Vacant building by Rhyl railway station to be a flower shop
She started her business in Rhuddlan, where she opened a shop in late 2019, before having to close and become a home-based enterprise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The unit in question was previously used as a busman's restroom, and as a kiosk for rail passengers.
'I've got the keys, but there's still a lot of work to do,' Jacqui said.
'I've been negotiating for three-and-a-half years to get this place. I've always loved the railway station; I love listed buildings.
'I've always thought it would make a great place for a flower shop. I want to be open as soon as possible – it's been empty for years, and I don't think it's been in retail use since the 1970s.'
Jacqui's business is named in the Good Florist Guide, which lists the best florists in the UK and Ireland.
She sells flowers suitable as gifts and for all sorts of special occasions, and has been a florist for about 30 years.
In her successful planning application for a change of use of the unit, she wrote that she aims to give the unit a 'more attractive appearance'.
Jacqui added in her planning application: 'The building has been vacant for a number of years, making the station look unloved to both locals and visitors, not making a positive and welcoming impact on arrivals.
'Flower shops are traditional to railway stations, and would be in keeping with the beauty of the listed building and conservation area.'
Jacqui said: 'I just think it's going to help 'pretty up' the town.
'It's a beautiful building that's going to be used again, and used in a nice way.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
9 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh LGBT+ friendly shop, cafe and art space Kafe Kweer announces its closure
The owners of Edinburgh LGBT+ friendly shop, cafe and art space Kafe Kweer have announces its closure. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Viewforth venue opened in 2020 just as the earth-shattering Covid pandemic hit the world, forcing businesses to close their door and people to stay at home. Owners of the Gilmore Place cafe at St Peter's Buildings, Oskar and Zak, made the announcement on social media, with Kafe Kweer set to close on September 1 when the current lease ends. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They said: 'Our lease ends on 1st September, and with this we have made the tough decision to shut our doors after five incredible years on that date. We do this entirely on our own terms, recognising a coinciding shift in our personal lives, creative goals, rising costs, and beyond. 'Kafe Kweer started as a manic project at the height of lockdown, after we saw a Facebook post advertising a small shop looking for new management. Everything was so uncertain at this time that we decided to just GO for it, with zero expectations and lots of risk. 'We thought we'd be lucky to last a year. And here we are exactly five years later, despite Covid, Brexit, cost of living crises, and being located in a quiet part of town.' Kafe Kweer in Edinburgh's Viewforth area will close for good on September 1. | Google Maps Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The pair vowed to carry on providing a safe space for LGBT+ people to enjoy themselves. They said: 'Despite closing our physical space, we aim to keep using our platform and network to host some of our social events in other spaces, helping queer people find connection amidst this hostile world, and spreading the news about other local queer events/resources. 'The ethos and mission of what Kafe Kweer is about is more than one single shop could ever do, and we plan on continuing to be a hub for Edinburgh's queer community in one way or the other! 'We close our doors in September with our heads held high and our hearts very full with the love you've given us over the years. We know this'll be sad news for many, and it's a sad decision for us, but we believe in doing what we've always done: adapting and evolving.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Adding: 'We'd ask that you all come see us this August for our last month open. We'll be selling a lot of our stock at bargain prices , hosting Fringe shows every afternoon, and probably crying a lot. This is only the beginning. Queer joy forever.' Customers were quick to send their love and thanks to the cafe owners on social media in response to the closure announcement. Polly Edwards said: 'You have done spectacularly, incredibly well and been such a massive life-changing force for good for so many folks here, me included. Five years!! That's amazing! Hold those heads even higher cause you're a bunch of heroes in my book.' Cooper King added: 'We love you so much!! This space was one of the first in the community I came to after moving to this country, and gave me essential room to meet the queer community and grow as my own person. thank you for hosting us for poetry evenings, Lavender Menace meetings, and social gatherings. So sad to hear about your closing but I'm thankful to have had the time with Kafe Kweer!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And, Fin Buchan said: 'So sad to see you guys closing. I've visited quite a lot of times over the years and remember coming in with my partner at the time just after you opened back in 2020. 'I would only have been 17 then, and seeing a space like this changed everything for me. It made me realise community was still out there. Thank you for all you've done for everyone who's come through your doors.'
Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
I earn £232,000 as a freelance writer — my salary feels surreal
Welcome back to Me and My Money, Metro's series taking a look at the UK's spending and saving habits. This week we meet Lizzie Davey, 34, a freelance tech and e-commerce writer from Brighton who has built a successful career that gives her an annual salary of more than £200,000. Lizzie saves a lot of her income and hopes to retire by her early 50s. Here, she tells us how she manages her income and savings. I've been freelancing for 12 years, starting aged 23 as a travel writer because I wanted to see more of the world without being tied down. I'd maxed out my annual leave at my job and wanted the freedom to travel as much as I wanted. I'm not sure I'd recommend that to everyone but it worked for me at the time. As time went on I slowly evolved into marketing content because I'd originally worked in marketing before going freelance and that's where my skillset was. When the Covid pandemic hit, e-commerce (online shopping) took off and I landed one e-commerce client. The e-commerce clients I work with are not actual retail brands – they're the companies that create software for those retail brands to use. Now the majority of my clients are in the e-commerce software space, which is obviously still thriving. I write customer-facing content, such as blog posts, case studies, ebooks and also internal communications for companies such as technical documents. I usually work with between seven and 10 clients a month on an ongoing basis. Mostly this involves writing a set amount of pieces or content for a client each month. It's really helpful for predicting my income for the year and giving me consistent work. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Annual income: £232,000 (2024) Income taken from the business after pension, expenses including co-working rent, tax and investments: £73,000 Main monthly outgoings: Amazon Prime: £6.60 (£79 a year) Mortgage: £783.58 Home insurance: £20.72 Council tax: £168 Phone and internet: £92 Energy: £50-£100 Income protection: £26.24 Petrol: £50 Netflix: £17.99 Car insurance: £200 a year It has taken me a while to get to this point. When I started I'd work 14-hour days and charge £25 per piece. Now my minimum rate per article is £850, and I won't do anything under £500 unless it's for a long-standing client looking for a small extra job. Earning this much does feel a bit surreal as it's an income I never ever imagined would be possible doing what I do. There's a trope that writers are poor and self-employed people don't earn much, so I was happy just to have the freedom to work my own hours. The money was a bonus as I've never been particularly money driven. I definitely don't live a luxury lifestyle, although I do eat out a lot more than most and travel more than my peers. I still have a budget though and set aside £500 a month for eating out, lunches, and doing fun things. I drive a 14-year-old Nissan Micra that has definitely seen better days, so I think that says it all! I think the thing to remember here is that while the business earns ~£240,000 a year, I don't pay myself that much. I pay myself about £75,000 a year, so I don't technically have a quarter of a million to spend on myself! The leftover money in the business goes into investments and will be saved for a time when I might want to take a year or so off. I'm definitely a saver when it comes to my personal money. I'm not a big spender AT ALL. I used to have a one-bedroom flat in central Brighton that I bought in 2021 but I wanted more space, so I updgraded to a 3-bedroom house less than three years later. I bought a three bedroom 1930s renovation project in March last year in the suburbs of Brighton. It's been slow progress because I drained the majority of my savings to buy the house but I'm about halfway through. I've had the kitchen and bathroom done and the garden is next on the list. The majority of my personal money is going on the house renovations at the moment, so I don't have a ton of savings, but I do go on holiday 4-6 times a year. These aren't extravagant holidays by any means (I stayed in a hostel on the last one!), and I tend to travel cheap and stay cheap. My main aim when travelling is eating and exploring, so I'm not really a luxury traveller. But my salary also means I have the freedom to say yes to things I want to do and I have quite a lot of hobbies I do throughout the week that I probably wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. I still give myself a budget each month though, and try to stick with that. My plan is to retire early – before the age of 55 – and I've got a financial adviser to help me with that and to keep my savings and investments on track. I pay £1,000 a month into a pension and invest in the stock market through my company in other accounts that I can access before the pension. I work from a co-working space in central Brighton, which I pay £255 a month for, through my company. I really like the social aspect of working alongside other people, and with people who are often self-employed and get it. It was really useful speaking to other freelancers who told me my initial rates were too low and who showed me how I should be structuring contracts and sending proposals. I start work early. I walk to my co-working space, which takes about 40 minutes, and am there for 8am. Between 8am and 11am is solid writing time. I put my phone on aeroplane mode, put my headphones on and listen to any music without lyrics while I concentrate on writing. Between 11am and 2pm, I'll take calls and have lunch. Sometimes I'll meet another freelancer for lunch or go to an event. Between 2pm and 4pm I'll do emails, edits, admin or write an outline for the next day's article. I'm usually done by 4pm except on Mondays where it's more like 5pm or 6pm. I normally take Fridays off, except if I do work for my own website or social media. It's really important to put yourself out there on social media and to build your own personal brand. More Trending I send a free weekly email every Friday aimed at freelancers, where I discuss my work and rates. I'll do a gym class in the afternoon, meet up with friends or go to the beach if it's nice. My advice for people starting now is to have a specific skill that you're good at, that people want and need. For me, that's marketing writing. But there are many writers out there who are trying to make it. And obviously AI has also become a new competitor, but clients still want the human side of content. Clients come to me because of my industry expertise. I've worked so prolifically in the e-commerce space that I understand all the problems their customers have. These companies want to drive sales and drive conversions, which I help with, but also I save them time from having to write their own content. I'm reliable, clients can count on me and they know they're going to get something good delivered on time. They are free to focus on other areas of the business to generate more revenue. View More » At some point I'll probably pivot into more strategy and consultancy and less writing but for now I'm happy. MORE: The average amount Brits have in savings, according to their age MORE: Living by the 50/40/10 rule got me out of £40,000 debt twice MORE: I'm 16 – my boss's question about my sex life disgusted me Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Inside charming seaside village where Londoners are flocking to work from home
Ogmore-by-Sea in South Wales has been named the best place in the UK to work from home, with a growing number of remote workers heading to the charming village Ogmore-by-Sea has become the UK's prime location for remote working, attracting ex-Londoners with its stunning sea views, top-notch broadband, and a lifestyle that perfectly blends work and leisure. The picturesque village on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast has been named the ultimate spot for home workers, thanks to a study evaluating housing affordability, internet connectivity, and proximity to nature. Residents of Ogmore-by-Sea aren't shocked by this recognition, as many have chosen to return here after years in the capital, drawn back by the rise of telecommuting. Local cafes are thriving from the influx of people working remotely, a trend that has only grown since the onset of the pandemic. Lee Davis, who once sought the excitement of cities such as London and Manchester, resettled in the nearby village of Wick five years ago. As someone in steel sales, Lee relishes the ability to work from his house, sharing: "I often work from home so I can have interludes like taking my friend's dog, Fudge, for a walk." He appreciates the serenity that contrasts with urban life, stating: "You can switch off completely - it chills me out. I can't stand the place; the Tube, the people, the stress. I wanted to come back somewhere tranquil." For Lee, Ogmore-by-Sea epitomises the idyllic balance between professional duties and personal relaxation, reports MyLondon. Ffion Hughes, an employee at The Welsh Coffee Company, her uncle's coffee shop, has noticed a trend: "We usually do get a lot of people working from here, mostly in the morning. As soon as Covid hit, so many people came here, it was crazy." Nico Gibbs from Hilary and Iain's Kitchen nearby, is thankful for the surge of remote workers frequenting their establishment. He said: "People are here for hours and hours which is nice. They get to look at the beach and most of them order breakfast, then they will have a coffee. We are happy to let them stay as long as they want." Yet, the growing popularity with telecommuters has occasionally overwhelmed their internet service. Nico admitted: "We do give out the WiFi password - but sometimes it gets too busy to give it out." John Sinden who swapped London for seaside village life in 2018 and now works remotely as a biotech executive, praised the local setup. He said: "People are friendly here and everything works, like the public transport. It is a lovely location, close to the sea and with coastal paths in walking distance." Deb Clarke is firmly rooted in Ogmore-by-Sea and after returning five years ago, she's adamant about staying put, saying: "It is so close to the coast and close enough to Swansea and Cardiff." Working from her home as a scenic artist, Deb juggles her career with looking after her one-year-old Cavapoo, Melyn, relishing the mix of seaside living and travel for work. John Davis shares the enthusiasm of those drawn back to their hometowns, having resettled in the area six years ago. He observed: "A lot of people came during Covid. People wanted to leave towns and cities." He also remarked on the influx of younger faces due to new housing projects, with census figures showing a population jump from 878 in 2011 to 1,354 in 2021. The village has been praised for its vibrant year-round community, quaint local pub, access to boutique shopping and "excellent" retail options, according to a recent study. The same report notes an average property price of £517,000 and boasts of ultrafast broadband, convenient train links to London, and the proximity to Cardiff.
