A GRIMSBY man has bounced back from redundancy and personal tragedy to create a thriving seafood business.

Steve Chatterton launched Grimsby Seafood in August, and since then has expanded as far as Scunthorpe, Doncaster, Lincoln and the surrounding villages, recently opening a new shop on Habrough's Station Road.

The company began by delivering frozen seafood direct to customers' homes and now also supplies a range of gourmet meats and vegetarian products as well as serving commercial customers in the catering trade.

Director Steve Chatterton explained how he overcame personal difficulties to make his business a success.

He said: "I had been working in area sales for a number of years but when I was made redundant, in November 2007, I decided I wanted to do something for myself.

"I started working as a self-employed sales consultant and for several months I developed a fish merchant business, getting another feel for an industry I had known as a child."

In September 2008, Steve decided he wanted another challenge, qualifying for a business degree course at Hull University in May this year.

"Unfortunately, during this time, the mother of my seven-year-old son became ill and in June this year she passed away, leaving me a single parent.

"When this happened, I decided to look for work closer to home to be able to bring up my son.

"I couldn't work away from home so working for other people was a problem and I wanted to start something I could build for my son and myself, something we could both be proud of.

"The obvious thing was to start my own business."

Unlike other seafood companies, which often require customers to make bulk orders by the box, Grimsby Seafood allows people to mix and match their choices with the only restriction being a minimum number of fillets and a £15 minimum spend.

Steve said: "I am pleased to say Grimsby Seafood is thriving. We are gradually widening our customer base and were fortunate enough to be awarded an E-Factor business loan in November, which has enabled us to purchase our own freezer van.

"In 2010, we will be looking to develop software that will enable customers to shop online from the ease of their own home and at their own convenience."

The Habrough shop is open Friday 3pm to 6pm and Saturday morning 10.30am to 12.30pm.