that provides a range of services for individuals and companies.

Mr Woolley controls Pizza-Pizaz with Mr Talbot supporting in the background and the roles are reversed with the Aspire Group.

The unit on Worcester Road Industrial Estate housing Pizza-Pizaz will also become the back office for the Aspire Group, so everything is in one place.

This is a significant step up from the early days when both companies were being run from Mr Talbot's downstairs cloakroom.

Putting Pizza-Pizaz together was a major project and Mr Woolley's tender years caused some headaches.

“It was very hard after the injury. I was struggling pain-wise but also financially it was impossible, as I wasn't old enough to claim the full incapacity benefit,” he said.

“The money I got wasn't even enough to cover the gym membership I need to do the exercises to keep my core strong. I've had a lot of help from mum and dad.”

Recognising that Mr Woolley had no intention of giving in to his injury, the Job Centre put him in contact with the Shaw Trust, a charity that helps people get back to work. But as the Shaw Trust is geared towards getting people into employment, rather than helping them to start their own business, Mr Woolley was passed to InBiz instead.

This is a business support company that specialises in helping people to start and sustain their own businesses. They provided a business advisor, Roger Cawte, to assess the viability of Mr Woolley's idea and his suitability for running a business.

“When Tom came to me it was fairly obvious that he had what it takes to make this happen," said Mr Cawte.

“He impressed me with the research he'd carried out and how well prepared he was for our first meeting.”

There is a strong sense that Mr Woolley is looking forward, rather than back. He talks about all the work done to get the business up-and-running, with friends and family rallying round.

"When we got the unit it was just a warehouse and we've done everything ourselves, except the floor in the kitchen," He said.

“My mum and dad came up and helped loads, my gramp did the electrics, my other grandparents came up and helped with DIY and cleaning, my cousins did the design work and I did the plumbing,” he said.

High-quality ingredients, local if at all possible, are very important to Mr Woolley. He has put a lot of effort into finding local suppliers.

He received help from Bob Buck of FWP Matthews, the Shipton-under-Wychwood millers, with the development of the breads and bases. Organic meat comes from former F1 driver Jody Scheckter’s farm in Hampshire.

Mr Woolley has also sourced cheese from the Evenlode Partnership, the brand created by celebrity cheese aficionado Alex James, the Blur bassist, and Juliett Harbutt, the Churchill-based cheese expert and consultant.

“I just went out and talked to them and they were really great. They have designed us a celebrity pizza called The Blue Monday,” said Mr Woolley.

Pizza-Pizaz also donates half the profits from advertising on the menus to charity. “I had finished designing the menus and there was still some blank space so I thought adverts would be a good idea,” Mr Woolley said. “I was surprised by the demand but I didn't want people to think I was just profiteering from it, so I thought I would give some of it away."

This says everything about Mr Woolley's character. He is one to watch.