FORMER Wirral car salesman Jim Pilkington has branched out with a new business venture - as the Stump Buster!

Jim, who worked at Drayton Motors, Bebington, spent 25 years in the motor trade before coming to a crossroads in life.

Now he turns tree stumps into garden mulch and enjoys every moment of it. "I find the mulching machine somewhat noisier than a Volvo demonstrator!" said Stump Buster Jim, as he mulched away in Birkenhead.

Jim says business acumen learned from working at a main Volvo dealership for nearly 10 years gave him the confidence to start something new: the Stump Buster franchise.

The machine grinds up felled trees, recycling them into mulch which can be used in gardens to inhibit weeds and retain moisture in the ground. His work now takes him to golf courses, parks, school playing fields and private gardens all over Wirral and Merseyside.

The Globe caught up with Jim at St Laurence's Parish Centre, Claughton Road, Birkenhead, where pupils from St Laurence's Primary School, with Rachel Best from Groundwork Wirral, were landscaping and planting young trees to improve the street scene.

The Groundwork project is supported by Barclays SiteSavers programme and the Department of Environment. Jim came on site after the old trees were cut down and he left them behind as mulch to complete the landscaping.

So who do you call? Stump Busters on 01352-759966.

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