Blackpool hotelier shows where there's wool there's a way to launch a new business

Paula Chew from the Westcliffe Guest House on King Edward Avenue has launched her second knitting-related business, West Coast Ganseys – creating high quality garments traditionally done by hand, and using 100 per cent Lambswool.

Her website for West Coast Ganseys was launched at the start of February and currently features two designs, both inspired by places on the Lancashire coast -Knott End and Skippool Creek.

They are designed, made and finished by Paula and she has more designs named after her favourite places in the pipeline. There is also a section of the website selling knitting kits which feature patterns from the workshops she held at the hotel during the knitting holidays before the pandemic.

She got support from the county’s growth hub, Boost Lancashire, which gave her a grant for £3,000 to fund a computer for creating pattern designs and an electronic knitting machine.

Boost is an initiative led by Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership with funding from the UK Government and the EU through its European Regional Development Fund.

Paula, 57, said: “There were hopes we would be able to reopen again properly towards the end of last summer and tie in with the Illuminations season.

“But because Covid infections started to rise again around then, it meant we were only able to open again for three weeks, so we decided it was in the best interests of the business and our guests to close again.

“It was a difficult decision to make because I know how much people enjoy coming here for their ‘Knitaways’ and it’s also a place where lots of friendships have been made on the over the years. The grant from Boost was really useful and has helped getting West Coast Gansey off the ground.

“Obviously, we have had very little income from the hotel in the last twelve months and without the grant it would have been much harder to turn this idea into a reality.

“I am really pleased they recognised the potential of the business though and we are confident it can grow into a really special business which also compliments what we have done at the hotel over the years.”