Local Heroes
Furness’ Entrepreneurial Heroes – new start businesses
Many “new start” businesses in Furness go on to become successful companies.This section of the website celebrates entrepreneurial success of individuals who have received Linkstart grants.
Citrus Lime Ltd.
Neil McQuillan & Kevin Bigland
Ulverston
Cumbria
Business Start up Date: October 1999
THE BUSINESS:
Neil and Kevin Offer an IT Systems Integration service for small to medium sized businesses throughout the country. They are experts in the field, providing business solutions based around IT Systems which range from the basic file servers to email and messaging systems, contact management and web based design. Neil and Kevin attribute the success to the quality of their service, which is extremely ‘people-focused’, listening to the needs of clients and providing the necessary technology at a price that small businesses can afford. Although they have been operating for less than three years they have already seen a rapid increase in both profitability and profile.
The Custom House
Rob & Zo Rollings
1 Abbey Road
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA12 5UF
Tel: 01229 823823
Business Start up Date: May 1999
THE BUSINESS:
The Custom House has provided the people of Barrow with a more elegant and sophisticated venue for a quiet drink or meal and it also has a decent-sized function and conference room and even a cyber-café. The menu offers a wide and varied selection of food and the attractive décor and extensive range of cocktails evoke the atmosphere of a typical fashionable city café-bar. Business has picked up significantly in the three years in which it has been open and it is now a lively addition to Barrow’s nightlife. There are currently plans to utilise the vast amounts of space on the upper floor of the buildings with the opening of a ‘Laser Tag’ facility. This proposed addition to the business would bring a new leisure activity to the area and act as an enhancement to the current service provided at the Custom House, with the potential to bring even more custom to the café-bar. Rob and Zo have already realised that there will be opportunities to merge the two facets of their business and eventually hope to provide team-building packages which utilise all their facilities. While the new service will be able to cater for children, it is principally an adult facility and it is intended that the image and quality of service of the Custom House will be maintained.
DS Fitness Centre
Diane Singleton
72 Abbey Road
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
Tel: 01229 832242
Business Start up Date: January 1998
THE BUSINESS:
Diane has converted the old Chris tchruch Hall on Abbey Road into an excellent fitness centre, with facilities comprising of two fitness studios, a ‘Spin Studio’, a fitness suite, a shop, a beauty salon, a hair salon and a crèche. The centre benefits from a prominent location on Barrow’s busiest road and its ‘Pro-Aerobics’ programme offers a wide variety of aerobic exercises to cater for people of all ages and all fitness levels. Diane has a great deal of experience in this field as she has been working as a fitness instructor since 1991. She is now providing employment for thirteen full-time staff.
N. G. Fryer Plumbing Services
Nigel Fryer
9 Prospect Road
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA13 9AA
Tel: 01229 877226
Business Start up Date: January 1998
THE BUSINESS:
Nigel’s plumbing service has been operating for over three years and has proven to be a very successful small business. He is now earning an extremely healthy wage and as his services are in constant demand, he is currently looking to take on an apprentice. He is very pleased with the way his business has progressed and is extremely confident for the future.
Gilmour Fabrications
Russel Gilmour
Unit 1 -2 Meetings Industrial Estate
Park Road
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA14 4TL
Tel:01229 830417
Business Start up Date: October 1997
THE BUSINESS:
Russel has come a long way since 1997. Initially trading as Furness Forge, he originally manufactured wrought iron gates from a small lock up. After realising he potential business opportunities to be found in steel fabrication and sheet metal work he reinvented himself as Gilmour Fabrications. He now works from spacious premises located at the Meetings Industrial Estate on Park Road and has been able to provide employment for twelve people. Russell’s company manufactures products ranging from steel walkways to machine guards, and recently they have been able to offer their services to the local council, most recently with the manufacture of the Golden Jubilee Gate for Barrow Park. They were awarded a Quality Guild Certificate which demonstrates the high standard of their work and Russell and his team, are currently working towards ISO9000 accreditation.
Craig Hamilton
2 Estuary Park
Askam-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA16 7JA
Tel: 07958 320419
Business Start up Date: May 2001
THE BUSINESS:
After living in London for a number of years, Craig decided to return to the more peaceful surroundings of his home town to set up his own business. He has seen the business grow significantly in the short time it has been up and running, and now he operates in four different areas of Furness, having made arrangements to work from premises in Dalton, Millom, Ulverston and more recently, Barrow. He is a Physical Therapist who, after gaining his ITEC Diploma in Anatomy, Physiology and Body Massage in 1994 spent two seasons as the first team masseur at Queens Park Rangers FC. He has also worked aboard the QE2. His services include Remedial, Sports, Therapeutic and Swedish massage, all of which are effective in alleviating muscular dysfunctions. He is pleased that he made the decision to move back to the Furness area and he has quickly established himself, now having a regular list of clients.
Vickerstown Upholstery and Interiors
Nicola Holt
18 Douglas Street
Walney
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
Business Start up Date: February 2001
THE BUSINESS:
Nicola has been running a successful upholstery business from her shop on Walney Island for over a year; she also sells wallpapers, fabrics and trimmings for the home and runs workshops in upholstery skills. After taking a city and guilds soft furnishings and upholstery course in 1998, Nicola was awarded the prestigious Silver Medal of Excellence and was soon able to turn her new hobby into a successful business. She employs two full-time staff and is currently considering a move to a larger workspace to accommodate her increasing workload. Nicola and her partner have also worked on restoring their house to its original Edwardian style and this year won the 1901 – 1950 Award in Period Living and Traditional Homes Magazine. Their beautiful home was recently featured in a three-page article in Cumbria and Lake District Life Magazine, which is an excellent advertisement for Nicola’s outstanding design and upholstery skills.
Wish Creations
Heidi Bell
The Old Library
9a Lowther Street
Kendal
LA9 2DH
Tel: 01539 737379
Business Start up Date: December 2001
THE BUSINESS:
Heidi uses traditional hand-crafted techniques to create beautiful soft furnishings which are distinctive and modern whilst at the same time elegant and sophisticated. She also designs and manufactures a range of accessories for the home and garden. Her products are created in a factory workshop beneath her ‘Wish Creations’ store at the Old Library in Kendal. They are then sold from the store or through mail order. She is currently working on the creation of a website for her business which will inform even more people about her products. However, the most profitable aspect of her business has been the supply of furnishings and accessories to various retail outlets around the country. The response she has received from these sources has enabled her business to soar to its current level of success. Heidi no longer operates from within the Furness area, but Wish Creations began its like here and Heidi continues to reside in Ulverston.
The Stamp Store (Miriam Glen) & Furness Frames (Charles Glen)
74 Cavendish Street
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA14 1PZ
Tel: 01229 834011/473167
Business Start up Date: September 1999
THE BUSINESS:
Miriam and Charles are the second of our two entrepreneurial families with the couple both running separate businesses from a prominent location in Barrow town centre. After running a stall in Barrow indoor market, Miriam was successful enough to be able to take on premises in 1999 and has more recently been moved to her new improved location. As a retailer of specialist rubber stamps and art accessories, her customers range from people who are simply interested in crafts, to business people needing rubber stamps, or couples looking to design a distinctive wedding invitation. Miriam also runs stamping workshops for both children and adults to complement her main business activity. After the initial move to premises in 1999, her husband was also able to get his business up and running. Charles’ business makes and sells picture frames and prints. In addition he offers his customers a framing service. Charles set up Furness Frames as a separate business to his wife’s, but the two businesses complement each other well and their location within the same premises is an ideal arrangement for the couple.
