Venture reels in Co-op Bank funding deal

A YORKSHIRE entrepreneur has reopened a forgotten Victorian fishing lake near Allerthorpe in East Yorkshire after landing a six-figure funding package from The Co-operative Bank.

Lifelong fisherman Graham Barnard, from Hull, and his wife Allison opened the first log cabin at Conifer Lake this week in a ceremony attended by broadcaster and environmental campaigner David Bellamy.

As well as the two-bedroom cabin, Mr Barnard has submitted a planning application for 19 touring caravans on the site.

The Co-operative Bank’s Leeds Corporate Banking Centre provided Mr Barnard with a £300,000 loan to buy Conifer Lake in 2009 and complete extensive improvements to the waterways and surrounding landscape.

The entreprenuer has subsequently invested more than £140,000 in road access, electrics and supportive pads for three log cabins, which are due for completion next summer.
 
Conifer Lake is a picturesque 10-acre fishery, with four acres of lake and 13 secluded islands.

Offering year-round fishing, fish stocks include carp, bream, roach, rudd, perch, chubb, tench and specimen eels.

Six acres of grass and woodland provide a habitat for a variety of birds, making Conifer Lake a haven for bird watchers aswell as plant and animal lovers.

Mr Barnard said: “Thanks to the funding package from The Co-operative Bank, and a lot of hard work, we have been able to fulfil the huge potential at Conifer Lake, creating an idyllic fishing environment. The arrival of the first log cabin is the latest step in our business venture and we are all looking forward to a successful summer.”

Pete Sumners, business development manager at The Co-operative Bank’s Leeds Corporate Banking Centre, said: “When Graham first approached us with his plans for Conifer Lake, it was clear that he had the enthusiasm and business acumen to make a success of this project – and the site looks fantastic, a real hidden gem.”