Local entrepreneur’s rollercoaster journey from despair to delight leads to national award and a new mental health charity

A dad who rebuilt his life and business after losing everything has won a national award for his inspirational comeback.

Nick Calcutt, 52, has been named the Most Inspiring Business Person of the Year at the National Entrepreneur Awards as his grounds and property maintenance company Vital Facilities Solutions, which operates in Oldham, goes from strength to strength.

Following a tough divorce he lost his landscape garden business, his home and also lost contact with his two young sons for several years, ending up in total despair.

Now he has a successful business which both sons work in and he’s setting up a community-based Charitable Incorporated Organisation called The Growing Place on a three-acre site in Huddersfield, where men and dads can build and cultivate nurseries on the land and then sell the plants and produce to fund the charity.

Nick said: “When I was going through all the trauma I was in absolute despair, felt rock bottom and didn’t know where to turn or who to trust. I’d never heard of parental alienation before but it was terrible losing contact with my children.

“At that point there was very little support and now things are changing with groups like Andy’s Man Club and men’s sheds projects, but I feel there is a real benefit to people being out in the fresh air, working and talking together which is what The Growing Place is all about.

“People can just dip in and out of the project if they want or play a major role in developing something for people facing tough times who can find purpose, rebuild confidence and reconnect with their communities.

“The Growing Place is about creating the kind of supportive, practical environment that saved me so I want to make sure others have access to it too.

“If it helps one person to get their life back on track then it’ll be so worthwhile. Who knows how far this project could potentially go.”

Nick got going with Vital Facilities Solutions, which he established in Huddersfield in 2021 after a similar business he’d set up in 2017 was devastated by the impact of covid and its aftermath.

That was after he’d lost everything and started to get back on his feet after counselling from mental health support charity Mind which led to him doing caretaking and odd jobs work for them.

This sparked him into beginning his own business in 2017 with a £1,000 grant for new business start-ups, a second-hand lawnmower, borrowing his dad’s old Fiat Punto with his dad, Duncan, helping him on jobs.

Sadly, Duncan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died a few months later.

With Vital Facilities Solutions, Nick now has 11 employees, including his sons who he’d been out of contact with for years.

Cameron, 21, is a team leader while 18-year-old Caelan is working there part-time as business development lead as he’s just started a degree in landscape architecture.

Cameron phoned Nick the day after he left high school, asking if there was a chance of an apprenticeship with him.

“That call really took me aback,” said Nick.

“But in a very good way.”

The company specialises in landscape maintenance and property repair across Yorkshire and into Oldham and Greater Manchester and the major clients are schools, social housing schemes and care homes.

The business is part of The Entrepreneurs Circle which provides support, business coaching and idea-sharing to entrepreneurial companies to help them grow and thrive.

Nick added: “I was amazed to get the award at the National Entrepreneur Awards.

"It was a moment I never imagined when I was rebuilding my life from scratch just a few years ago.

“But it just shows that it can be done and I hope my story inspires others to never give up and do the same.

"It also shows that resilience, second chances and purpose-driven businesses are alive and well in West Yorkshire.”

Entrepreneurs Circle founder Nigel Botterill said: “Nick’s journey is a powerful reminder that entrepreneurship isn’t just about profit, it’s about resilience, leadership and making a difference.

"His comeback story is genuinely inspiring and his vision for helping others is extraordinary.”

For more on Vital Facilities Solutions, go to: https://www.vital-facilities.co.uk/

For more on The Growing Place, go to: https://www.thegrowingplace.org.uk/

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