NAILSWORTH entrepeneur David Crownshaw believes there is no business like snowbusiness. His hugely successful company which sells snow to Hollywood movie moguls is expanding. He has just started converting a mill on the banks of the river Frome which will become his new head quarters and his employees are in for a bit of a treat. Reporter Sam Bond and photographer Mark Watkins went along and discovered the prefect workplace.

BEFORE Nailsworth entrepreneur David Crownshaw took an interest in it, Ebley Corn Mill was just another semi-derelict industrial building, quietly crumbling on the banks of the River Frome.

But the Snow Business boss took on the 18th century relic with the vision of turning it into his company's new headquarters - the Snow Mill.

"It's just amazing that a place like this with so much potential has been left to rot," he said. "It really is unbelievable."

The Ebley mill will become the global hub of snow production for the movies. The area is still a building site at the moment but with David describing his plans with an infectious enthusiasm it is easy to picture how it will look when the work is complete.

The original facade of the old mill has been carefully uncovered as part of the sensitive restoration. "We've had it all sandblasted," said David. "But we've only tickled it - we're trying not to over do it." The finished mill will, he said, be a combination of ancient and modern. "It's going to be fantastic," he smiled.

Canoes

Keen to keep his staff happy, David plans to have a tennis court and gym built at the site. A handful of canoes will also be provided so they can muck about on the river and mountain bikes will allow them to explore their surroundings.

"The hardest thing is to keep people so we're trying to make it as good a place to work as possible," said David.

"It's going to be more like leisure world than work world." Many of the old features will remain but there will also be ultra-modern touches in steel and glass.

The rear of the building and mill pond will be restored to their original glory - and hired out as a film set for movie-makers wanting an idyllic Cotswold location for period pieces.

As well as acting as a nerve centre for the company, the mill will provide training for staff from other snow firms around the globe. "We'll have one of every type of snow machine in the world and we will ferry people in from California and elsewhere and teach them how to use snow," said David.

"Instead of holding onto the work we've done and jealously guarding it we'll be sharing our knowledge. "All the people who would normally be our competitors will become our customers."

For more se this week's SNJ