DEFRA cultivates tree business

A Lincolnshire nursery that landscaped eight miles of a dual carriageway and planted 130,000 trees in the process, will grow with Defra backing.

Businessman Andrew Henderson plans to use a Rural Enterprise Scheme

(RES) grant to improve the British Hardwood Tree Nursery (BHTN) in Snitterby, near Gainsborough. The Defra money will amount to nearly #30,000 over the next four years.

Regular users of the A46 between Lincoln and Newark will have already seen BHTN's work. The Norton Road nursery specialises in the production of field-grown trees for specialist environmental landscaping. It also supplies trees and planting accessories nationwide.

The business has gone from strength to strength since it was established in 1990. But, Mr Henderson now needs more staff and office space to tender for more work.

With the Defra money, Mr Henderson can now employ a sales/marketing assistant and develop new office facilities to help him increase turnover at the firm he runs in partnership with his parents John and Susan.

Andrew Henderson said: "I've got high hopes for the future. Obviously I want to invest in the business to allow for future expansion. The potential is very encouraging for our sort of trade, but I couldn't do it by myself."

Biddy Dudgeon, Technical Adviser for Defra's Rural Development Service in the East Midlands, said: "This money will help Mr Henderson take his business on to the next level. And having kick-started the next phase in the development of his business we are also buying additional benefits for the rural economy."