"I started doing domestic work in people’s gardens. In order to move into commercial work, you need to have a lot of relevant documentation in health and safety and to show that you are competent and safe. Businesses will want to see a full risk assessment from you before they let you onto their site.
"I have had the advantage of joining the industry recently and so I’m used to all the paperwork. Some of the more experienced people in the industry have found the increased paperwork difficult to deal with. But thankfully, it’s just part of the job to me and I approach it as part of the business.
"We have invested a great deal in training and it has always brought benefits to the business. I have been keen to take up opportunities to train and bring those new skills to the business. For example, I did a course on using what is known as a MEWP (Mobile Elevated Platform). A lot of sites want you to work from a MEWP, so having this qualification opens up new opportunities.
"I have recently done a course in tree surveying which is recognised as the national standard. You carry out an assessment from a health and safety point of view and advise on what work needs to be carried out. It is another way of opening up more opportunities for the business because we can offer more services to customers.
"I can honestly say that I have always learnt something valuable on every course I have been on. We have been able to schedule our work around training so it hasn’t been difficult absorbing the time spent on training into the business.
"We have invested a lot of time and money in training and equipment and it has paid off. The business has no debts, a really good capital asset base and we’ll have a turnover of £75,000 this year."
Wife and business partner, Annie said: "I had been off work sick for quite a while. When you are out of employment for some time, you lose your confidence.
"I didn’t originally intend to join Paul in the business, but it was a good route back into employment for me. The training I did was very important. It made me feel part of the business on an equal footing with Paul and gave me a lot of confidence.
"Paul is the tree surgeon and I work as the ground manager. I’m fanatical about tidying up. People really appreciate the way we tidy up when we do domestic work and the fact that we are a husband and wife team.
"The domestic work is my favourite part of the job, although the business has developed so much that 80 per cent of our work is now commercial.
"Setting up the new business, we have had to invest a lot of money in equipment. Lantra sponsored the training which has been essential. Without that support from Lantra, the outlay for equipment and training would have been impossible for a new, small business.
"The whole experience has been so positive that I have recently become involved in facilitating training myself. I provide assistance to Andrew Morton Training, a South Yorkshire Rural Skills (SYRS) woodland training provider. I attend the South Yorkshire Rural Skills team meetings for advice and updates on how the scheme is working.
"I also visit people to establish if they are suitable candidates for the scheme and sort out the paperwork involved in getting them on the courses that they need. I have met some great folk in the process and hopefully helped a few others to receive the invaluable funded training that Paul and I have had."
