When Appleton resident Scott Brierley was 15 he cycled to a timber yard in the rain to ask for a Saturday job.

Fast forward seven years and he is now the co-owner of Rowswood Timber Ltd on Hatton Lane with entrepreneur Stuart Tudor.

The 22-year-old’s success story is down to hard work and determination as well as a keen interest in working with his hands, after using his dad’s tools to make a planter for his nan when he was younger.

It was during his final year at Bridgewater High School that the teenager started brushing up and stacking shelves at the yard during evenings and at weekends and he continued his studies at Appleton College.

Once he’d finished at college, Scott became a full-time employee and worked his way up, being promoted to general manager by the age of 20, with responsibility for organising staff and delivery schedules and ordering stock.

Scott said: “I knew the owner had other ventures he wanted to focus on and he was in the market to sell Rowswood Timber.

“I’d known Stuart both as a customer and a friend for years and he is successful in his own right as the owner of Tudor CCTV.

“We think alike and have the same vision for the yard.

“Over the past 30 years, Rowswood Timber has built up a brilliant reputation however Stuart and I feel there is a lot of untapped potential, which we are keen to explore.”

Scott and Stuart worked out a deal last summer and became the new owners with a 50/50 share in January.

The company’s new website has been designed by Scott’s twin brother Matt and is aimed at bringing it into the modern era, revolutionising the traditional pen and paper operation.

Stuart said: “A greater demand for custom-made sheds and garden rooms, alongside fencing panels and sleepers, has kept us busy throughout lockdown.

“It’s been brilliant to welcome so many new domestic customers to complement our well-established trade base.

“Scott has got a good business head on his shoulders – combined with exciting plans for the timber yard and its joinery workshops.

“I was only too happy to come on board and help him to take Rowswood Timber to the next level.”

More information about the business can be found at www.rowswoodtimber.com