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."
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