A SPA and health club in Carlisle has marked one year since reopening after being hit by the fateful floods in December 2015.

Rickerby Retreat, located in the north of the city, welcomed customers back on December 5, 2017 - two years since Storm Desmond wreaked havoc across the county.

The facility first opened in May 2015, but closed eight months later after the storm hit.

One year on from reopening, owner Rachel Ferguson told The Cumberland News how she and her team have built the leisure business back up since the floods, shared how business has been since reopening, and looked forward to the future.

She said: “We’re delighted to celebrate our first birthday since re-opening after the floods.

“We’d only been open for eight months when we opened the first time round in 2015, so we’re pleased to have surpassed that this time and make it to a year.

“The first year for any business is a tough one.

“Probably the biggest challenge has been getting the word out that we’re here, with us being just outside the city centre we don’t have the footfall that city centre restaurants and businesses have.

“The restaurant has had the added benefit this time round of the the roof terrace with retractable roof. This was a big hit when we had the really hot, sunny spell over the summer.

“We weren’t allowed to build the terrace in 2015, but the planners passed it when we reapplied while we were re-building in 2016/2017.”

The floods provided the opportunity to give the spa a brand new look, with state-of-the-art facilities.

“We totally revamped the spa with a brand new pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi pool. So the facilities now are much better than we opened first time round in 2015.

“I think we’ve achieved a lot with it just being a small family business.

“My husband Dan comes from an electrical engineering background so he was able to project-manage the build and it was the first time he’d ever built a swimming pool.

“I have some fantastic staff and managed to hang on to Amy and Elle in the Spa and Alex in the restaurant since 2015. They are the only three from the original line up.”

Business is going from strength to strength, and Rachel added she is in it for the long run.

“We would like to continue to develop and be around for a long time.

“The present climate is worrying for businesses, especially in retail, so I think it’s important to promote and support the smaller, independent businesses that don’t have the luxury of corporate backing and who aren’t part of a chain.

“We did this venture to bring something different to Carlisle after living in Manchester for 14 years, then moving back to Carlisle where I grew up, we wanted somewhere nice for people of Carlisle to relax, unwind and enjoy great food in lovely surroundings, overlooking Rickerby Park.”

Plans for new flood defences around Rickerby were submitted to Carlisle City Council last week.

Rachel added: “We still feel vulnerable where we are, and the Rickerby village residents have pushed really hard to get the Environment Agency to do anything.

“There have been a lot of meetings to try to get some action, so we are pleased that finally it looks as though something is going to be done.

“We had two visits from Rory Stewart after the floods when he was Flood Minister and he was instrumental in getting the government funding secured.”