Garden firm’s top franchisee

Northampton businessman Richard Baker has won the franchise owner of the year award by garden maintenance business Jim's Mowing.

Baker started his Jim's Mowing franchise in April 2006, after giving up his previous life as a farm labourer. He now looks after 60 regular clients in the Harpole area on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

"Richard has made a terrific success of his business in Harpole, building up an enviable customer base and going beyond the call of duty to help his clients," said Richard Harrison, UK director of Jim's Mowing.

"We have had some very positive responses from his clients, including when he stopped to help a woman with a flat tyre and no spare, driving her to and from a garage and fixing it all.