Durham hotel unveils new wedding venue after year of postponed ceremonies

A Durham hotel has announced that it is opening its third wedding venue after being delayed for a year.

South Causey Inn, in Stanley, is opening a new wedding venue called The Farmhouse, joining its existing locations The Durham Suite and The Old Barn.

The new venue comes after the inn received a seven-figure Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBIL) via Lloyds Bank after the pandemic forced it to postpone or cancel more than 400 weddings.

The business is aiming to hold 250 ceremonies at the new venue through the rest of the year.

Susan Moiser, director of South Causey Inn, said: “The pandemic has been extremely difficult for the wedding industry and for couples who have been forced to change plans for their special day.

“We saw all 400 of our bookings disrupted which was incredibly difficult for us. Luckily, we have a long-standing relationship with Lloyds Bank, and they were once again on hand to support us through this challenging period.

“For now, our main concern is the health and safety of our customers so we’ll continue to offer a reduced wedding service.

“If all goes smoothly, we’re hoping to offer the full wedding experience once more from June once restrictions further ease, and enjoy a strong second half of the year.”

William Harvey, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank, said: “Towards the end of last year the wedding industry was estimated to have lost around £4.8bn in the UK.

“This means more than 127,000 couples had to postpone their weddings, having a huge impact on businesses like South Causey Inn.

“The Moiser family showed exceptional resilience to withstand the brunt of the pandemic and we were happy to support them through this difficult period.

“As lockdown restrictions ease further over the coming weeks, we’ll continue to stand by businesses as they look to bounce back this year.”