TWO garden centre entrepreneurs from County Durham have created 46 jobs and expanded their business.

Trevor Graham and Emma Taylor bought Lanchester Garden Centre in 2010 following its closure three years earlier, and now have plans to add educational facilities for children.

Since the purchase, they have revitalised the centre, which was in a state of disrepair, and revamped its buildings and polytunnels.

They have also added a gift shop, and hope to open a tropical house to support plans to develop education facilities.

The café restaurant was extended last year and is proving popular.

Trevor Graham, director at the garden centre, said: “We are trying to create something that we hope the county will be proud of. People that visit us aren’t just regulars from the local area or even the North-East, but also tourists from further afield.

“We trust that with the assistance of Durham County Council, and the support of Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, we will continue to achieve our aim of providing educational facilities at the garden centre, which will help children to learn about flora and fauna while enjoying what the outdoors has to offer.”

Stuart Harper, relationship director at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Lanchester Garden Centre is a business that brings the local community together, and Trevor and Emma go out of their way to provide customers with the best possible service.

“At Lloyds Bank we're dedicated to supporting businesses like this, and that’s why we've pledged to continue to grow our lending to SMEs by £1bn net this year, as part of our 2015 SME Charter.”