A family from Northumberland has secured a £175,000 funding deal to launch a new animal cremation business, looking to meet growing regional demand for dignified services catering to pets and livestock of all sizes.
Renwick Animal & Pet Cremation Services, located near Morpeth on the Southwitton House estate, is the brainchild of mother and son team Jane Jobling-Purser and George Renwick. Drawing on their deep roots in the farming and equine sectors, the pair are now turning their experience toward a sensitive but expanding market.
The start-up received asset-backed working capital from alternative lender Reward Funding, enabling the business to purchase key equipment and begin operations without delay. The crematorium, which occupies a converted equestrian centre on the estate’s 22 acres, will serve pet owners and businesses across the North East.
George Renwick, director and co-founder, said demand for pet cremation, especially for larger animals, has been growing but remains under-served in the region.
“Having worked with pets and livestock all our lives, we recognised across the North East that many businesses and pet owners with larger animals were increasingly forced to travel as far as Derbyshire to access cremation services,” he said. “Equipped with this knowledge and our passion for animal welfare, we invested in refurbishing the former equestrian centre located on the estate and converted it into the new pet and animal crematorium.”
He described access to finance as “the missing piece of the jigsaw” and credited Reward Funding with recognising the firm’s long-term vision, despite its lack of trading history.
“The whole process moved at pace,” he added, “ensuring we didn’t face the financial headache of having to delay the launch and put everything on hold.”
Reward Funding, which supports entrepreneurs and growing businesses across the North East and the wider UK, based the deal on strong financial projections and a robust business plan, avoiding the delays typically associated with more traditional lenders.
Aaron Tinmouth, North East business development manager at Reward, said the deal reflects the lender’s flexible, entrepreneur-led approach.
“Being able to provide alternative finance to help launch a new business like Renwick underlines our entrepreneurial mindset and innovative approach to lending,” he said. “Whilst this is a new venture for Jane and George, we made sure that we sat down with them to truly understand their plans, ambitions and their funding needs to ensure we could provide the right solution tailored to them.”
He added that traditional lenders’ reluctance to fund new or asset-light ventures continues to act as a brake on regional growth, particularly among SMEs and start-ups.
The transaction was brokered by Graeme Harrison of Newcastle-based Corporate and Commercial Business Solutions Group (CCBSG).
Pictured (L-R): Graeme Harrison, George Renwick, Aaron Tinmouth
