New floral business Pampas & Bloom finds a home in Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley

Amelia Harker’s flourishing firm Pampas & Bloom, which specialises in selling pampas grass and dried flowers, has moved into the recently refurbished Mending Rooms at the mill complex.

It is the latest in a raft of new lettings at the family-owned mill where Yorkshire Television’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed.

Amelia, who is studying product and furniture design at Kingston University in London, decided to launch Pampas & Bloom during lockdown when she was studying online at home after seeing a real opening for a dried flower business.

“I started sourcing and selling bunches of natural hand-tied dried flowers online from home and soon, to my astonishment and delight, my bedroom was overflowing with flowers. My parents were very understanding, their house had soon become overrun with bunches of dried flowers. My mum Susan is incredibly hands-on with the business,

“So we started looking for business premises in the Leeds area and Sunny Bank Mills fitted the bill perfectly. It is a stunning environment, a beautifully refurbished old mill, full of creative businesses. My own studio in the historic Mending Rooms is absolutely gorgeous, light, airy and spacious, while our landlords the Gaunts have been incredibly helpful and supportive.

“I couldn’t be happier. I am going to complete my degree remotely from September and carry on my business at the same time. There is a real synergy between my studies and Pampas & Bloom, so this dual role will sharpen my focus, rather than putting too much pressure on myself.

“There is no doubt that lockdown has helped me. Not only have I had to time to devote to my business, but there has also been a revival of interest in interior décor, as people have had to spend much more time at home,” explained Amelia. “And mine is a sustainable choice, so that ticks boxes as well.”

Altogether there are now 75 companies with more than 350 employees on site.