The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has beaten off tough European competition to land a prestigious contract to provide bricks for the £1 million transformation of Dean’s Garden Centre in Stockton-on-the-Forest, near York.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, will be supplying 15,500 bricks for the project.
Guy Armitage, managing director of York Handmade, one of the leading brick makers in the UK, explained: “It is extremely satisfying to beat stiff European competition. We were up against a Dutch brick company, but the project managers Walker Nicholas ultimately chose us. I know how important the bricks are to the new-look garden centre and we are determined to do an excellent job.
“Mark Reynolds of York-based Evora Construction, the main contractor, is very enthusiastic about our bricks and we would like to thank Evora for suggesting our bricks to the architects, who then visited our factory in Alne to see for themselves. The visit was a success and we are creating a special Maxima blended brick to the architects’ specifications.
“We are very proud to strike a blow for independent brickmaking in the Vale of York. The region has a fine heritage of brick manufacturing and we are keen to maintain this. Having weathered the recession, which hit the construction sector very hard, we are now well-positioned to support the upturn in the sector,” said Mr Armitage.
Mark Reynolds of Evora Construction, a leading construction companies in North Yorkshire, commented: “We are big supporters of York Handmade and their bricks and were keen to use them on this prestigious project. We felt that their bricks would be more suitable for this specific project than the imported Dutch ones and, importantly, we like to use local Yorkshire companies when we can.
“We were delighted when the project team visited the York Handmade factory and agreed with us. Now we are looking forward to working together to create a fantastic garden centre, fit for the 21st century,” said Mr Reynolds.
He explained: “The Garden Centre is a hub of the community, so we feel extremely privileged to be the ones making a mark in its history. Loved by both locals and occasional visitors, we will completely transform the Centre and offer something completely new for its loyal customers, while maintaining its traditional atmosphere and values that makes it so successful.”
The refurbishment and extension of the centre, which is scheduled for completion of the spring of next year, will create a state-of-the-art coffee shop and kitchen facility, as well as a total remodelling of the toilet and back-of-house facilities in order to increase the capacity and meet demand.
Opening in 1968, Dean’s Garden Centre has been serving local gardeners for more than 47 years. A family-run business, the Centre is a favourite of the local community attracting green fingered gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts both young and old.
Speaking about the project, Richard Dean from Dean’s Garden Centre, said: “We are really looking forward to the refurbishment. It’s somewhat long-due, but we know that this refurbishment will future-proof the Centre and leave it looking and feeling fresh for years to come.
