We recently went to visit our lovely customers, Dave and Jane Berrisford, who own Cheshire Retirement Livery, to get the latest on their wonderful business and see the 5th building they have had from us!
The livery is set in over 120 acres in Betley, Cheshire, surrounded by beautiful countryside. Originally a dairy farm, where Dave was born and has lived all his life, they reluctantly had to sell the cows in 2011. With Jane being a horse lover and having one of her own, the couple identified a gap in the market for a livery, where horses could be loved and cared for in their retirement.
They started with a grass livery, then added stables and eventually barns and over the years have developed a thriving business with customers from all over the world.
Cheshire Retirement Livery has a team of 7 people to look after over 130 retired horses and we have designed, manufactured and erected all 5 of their buildings over the years.
Their latest project was a 150’ x 30’ x 12’ duo barn needed to accommodate 20 horses in the winter. Within the barn, there are 10 bays, each to house 2 horses who have bonded and become good friends!
It was clear to see from the chat we had with Dave and Jane that they are passionate about the welfare of their horses and in winter, prefer for them to be in barns rather than stables. Barns offer more space for the horses to move around in and allows them to be in a herd which is what they prefer. This in turn causes less stress for the horses and can help with any behavioural problems. The stables they have are only used for medical care and quarantine.
These barns are also more efficient for the business and cost effective for the customer as the mucking out can be done by machines, with straw being blown in by them too! Dave and Jane can therefore save on labour and staff can spend their time concentrating on the nicer jobs such as taking the horses out every day and grooming!
Other than concrete panel partitions, Dave and Jane requested a barn that was light, airy and well ventilated. A total of 86 roof lights were incorporated on a natural grey fibre cement roof and Yorkshire Boarding on timber was used for one side and both gable ends. All steelwork was galvanised for added protection and sister company Concrete Panel Systems provided 90mm x 1000mm thick concrete panels to a height of 2m, in addition to the panels for the partitions.
When we asked Dave and Jane for their feedback on the service and buildings received by us here at Graham Heath, they said “We are thrilled with every aspect of our Graham Heath buildings, from design to erection. It was constructed very quickly and the level of care and pride in the erectors work was impressive. We wouldn’t go anywhere else for our buildings.”
It has been a pleasure to work with Dave and Jane and wonderful to see how much love and care goes into looking after the horses. We look forward to working with them again on their plans for a 6th building in the near future!
For more information on Cheshire Retirement Livery, visit their website or check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
Do you need a quote for your building? Don’t hesitate to contact our team today on 01270 781158 or request your free quote here.