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5th December 2019
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that our General Manager, Anthony Hunter, has been given much deserved recognition after being named North East Employee of the Year!
Anthony has been quietly working away here at Ellingham Hall for the past 10 years.
He was chosen to lead the way in turning the Hall into an ad-hoc place for weddings at the age of just 23.
Our owners, Aidan and Helen, told judges they spotted something special about Anthony when they first met him working for an outside catering company.
Helen overheard him talking to a fellow, older employee about the importance of his appearance. It was this attention to detail that helped them decide to offer Anthony the job as General Manager.
In the past decade, Anthony has led the Ellingham Hall family and helped turn us into a destination that has become renowned for its weddings and, in the past 12 months, one that is becoming known as a first-class corporate events venue.
It’s all part of his vision to help Ellingham Hall become a real beacon in the Northumberland community and in his time, we’ve grown from a team of three to a family of 40.
But it’s for a very personal reason that Helen and Aidan decided to put Anthony forward for the Outstanding Service category of the awards.
Just over a year after taking the reins, owners Aidan and Helen suffered a personal loss when their daughter tragically passed. Just 12 hours later, they were told that the Chapel at the Hall was on fire. The blaze ripped through that historic part of the building and meant weddings that were booked that summer were at risk.
But Anthony stepped up and took control, ordering a marquee that was placed on the lawn so that couples who were booked here would not have to find last-minute alternatives if they didn’t want to. He also went the extra mile to help those couples and their families and it became a wedding season to remember.
After picking up the Outstanding Service accolade, Anthony along with the other category winners, was put forward to the overall category of North East Employee of the Year and he won it unanimously.
We know Anthony is a great boss as well as a fantastic employee, but for his work to be recognised around the region is much deserved.
Anthony is very humbled by his award and says he didn’t expect to win his category let alone the top honour.
For us, he’s always been a winner and we all congratulate him and look forward to him leading us on to bigger things with plans for future builds in 2022!
“Can’t believe it’s been 2 months since our big day! We’re finally off on our honeymoon, so wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your help in creating our special day. The venue was perfect, service excellent, food yummy, den amazing, rooms beautiful – everyone had the best time.”
Rebecca & Daniel Askew, 28th May 2024
“We just wanted to say thank you so much for making our day so amazing the other week, you are all so lovely and it was exactly what we dreamed of! So many guests were in awe of the amazing venue and things like the rooftop cocktail hour made it extra special, we really appreciate it all!”
Elena & Dan O’Hagan, 29th August 2024
“We’ve had so many compliments from family about our wedding. Some of our guests hadn’t heard of Ellingham Hall before our weekend wedding. I think some guests were wondering why they were at a wedding the night before, as a lot of weddings are only one day. But everyone just absolutely loved it. The team at Ellingham were great. Matt received a lot of compliments on the Friday night. Lots of family said how great he was. In fact, there were loads of compliments about the entire team, they all did a fab job. And everyone complimented us on the food. My friend, Joanne, said it was the best wedding food she had ever tasted. We had just under 100 guests during the day of the wedding and that’s a lot of people to serve, especially with the choices. But it was all brilliant.”
Dominic & Mark Graydon-Close, 15th June 2024
“The venue was immaculately presented and very welcoming. Easy to find just off the A1, with plenty of parking next to the meeting rooms and closer space to unload equipment. The area provided for breakout/coffee/lunch had plenty of room and was a relaxed environment, which gave delegates the chance to meet each other before the conference. The food and drink was plentiful, and of a good standard. The meeting room itself was well equipped and a nice size for our group, not to feel crowded, but also not lost as can happen in large rooms. The staff were on hand all day and happy to help with any of our requests.”
Karro Food Group Rep
“Ellingham was the second venue we looked at and as soon as we saw it we knew that’s where we had to get married. We travelled 2 hours to get here with many of our guests coming further than that. We were looking for a venue that could offer the whole day there and would suit a wedding of 33 people which most local venues around us didn’t. Our guests couldn’t believe how beautiful the whole place was and everyone commented on such an amazing find! There are no hidden costs and everything is clear on their website which seems to be a rarity when looking online at different venues.”
Leah & Steven Williams, 6th February 2024
“I have hosted seminars for over 30 years, all over the country at various well-known venues. At Ellingham Hall you remember everything, from the beautiful quirky venue which has retained its historic features, the friendly staff, great service and the delicious food and amazing coffee! The meeting room had good light and was the perfect size for our event. It was lovely to have use of the comfortable reception rooms too for breaks and lunch. I was very impressed with the extra spaces such as the basement games room and rooftop networking terrace. It is a hidden jewel in the North-East and I am planning to return soon for a private family event”
Amanda Chadwick, Senior Speaker/Presenter, Croner