Lights, Camera, Location

Fancy having your home on TV? Louise Bates has created a business all around making that happen and Yorkshire is high on the list of favoured locations

- Kate Houghton

Yorkshire is, as we know, filled to the brim with beautiful homes. Yet it takes more than elegant aesthetics to make the books of Lifestyle Locations, the company established two years ago by Ilkley’s Louise Bates and Clare Armitage.

‘Clients searching for homes for a photoshoot or to film a commercial need lots of space, plenty of parking, the freedom to fill the house with (often) dozens of people and patient, flexible homeowners,’ says Louise. ‘If you aren’t keen on disappearing, or at least hiding away, while your house is filled with strangers and your driveway filled with various technical vehicles, then it’s not for you.’

Neighbours with children of a similar age, Louise and Clare combined their skills - Louise had worked in the industry before and Clare in management and logistics – for Lifestyle Locations. While some credit their lightbulb moments to a misspent night in the local pub, for these two friends, their business plan was formulated over lashings of Yorkshire Tea.

‘We were in the early stages of planning,’ recalls Louise. ‘During this time a previous colleague got in touch to see if I knew of any properties that met some quite particular criteria. I did – a friend’s mum’s house was perfect! I introduced them and arranged the photoshoot for them.

‘Clare and I went along on the day of the shoot to watch behind the scenes. It was really useful to see what happened during the shoot and how the space was used. That was the moment we decided we should go for it.’