Thanks for the advice - I think I was trying to run before I could walk with the Limited Co idea - Sole Trader seems the way to go.. I just assumed the tax benefits made it the better option, but with no guaranteed revenue, its probably not the best choice right now.
DB74 - Thanks - So say I pay for these things out of my own pocket now and save the receipts, can I offset them against income I get in a years time (possibly more than a year, but maybe sooner).
The receipts would have dates on them, so maybe that ties them to a specific time period for offsetting, but they would be very clearly business related, nothing is being hidden.