A Warwickshire ice cream business is enjoying a successful first season at one of the county's most popular visitor destinations after securing a licence to operate at Ryton Pools Country Park.

Twirl & Swirl, founded by Courtney McBride and Tonia Richards, began trading at the Warwickshire County Council-owned country park in April after being awarded a licence.

Warwickshire Property Management Ltd has also renewed the ice-cream van licence for Alan Sullivan, who has operated at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park for over 20 years.

Twirl & Swirl, which launched just a year ago, has rapidly expanded from attending birthday parties, schools and community events across Coventry and Warwickshire to establishing a permanent presence at Ryton Pools, where it serves a range of ice creams, sundaes, Twirl & Swirl trays, ice lollies and dog-friendly treats.

Courtney said the opportunity marked a significant milestone in the company's growth.

"Ever since I was little, I have always said, 'I'm going to have an ice cream van' and now I have," she said.

"We started Twirl & Swirl online and by visiting birthday parties, schools and fun days throughout Coventry and Warwickshire, which we still do, as well as having our pitch at Ryton Pools.

"I never thought one year after launching the business that we would be at a lovely place like Ryton Pools. It's a huge achievement and I'm really excited to see where we go next.

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"We've been warmly welcomed by the other tenants and visitors to the park and it was fantastic to be involved in Ryton Pools' 30th anniversary celebrations.

"When you go to a new area you don't know what to expect, but we feel lucky to have secured the pitch.

"With the hot weather recently, we have been really busy and we're just hoping the forecasters are right and that we have great sunny weather this summer."

Warwickshire County Council said this reflects its wider approach to supporting local businesses while enhancing visitors' experience across its country parks and public spaces.

Mandeep Padan, Asset Manager at WPM, said: "Twirl & Swirl is a great example of a local business that has shown ambition, enthusiasm and a commitment to customer service. It has been fantastic to see Courtney and Tonia establish themselves so quickly at Ryton Pools and receive such a positive response from visitors.

"Our role is to help businesses access opportunities across Warwickshire's property portfolio and we're delighted to have supported the Country Parks service and to now see Twirl & Swirl thriving."