ONE half of a couple who ran a long-standing independent garden centre in Oliver’s Battery has passed away.

Betty Sparkes ran Sparkes of Winchester Garden and DIY Centre for several decades with her husband Dennis, selling everything from nails to bags of compost.

The well-known pair decided to sell their business back in 2008 after over 30 years to enjoy a well-earned retirement in Weeke.

Mrs Sparkes passed away on Tuesday, February 6 at home with her family, at the age of 89, having had dementia for a number of years.

Her husband Dennis died in 2010 at the age of 84.

Betty was a trained florist and did many floral tributes and bouquets for local families in the Winchester area, and prior to this the couple ran a building company.

They originally opened the store in Winnall in 1976 before moving in 1981 to the site at Oliver’s Battery Road South behind the parade of shops.

Many customers will remember the idiosyncratic business; the birds flying in to pilfer the contents of the large tubs of bird seed near the entrance.

Southampton-born, Mr Sparkes moved to Winchester when he was a boy, living in St Catherine’s Road, Highcliffe.

He served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during World War Two and took trucks to France after the D-Day landings in 1944.

Mrs Sparkes’ funeral will take place on February 27 at Wessex Vale Crematorium at West End, Southampton, at 11.30 am.

The family ask that those who would like to pay their respects wear a floral button hole, and that any money be given to Guide Dogs for the Blind, for whom the couple raised a fair amount over the years.