The boss of a new gardening business has promised to ensure a quarter of the work it does is provided by people with learning difficulties or disabilities.
Oliver Lockwood, who decided to launch Stonebridge Garden Services after being furloughed, said he also wants to include more women and people from different ethnicities and backgrounds in the business.
Mr Lockwood turned his back on a job in corporate marketing at brick maker Ibstock PLC to start offering lawn care and garden maintenance to homeowners in Leicestershire.
He has ADHD and said he is wants to bring out people’s strengths within the business rather than focus on labels – and ensure social responsibility plays a big part in the services he offers.
He said: “When you find people and you can give them a safe space to work, they feel both respected and appreciated.
“If they do specific tasks very well it allows them to grow with those tasks. If they love certain jobs why would I get someone else to do them?
“This not only opens up opportunities for them but us too as we optimise our workforce and add specialisms where appropriate.
“We need to stop using words like disabilities because when we hire people, they might not be able to do everything, but if they can do the things we want them to do well, where’s the disability?”
As part of a commitment to sustainability, Stonebridge changed much of its gardening kit to electric and installed an electric charging point for vans.
Along the way Mr Lockwood and his wife Gemma have been helped by the county’s Business Gateway Growth Hub and business adviser Aruna Bhagwan, who has offered support with things such as grant funding and HR.
Ms Bhagwan also introduced the business to the VegVan Community Farm, another Business Gateway client, enabling them to divert green waste from landfill to a farm where it can be used.
Ms Bhagwan said: “Oliver’s passion and enthusiasm for the business is infectious.
“They’ve really worked on setting something up which will benefit their people and their customers.
“I’ve been able to guide them with their strategy and signpost them to other resources, which is a key strength of the Growth Hub.
“They’ve also adjusted their approach to grant applications, taking advice on board from our conversations and courses attended. Stonebridge is definitely one to watch.”
The Business Gateway Growth Hub service is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and delivered by a partnership that includes Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership.
Sign up for your free East Midlands newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn
Email newsletters
BusinessLive is your home for business news from across the East Midlands including Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
Click through here to sign up for our email newsletter and also view the broad range of other bulletins we offer including weekly sector-specific updates.
We will also send out 'Breaking News' emails for any stories which must be seen right away.
For all the latest stories, views and polls, follow our
