Farming couple convert disused barns into cattery business

Jun 1 2009 By Graeme Brown

Two disused barns have been given a new lease of life as a thriving cattery business by a Warwickshire farming couple.

Ian and Jane Gibbs have diversified Lords Hill Farm, at Wolston, into the cattery business thanks to an £11,300 investment from the Redundant Building Grant Scheme.

The grant helped the new business to support the costs of converting the disused barns into a 14-unit high quality boarding cattery, with kitchen and reception area.

Mrs Gibbs, who started a bed and breakfast business on the farm 10 years ago, said: “We were looking for ways to diversify our business, and one thing we kept being told by cat owners was how difficult it was to find space for their cats when needed, such as holidays.

“We’ve now had a string of bookings and inquiries from as far away as Rugby and Lutterworth.

“The units are finished to the highest quality, are heated and insulated and are fully secured by shutters at night.”

Members of the Gibbs family have worked on the sheep and arable farm since 1936. Two full-time and one part-time post will be created to help run the new cattery.

The new development will also bring 137 square metres of floor space back into productive use.

The £1.3 million Redundant Building Grant Scheme for Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Solihull which helped to support the project, was launched in August 2007.

The project helps businesses in the region to convert or refurbish buildings into a wide range of commercial uses including offices, retail outlets, light manufacturing, craft and leisure.

Paul Chatwin, partnerships manager for Advantage West Midlands said: “With the considerable challenges which the farming industry has faced in recent years, it is heartening to see that small-scale intervention such as this can make a significant difference to the rural economy.”

The owners plan to apply for Feline Advisory Bureau certification in the near future.