Up The Garden Bath hosts 40 small retailers in new pop-shop at Peterborough's Queensgate

​Innovative recycling venture Up The Garden Bath in Peterborough is helping local businesses raise a total of £20,000. ​

The community interest company, which specialises in recycling old bathtubs into planters for schools, care homes and community centres, has moved into a pop-up shop, called Unity, in the Queensgate Shopping Centre.

The prominent retail unit, in the former Paperchase outlet, features a range of products from 40 other vendors from crafters, artists, mum-and-daughter businesses and many others from within a 50 mile radius of Peterborough.

It also offers Up The Garden Bath’s own fabric plant pots and other products.

Dave Poulton, co-founder of Up The Garden Bath, said: “We’re hoping that over the six weeks we’re here that total sales will reach £20,000.

"We are encouraging people to pop in, shop local and support local businesses."

The shop will also host educational workshops each day with all the details on Up The Garden Bath’s social media channels.

The pop-up shop will run until July 20.

Co-founders Dave Poulton and Kez Hayes-Palmer have previously run two successful pop-up shops in Westgate Arcade.

Kez said: "Our Unity concept is all about collaboration and we want to create a revolution in retail and share this opportunity with other local businesses, crafters and artists and create an indoor artisan market.

"It's not every day you get the chance to have products on sale in Peterborough's largest shopping centre and we hope this creates a real buzz and encourages people to shop local.

She added: "We have been partnering with Queensgate for a couple of years now and they have always supported us and provided us with opportunities to grow."