From Union Bank Farm

The right material, on the day you were promised.

SMOALD Aggregates is a planned local yard for sand, gravel, stone, sub-base and topsoil, on our family farm two minutes off the M62. It's a long-term plan for builders, landscapers and groundworkers who can't afford a team standing idle.

Register for a Founding Trade Account See the plan

Not open yet. It's a long-term plan, probably 3 to 5 years away, and nothing can be ordered until then.

The yard

Central, so the lorry starts close to your job.

Union Bank Farm is our family's farm in Bold, just outside Widnes. The yard and one of its large farm buildings are set to become a stock yard, with material bought in bulk from named quarries and kept under cover.

It's a couple of minutes from Junction 7 of the M62, roughly halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. Delivery is a big part of what you pay for sand and stone, so starting in the middle matters.

  • M62 Junction 7, about two minutes away
  • Covered storage, so sand stays drier and cleaner
  • Family-run: you know exactly who you're ringing

Materials

What we're planning to stock.

The first range covers the everyday jobs: patios, driveways, paths, footings and gardens. Prices will be set after checking real local prices, closer to opening.

Building & sharp sand

For mortar, screeds and laying slabs and block paving.

Gravel & crushed stone

For drainage, paths, driveways and decorative finishes.

Type 1 sub-base

The compacted layer under a patio or driveway, backed by the quarry's paperwork.

Topsoil

For lawns, beds and finishing off a landscaping job.

Bulk bags or loose loads

One-tonne bulk bags or loose tipper loads, or collect from the yard in your own tipper.

Delivered in a slot

Morning or afternoon, with a text when the lorry leaves the yard, and the bag put where you ask.

Who it's for

Trades first. Homeowners welcome.

The yard is mainly for small builders, landscapers and groundworkers within about 25 miles of the farm, across Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington and St Helens.

Doing your own patio or garden at home? You'll be able to order too. The trade focus just means the delivery times are built around people who can't afford to wait.

The plan

Set up properly before the first load goes out.

The yard won't open until the planning and insurance are in place. Here's roughly how it will unfold.

  1. Now

    Listening

    Talking to trades about what they need from a supplier, and building the Founding Trade Account list.

  2. In a few years

    Permission and checks

    Planning with St Helens Borough Council, insurance, and either an operator's licence for our own lorry or a local haulier.

  3. After that

    Setting up the yard

    Hardstanding, storage bays, a loader, and a lorry or haulier lined up.

  4. Around 2030

    First delivery

    Founding Trade Accounts get the first delivery slots and a founding trade price.

Open a Founding Trade Account.

First in the queue for delivery slots, and a founding trade price when the yard opens. There's nothing to pay until then, and no commitment.

Email to register

Your details are only used to tell you about SMOALD Aggregates.