To celebrate the recent arrival at Dobbies Garden Centre in Cirencester, the UK’s leading specialist aquatic retailer, Maidenhead Aquatics, is planning a special fun-raising day on Saturday 10^th October, for the charity, Marie Curie.

The store, which is the 150th one in the award-winning company’s portfolio has invested £50,000 on revamping the store, latterly run by Dobbies, retained two members of their staff and created a new management role, who are all fishkeeping enthusiasts.

The award-winning company, installed a 4,000 litre marine system that incorporates a 6ft coral tray, converted the existing marine system into a fresh water system increasing the tropical fresh water section by 25% and installed a large koi pond in the pond section to allow customers to feed the fish.

The store will also feature over 150 aquariums, including the designer range, AquaOak and over 5,000 exotic invertebrates and tropical freshwater, marine, coldwater and pond fish from around the world, from Diamond Tetra’s and a Dracula Goby to a selection of South American Cichlid species and South Pacific Corals.

A host of special activities will take place on Saturday, including the first 25 customers on the day receiving a goody bag worth £20 each.

A series of talks will also take place throughout the day by various experts, including Tropical Marine Centre, (TMC) the pioneers of the marine aquarium and the first to import marine fish and invertebrates in the UK, who will be on hand to talk to customers regarding all aspects of marine and reef fishkeeping, and planted tropical aquariums.

Additionally, visitors to the store will have the chance to enter a competition to win an Aquatropic 100 aquarium set worth £249.99 plus everything a ‘fishkeeper’ needs to get started and enjoy a piece of the specially designed fish shaped cake.

Kids can also get their faces painted and take part in a colouring competition to win a starter aquarium.

Phil Basford, Maidenhead Aquatics Regional Manager, said:  “We are delighted to be officially opening our new store in Cirencester, which has an extensive selection of fish to suit everyone from the novice to the more advanced aquarist.

“The fantastic team on board have done a great job working tirelessly to get the store up and running and already we’ve received some great positive feedback on the layout, stock and service by our very own expert fishkeepers.

“I’m sure everyone on the day will enjoy the official unveiling of this new aquatic experience as they walk round learning about fish they might never have seen or heard about before and take advantage of all the celebratory offers and activities on the day.”

Dale Lewis, Dobbies Garden Centre Cirencester Manager, said:  “It’s fantastic to welcome our new concession partner, Maidenhead, the leading aquatic’s specialists, to Dobbies Cirencester, who bring a strong level of expertise and professionalism to the overall package now on offer.

“We’re delighted with the improvements made in the aquatic shop by Phil and his team which I’m confident our fish loving customers, of all types and ages, a completely new fishkeepers experience.”

Maidenhead Aquatics was set up in 1984 and now has 150 stores in the UK and over 700 employees.

It is run entrepreneurially by 35 partners across their different locations, including Phil who graduated from Swansea University in the summer of 1999 with an Honours Degree in Marine Biology. From there he started working for Maidenhead Aquatics as a Sales Assistant at the Cardiff store and in early 2000 moved to Swindon to manage a new store, progressing on to become a partner of the Swindon, Swindon North, Lechlade and now Cirencester stores.