A Cheshire-based garden centre has been awarded a £50,000 loan from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to help expand the business .
Acton Bridge Nursery and Shrub Centre in Northwich has received the cash injection as part of the NWDAs Small Loans for Business scheme.
Established in October 2007 by director David Hodkinson of landscaper Gentleman Gardeners, the centre supplies horticultural products to the retail sector.
Ambitious plans to develop the business had been put on hold after banks tuned down loan applications despite sound business plans and the support of local MP Mike Hall.
Hodkinson said: "Our (former) bank would not offer us a loan, but costs in developing the business were higher than expected so we needed one."
He added that now financial support from the NWD and Business Finance Solutions (the Small Loans for Business fund manager) has been provided, the company will finally be able to expand into the lucrative wholesale market, with products ready for sale in time for the busy summer period.




