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Swindon & Wiltshire News
UK’s only Living Bar is a growing dream for entrepreneur
A Wiltshire entrepreneur has built a unique growing business – a bar for hire that utilises living plants as part of its design.
A self-confessed ‘horticulturalist with a love of beer’ Tim Goodman’s Living Bar – believed to be the only one in the UK – incorporates everything from vertical walls of plants to full-size hawthorn and maple trees.
Already, the Living Bar has been installed in the hospitality area between the two largest stages at Glastonbury Festival, where it has been propped up by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant and Wayne Rooney.
And the general public will have had the chance to see it at the Feast Street food festival in Frome, not far from Living Bar HQ in Dilton Marsh, Wiltshire.
Next year, his bars will be seen at a number of music festivals, including Glastonbury, Latitude and Womad. And its creator is branching out, hoping to take the innovative bar to major business events and weddings.
“The Living Bar is really eye-catching and never fails to grab people’s attention,” said Tim. “Customers love little touches like the bartender plucking fresh mint from the wall behind him for Mojitos and Pimms.
“The Living Bar concept allows customers to enjoy the plants from wherever they are sitting or standing. Not only are the plants aesthetically pleasing, but just being around plants makes people feel better within themselves.”
The Living Bar is also environmentally friendly, made of sustainably-sourced beech plywood, and only needs a wooden mallet to assemble it.
The plants are all grown at Barters Farm Nurseries in the neighbouring village of Chapmanslade, which is run by husband and wife team Legh and Di Walker.
“We’ve always hired out plants,” said Legh. “This is a really interesting way of using the plants we grow at the nursery, and a great example of small businesses working together.”
Before launching The Living Bar Company, Tim – who has a degree in horticulture from Writtle College in Essex – taught the subject at primary schools before, launching the UK’s first horticulture project in a high security gaol at Bristol Prison.
Some of the plants grown by inmates went on to be displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Now he can enjoy a business idea two years in the making come to fruition.
For more information log on to www.livingbarcompany.co.uk
