‘’Not for the fainthearted’’ a highly successful UK entrepreneur earnestly said to us at a green landscaping conference in Dubai Expo City last year. We had asked him for advice on opening a new ecosystem water feature business in the UAE. And whilst his kind advice was inspiring, he was not wrong.

When we decided to make a go of converting our hobby into a family run business, it was 2019 and the world was blissfully pre-covid. Little did we know of the global havoc that was coming everyone’s way with the pandemic, and the resultant disruption to the UK economy. But when your childhood passion is for garden ponds, Koi Carp fish and water features, establishing a business whose driver is to create beautiful custom ecosystem water features for people to enjoy in their own gardens, the lockdown experience only cemented our purpose to make a go of it even more.

And if not now, when ?

So being forced into confinement at home like the rest of the UK, we did two things; firstly, built a Barn in the garden to house equipment and a home office and secondly, laid all the corporate & financial foundations for a new natural water feature business to emerge blinking into the post pandemic daylight.

As a husband & wife team, if we decide to do something at Brit Ponds, we do it well. Having trained & qualified in Chicago, USA with Aquascape Inc. - the global leader in creating ecosystem water features led by their charismatic Founder, Greg Wittstock ‘The Pond Guy’ - we honed our rookie craft with the UK’s foremost pond expert, Mark Wilson “The Pond Advisor’ at Pond College in Northamptonshire. We took to the bumpy road of establishing and growing a new UK ecosystem pond & garden water feature business as Certified Aquascape Contractors in the uncertain post covid era. This at a time when natural ecosystem pond & water feature specialists were few and far between in the UK.

At the outset, the economy was uncertain but the customers were great. They welcomed our natural looking water features and resultant biodiversity created by Daniel’s designs. And our commitment to great customer service. The 5 star reviews & industry awards came in the following years after much hard work. And the business grew over the years.

Fast forward seven years, and we are Master Certified Aquatic Artisans. Focussing on British aquatic craftsmanship germane to each rock & plant placed by hand to Daniel’s organic designs, alongside good customer support, communication and solid after sales care.

We have had the honour of taking part in some fabulous professional events. The highlight last year was being invited to co-create the Feature Show Garden ecosystem pond at RHS Malvern Spring Festival in April 2025, which was featured on well known BBC & ITV gardening programmes. Seeing your water feature work on TV, and appreciated by the public in person at the show, makes the back breaking long hours worthwhile.

Whilst we love our creative craft and aquatic profession, we do not sacrifice creative quality for quantity. The ecosystem water features we professionally create are sustainable, low maintenance and beautiful all year round through the seasons, attracting abundant wildlife, biodiversity and sitting sympathetically to the landscape.

These are not one size fits all water features, but bespoke, personal ones.

Most of all, they are created to connect people to water the way Mother Nature intended, created to look like they have always been there. There is a skill and craft to this aquatic artistry, a natural talent of looking at a rock and knowing exactly where to place it, how the water will flow over it, what it will sound like and what planting should go alongside it. The point of all of this is to bring water to people in their homes with the peace of mind of knowing that they are employing water feature artisans who are not only professionally trained & certified to world leading standards, but who truly understand the desire of a client to carve out a space for water in their own garden. A place to come, sit, enjoy their morning cuppa or afternoon tea, take a break, have a good cry, mourn a relative, splash around with the grandchildren or the family dog, dip their toes in the water in a private space of their own reflective mind. Just to feel alive in whatever capacity or state of mind they need with the water, find and enjoy that most human of experiences in their own quiet personal corner of connection to an element as old as the world herself. That is the point of it. And we have seen it bring tears of joy to the eyes of our clients, and to ourselves.

And so our eyes turned naturally to Dubai. Having long held connections to her and the wider region, the pull to start a fresh business in the UAE is too strong to resist. A mixing pot of a truly international society with open arms for creativity, investment and entrepreneurial vision.

Adding the aesthetic dash of a touch of British forest, lake or stream to the vision of the hot desert oasis garden, we are looking for people in Dubai who are at home in both the shining towers of the city as they are with the warm desert sands underfoot off the beaten track. Preferably alongside a Wadi.

What better way to expand business horizons ? And if not now, when ?

Although we are not faint hearted, we know we need all the love & support we can get. Wish us luck on our desert oasis (ad)venture....

Daniel & Sarah Co-Founders, British Ponds LLP (c) Brit Ponds, January 2026