Young couple launch gardening business with £10,000 boost from Development Bank of Wales
Young couple launch gardening business with £10,000 boost from Development Bank of Wales
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A young couple from Powys have turned their passion for gardening into a thriving new business with the help of a £10,000 micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales.
Based in Newtown, Slate and Soil Gardens is run by lifelong gardeners Luke Aldridge, 31, and Stephanie Hicks, 25. The pair bring more than a decade of combined experience in gardens, landscaping and groundskeeping, having worked everywhere from Azores vineyards to Welsh campsites before deciding to strike out on their own earlier this year.
Slate and Soil now provides gardening services across north-west Wales, offering lawn care, fencing, landscaping, design, clearance and maintenance. Their clients include both private homeowners and larger estates, as well as outdoor businesses.
The couple secured the £10,000 micro loan from the Wales Micro Loan Fund to buy essential equipment, tools and a new van – giving them the platform to establish their business and expand quickly.
Luke Aldridge said: “With starting up on our own, we needed new equipment, tools and a new, reliable van. Having all of those when starting our own business has taken a lot of stress away, and given us the chance to focus on growing and taking on new customers.
“We were glad to work with the Development Bank on this loan. The process was smooth, and it was good for us as a Welsh business to work with an organisation based in Wales to get the support we needed. It was all hassle-free and we’re very grateful for the support we’ve had.”
Chris Stork, Investment Executive at the Development Bank, said: “Luke and Stephanie are a young couple with years of experience in their trade, and I’m glad to have supported them as they’ve taken the step from working for others to starting their own business. They’ve already started to take on more clients as a result of our micro loan.
“We would encourage any young entrepreneurs who feel they’re ready to take a similar step towards starting their own business to get in touch with us, especially as we can now offer loans of up to £100,000 with no arrangement fees.”
The Wales Micro Loan Fund provides loans from £1,000 to £100,000 to support start-ups and growth, offering accessible finance to help entrepreneurs across Wales take their first step into business ownership.
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