Couple hit the headlines as their sweet dreams come true

He has taken over as the new owner of the Newstree in Lowerhouse Lane, Burnley, with his girlfriend, Chantelle Denwood.

And they are perhaps the youngest ever owners of the business as Corey is only 25 and Chantelle 23.

Corey said: “The shop has been here running as a newsagents for at least 70 years and I grew up across the road and came in here all the time.”

After telling the previous owner, Andrew Smith, he would love to own the shop, Corey was stunned when the opportunity came for him just a week later.

Former wagon driver Corey said: “Andrew came over and asked me if I meant it and I said definitely and then it all started to happen.”

Although prepared for hard work, the 4am starts, seven days a week have been a shock to their systems for the hard working couple.

Corey said: “We have to be up to get all the newspapers sorted, that can be around 350 a day.

“We have seven paper lads and I do a daily delivery covering a lot of houses.”

The first customers are coming through the door at 5-30am and the couple don’t usually get a break until 10am when it quietens down.

But the tea-time rush keeps them busy and when the local schools finish, children are usually queueing out of the door!

Chantelle said: “There is a lot more to the job than just smiling behind the counter.

“But we are absolutely loving it because now we are our own bosses.”

Corey is continuing a family tradition of serving the community as he grew up being cared for by his dad, Nigel Lowndes, and grandparents, Paul and Renee Wilkinson, across the road from the Newstree where Paul ran his own butcher’s shop for 40 years.

Paul was also a member of the Society of St George for 43 years until his death in 2012.