This candy man can sell you sweets while floating on water

By Ashley Pemberton via SWNS

A former market trader who came out of retirement during lockdown has set up a successful candy store - on a canal boat.

Pat Creaven, 61, and his wife Jill float along the waterways between Leeds and Liverpool in the UK, stopping to sell sweet treats along the way.

The couple also live and sleep in their floating candy store, named Pendle Witch Sweets.

They sell hand-measured, traditional sweets for under $1.50 per 100 grams (£1).

The couple bought their barge boat in 2017 and planned to spend their retirement cruising the canalways of the UK and Ireland.

But during the COVID-19 lockdowns, entrepreneur Pat decided to open a candy store on their boat.

He said: "We bought the boat in 2017 and we were retired for a small section of the time.

"During lockdown, we purchased some old-fashioned scales, so I decided to set up a sweet shop business, to my wife's dismay.

"I started on the markets when I was 15, so I thought 'I'll finish on the markets.'

"We set the sweet boat up and it's been a success since."

The candies are color-coded for people with dietary requirements, including gluten-free, and items suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

A 'memory lane' section houses old-fashioned classics such as toffees and eclairs as well as boiled candies like Rhubarb and Custard.

Pat said: "It's a trip down memory lane. Who didn't love a sweet shop when they were a kid?

"It's that memory of sweets, you can walk along the canal and bring back memories.

"We do things the old-fashioned way, we weigh the sweets out for the kids and try to educate them on the way things used to be done."

"We travel up and down the Leeds-Liverpool canal and stop at various stations.

"You can't beat it, every morning you wake up and you have a different view. When you get used to one view, it's time to move.

"We enjoy traveling by the water, we were in Ireland for a long time. We have done most of Ireland and most of the UK canal system."