AN 18-YEAR project to transform a patch of wasteland into a thriving business has now reached its conclusion.

Marc Charnley and his dad Llewellyn started garden centre Crooklands of Dalton in 1997. Now the site, just off the A590 at Dalton-in-Furness, has grown to include a furniture showroom, a gift shop, a restaurant and a function room.

The latest - and final - addition is the Planet Play fun centre, which has just been extended to accommodate the huge demand for children's parties.

Mr Charnley said: "It was just me and our father at the beginning, now we're employing something like 30 people, which is fantastic.

"Crooklands now is exactly how I planned it in my head. It's taken us a while but we got there."

Separate teams of employees run the garden centre, the restaurant, Planet Play and the large function room.

The place has a family feel with Marc's wife Jules organising weddings, christenings, birthdays and fundraisers in the function room.

With his plans and ambition realised, Marc Charnley is now heading up a large and thriving organisation. But he admits he has plenty of help from the dedicated Crooklands staff.

He said: "Without them none of this would work. Having great people working here, managing the different businesses, means I've been able to concentrate more on the landscaping business. I really prefer to be working outside."