A FAMILY business lasting three generations is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Flowers by Nattrass began in 1959 as a Hurworth growing market garden, set up by Ronnie Nattrass who passed away last year, aged 91.

In its first week of trading Mr Nattrass and his wife, Dorothy, took in seven pound, 14 shillings and six pence and the business has been growing ever since.

Mr and Mrs Nattrass were joined by their daughter, Sally Bennett, and her husband Mark in 1981 and in the last five years their granddaughters, Katie, Amy and Claire, have also become part of the business.

Sally Bennett said: “My dad was a gardener and in the beginning he was growing produce, fruit and vegetables and flowers.

“It basically grew from there. My mother always helped out with accounts and the bookwork although she was a teacher all her working life.

“From then he started making things, like wreaths and flower arrangements and other pieces, just as a self-taught florist. It was the creative part of it that he enjoyed.”

As the business grew Mr and Mrs Nattrass rented a premises on Duke Street, in Darlington, which now functions as their main shop.

The Northern Echo:

First takings for the business

By the late 1970s the business occupied premises in Hurworth, Duke Street and a small property on Yarm Road, Darlington, expanding until it had its own garden centre with 22 employees.

Mark Bennett said: “At some point along the way we stopped selling fruit and vegetables. Now we have morphed into having just this shop and storage premises at Hurworth.

“We concentrate more on weddings, events and corporate work and the big floristry sales. And we focus more on our website.”

In 2005 the family set up a second company, Strelitzia Software Ltd, which leases out business retail software to other floristry companies - co-ordinated by Mr and Mrs Bennet and their daughters Amy and Katie.

Dorothy Nattrass, aged 86, said: “I think it’s lovely it has continued. We came to Hurworth when we got married in 1957 and we thought that the business would never happen, so we are really pleased that it has happened.”