Building on our history

Founder Marilyn White’s dad, Russ, was a dab hand at DIY and has been all his life.

In 1964 when Marilyn and Malcolm started Otter nurseries business, customers were buying young plants and wanted suitable places to grow them on. Spotting a gap, the young entrepreneurs began selling a handful of simple, 6 x 8 ft greenhouses in addition to their range of plants and composts. By now Marilyn’s dad, Russ, had retired and wanted to help his daughter in the fledgling business.

He believed that more customers would buy greenhouses if Otter could also build them. So he came out of retirement and became Otter’s very first greenhouse installer, calling on all his practical skills. Russ was so keen to support his daughter and son-in-law’s new venture flourish, that he helped them out and like all good dads was paid in coffees and sponge cakes!

While Malcolm and Marilyn were busy building their business and Russ was out installing greenhouses, his wife Vi looked after the grandchildren Jacqui, who is now our managing director, and Cathy, who is now our IT director. While we don’t expect customers to bring our garden buildings team cake, our team take enormous pride in the way Otter has grown from these humble beginnings to be one of the foremost garden buildings suppliers in the region.