Northumberland family set up new pet cremation business

Renwick Animal & Pet Cremation Services will use the money to buy equipment for their company, which will offer cremation services for pets of all sizes.

The business, based at Southwitton House estate near Morpeth, is run by Jane Jobling-Purser and her son George Renwick, who have a wealth of experience in the farming and equine industries.

Ms Jobling-Purser has worked in animal welfare for years, running holiday lets and a successful yard.

Mr Renwick has worked with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, and the Environment Agency.

He also gained experience in the pet crematorium sector with Peaceful Pets in Norfolk.

Their funding from Reward Funding, an asset-based lender, was swiftly secured, allowing them to buy equipment and open on time, preventing any loss of revenue.

Mr Renwick, director and co-founder of Renwick, said: “Having worked with pets and livestock all our lives, we recognised across the North East that many businesses and pet owners with larger animals were increasingly forced to travel as far as Derbyshire to access cremation services.

“Equipped with this knowledge and our passion for animal welfare, we invested in refurbishing the former equestrian centre located on the estate and converted it into the new pet and animal crematorium.”

The business plan was based on strong projections, allowing them to bypass the “unnecessary red tape” often faced by new businesses with no trading history.

Mr Renwick added: “The missing piece of the jigsaw was securing the finance in order to acquire the vital equipment needed to launch.

“As a new company, this was a real challenge since we had no previous trading history to present to banks and other lenders.

“Therefore, we were delighted that Reward was able to support us by recognising our long-term vision and plans for the business.

“The whole process moved at pace, ensuring we didn’t face the financial headache of having to delay the launch and put everything on hold.”

Reward Funding’s North East business development manager, Aaron Tinmouth, said: “Being able to provide alternative finance to help launch a new business like Renwick underlines our entrepreneurial mindset and innovative approach to lending.

“Whilst this is a new venture for Jane and George, we made sure that we sat down with them to truly understand their plans, ambitions and their funding needs to ensure we could provide the right solution tailored to them.”

He added: “Many SMEs and property investors across the region are unfortunately denied finance by risk-averse traditional lenders, which stifles their business growth ambitions and negatively impacts the wider economy.

“It’s rewarding to help Renwick unlock this market opportunity and we are confident the business will now go from strength to strength.”

The deal between Reward and Renwick was brokered by Graeme Harrison from Newcastle-based Corporate and Commercial Business Solutions Group (CCBSG).