The family firm that helped to feed the nation

DURING the darkest days of the Second World War, Alan Hill and his sons did their bit to stop Britain starving.

The family business, founded by Mr Hill on a small allotment, is celebrating its 90th birthday, after surviving numerous recessions and changes in consumer tastes.

Over the decades, it has supplied hundreds of thousands of trees, plants, vegetables and fruit to local businesses.

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Today, the Hill family are still in charge, and the company, based in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, has expanded its customer range to include schools, local councils and even a golf course in Kent.

But its finest hour came during the Second World War when the company's nursery was used to grow food for local families.

For months, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, and supplies from overseas were scarce.

David Hill, Alan Hill's grandson, said yesterday: "When the war came, land-based people who knew how to grow food were in restricted occupations (which meant they weren't called up to serve in the armed forces).

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"The company's land was used to grow food for the war effort. It was difficult to get food supplies over during the Battle of the Atlantic because of the German U-boats."

During the war, Alan Hill served as a part-time fireman while his son, Cornelius, served in the Home Guard, in preparation for an invasion that never came.

The company's origins were modest. When it was founded, in 1920, it was known simply as A Hill (Nurseryman). Mr Hill started growing flowers and vegetables on a small allotment in Loftus, Cleveland, and sold his produce to the retail market.

David Hill recalled yesterday: "In the early years, there were fruit trees on the allotment at Loftus, which the family weren't allowed to pull down. They were so short of land they used to grow plants close to the hedges."

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In about 1925, the business moved to the Woodlands Nursery, near Saltburn. The Hill family lived on the site with a two-bed chalet and a well.

Alan Hill bought Woodlands Nursery and, shortly afterwards, his eldest sons, Alan (junior) and Cornelius, joined him in the business.

In 1946, the company bought 35 acres in Stokesley, and named it Station Nurseries. It has been the company's headquarters ever since.

By the time of Alan Hill's retirement, in 1954, the business had witnessed a remarkable expansion.

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It was providing flowers and ornamental plants for the retail market and the company had shops in Saltburn and Redcar.

David Hill, who is Cornelius's son, joined the business in 1960. At its peak, it employed up to 60 people and specialised in growing chrysanthemum blooms for the wholesale markets.

The company grew around 170,000 blooms a year at Woodlands Nurseries, and 60,000 at Station Nurseries. It was skilled, labour-intensive work. All the blooms were cut by hand with a pen-knife.

The company reached a crossroads in 1976 when the three brothers retired. The business was split up and sold, with David Hill taking charge of A Hill & Sons. He decided to concentrate on two main crops – strawberries and nursery stock.

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Later, Mr Hill's sons, Julian and Simon, joined the company, and the firm now focuses on "hardy nursery stock", such as trees, shrubs, conifers and hedging.

Today, the company has eight staff and an annual turnover of about 700,000.

"The business has constantly adapted to the market, from growing the fruit trees at the start, to the production of food during the war," said Rikki Lear, the company's marketing and sales manager.

To show it can move with the times, the company has launched a cash-and-carry service, which means landscapers can quickly get their hands on a tree needed for a project, and an online retail website – www.i-nursery.co.uk – which opened this year.

Still growing strong

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Founded in 1920, A Hill & Sons are wholesale growers of nursery stock, selling a range of trees, shrubs, conifers and hedging.

David Hill, the founder's grandson, has been with the company for about 50 years.

He said: "When I started, trees were grown in the field and were only sold in the winter. Now they are sold all year round.

"They are grown in thousands of pots to 20ft tall. All the stock is grown in pots with computer control.

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"A lot of the customers have been with us for 20 to 30 years. The secret is giving the customer the product they want, at a competitive price. You have to be more flexible than a business selling nuts and bolts because trees are living things."

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