A BOLTON woman who opted out of a career in teaching is now a millionaire property developer.

Carol Ainscow, aged 39, is one of the North-west's leading specialists in urban city centre refurbishment.

Her Manchester-based companies, Artisan Holdings and The Manto Group, mainly target city centre leisure projects - transforming derelict buildings into cafe bars, night clubs, shops and nursing homes.

The businesses have a combined turnover of £10 million and she employs nearly 300 people.

"I am not motivated by money," she said this week. "I am motivated by doing things."

Carol was brought up in Deane and went to St Peter and Paul's primary school and Mount St Joseph's grammar school.

She trained as a teacher but found that she could not stand the "negative thinking".

So she went into life insurance sales and accumulated £15,000 which was ploughed into her first property in 1982 - the 25-bedroom Lynwood private residential care home in Seymour Road, Astley Bridge, Bolton.

It was followed by the acquisition of the Shorefield Nursing Home at Dunscar Fold, Bolton, and various flat and shop projects in the Russell Street and Tonge Moor Road areas.

Then she began making her mark on Manchester's trendy cafe bar scene.

Manto Bar was launched six years ago, followed two years later by the acquisition of the former Factory Records headquarters in Manchester, transforming it into the three-storey Paradise night club. Other holdings include the Out On Vinyl record company launched three years ago and Generation X, one of Manchester's most popular student cafe bars.

Last year she established Artisan Holdings for the residential market and invested nearly £2 million to convert a six-storey city centre warehouse into exclusive loft apartments alongside the Rochdale Canal. Her latest Manchester venture has involved her acquiring the four-storey Regency Building on the corner of Whitworth Street and Sackville Street.

The first stage, scheduled for completion next year, includes a health club, 40 apartments, three restaurants and a cafe bar. The final phase will be an art gallery with 15 design studios.

Carol says: "This is a diverse project which will also comprise plans for a 40-room hotel and several retail outlets."

Although her business empire has its HQ in Manchester, Carol lives at Shorefield.

So what about business opportunities in her home town?

"I think Bolton has a lot of potential," she said.

But she would not be looking close to home until her current programme was completed.

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