Cottage gardens blossom in Beamish

By accessing funding from The North East Regional Portal (TNERP), the Beamish Cottage Gardens company in County Durham has watched its business flourish.

TNERP was contacted by Beamish Cottage Garden owners David and Kim Warden back in November 2004 for advice on its ‘Grow Your Business’ (GROW) initiative.

The initiative provides rural and urban businesses in the region with advice and funding to help them update or implement IT systems and it is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and One NorthEast.

Through GROW, the regional portal provided 60 per cent of the funding to build a website for David and Kim that would reflect their needs. Since the website went live in April they have had an influx of visitors to the site - and the gardens.

David Warden, explains: “When we heard about the GROW scheme, we contacted the portal immediately to learn more about its funding options, as we realised the importance of having an online presence for the nursery.

“We had the site built exactly to our requirements, and the response we’ve had from visitors has been very positive.”

Norma Foster, chief executive of TNERP, adds: “Beamish Cottage Gardens is a great example of the funding options that are available to help local businesses.

“We are being contacted by more and more SMEs in the area asking for advice and support which is having an extremely positive effect on the regional economy.”

Beamish Cottage Gardens is situated at Plane Tree Farm in the beautiful Beamish Valley behind the legendary Beamish Hall, County Durham. It comprises a nursery where visitors can view and buy hardy herbaceous plants, ornamental grasses and bamboos, and wild flowers. There is also a display garden where visitors can view how plants look in a garden context. Wildlife gardening is a speciality and a Bee and Butterfly Garden has just been completed. For further information visit the website at www.beamishcottagegardens.co.uk.

A not-for-profit organisation and a fully owned subsidiary of the Regional Development Agency One NorthEast, TNERP represents the North East England online via its n-e-life.com website. It can also provide e-commerce advice, funding, e-tendering services and online shopping.

For further information telephone 0191 487 2002 or visit www.n-e-life.com.