Waterfoot business on organic production

Date published: 18/08/2008

AS the country grapples with the increasing cost of food, a keen horticulturalist is hoping to provide a solution by turning her hobby into a business venture.

Wendy Antcliff has taken her interest in organic gardening one step further by opening an unusual shop called Fauna, which stands for For All Ur Nutrients and Additives.

It supplies organic fertilisers and gardening products to allotment holders and gardeners who grow fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The shop is open seven days a week, at 131 Burnley Road East, Waterfoot, and has been leased by B and E Boys, also of Waterfoot.

Wendy is also keen to promote hydroponic gardening, which doesn’t use soil, while yielding healthy crops that grow much faster than using conventional methods.

“It’s a good thing that so many chemicals are being banned from gardening,” said Wendy, “but gardeners need alternative, safe methods of fertilising and keeping the pests at bay.

“Our shop provides those solutions and we can advise on and supply hydroponic equipment, which is a much cleaner way of gardening as well as being far kinder to the environment.

“We have leased this shop from B and E Boys and they have been great. Setting up the business has gone smoothly thanks to them.”

Wendy will be working with her daughter Vicky Talbot and they plan to promote the shop and their innovative organic products to the allotment holders and gardeners of the Rossendale Valley.

Michael Boys, director at B and E Boys, said: “Organic products are becoming more and more popular in all walks of life. We wish Wendy and Vicky every success.”