It’s the cherry on top of the cake, as our business has had such a fantastic year. In the past 12 months, our new parent company ‘Unveiled Venues’ was launched to incorporate Ellingham Hall alongside two new sister venues.

As well as Ellingham Hall, the Unveiled Venues group has added luxury wedding venue Lemmington Hall in Alnwick and family gastro pub The Highlander Ponteland to its portfolio.

Unveiled Venues’ Group Director Anthony Hunter said the TWIA award for the wedding events team had signified an amazing year.

“The fact the team has scooped the Best Wedding Events Team at the Regional final for the third year running, shows that Unveiled Venues has firm foundations,” he said.

“I want to congratulate every member of the Ellingham Events Team that has been part of this success over the past three years. This recognition illustrates the importance of creating the best wedding experience for all our couples. I am immensely proud of every single member of our team!”

TWIA brings together the Regional Winners from all categories, which culminates in a National awards event each year. After beating a host of events teams from across the North East and Yorkshire last January, our team collected a Highly Commended award in the National final.

Group General Manager David Fordham-Scott said it was a privilege to represent Northumberland and the North East for the third year in a row.

“We’re hoping to bring home the National accolade to illustrate what the North East is renowned for – its warm hospitality,” he said.

“TWIA uses feedback from couples to make its decisions. Knowing that this industry award is down to the experience and comments of our valued couples makes it even more rewarding, because it tells us we’re giving people the high standard of service that every couple deserves.”

TWIA’s National final takes place on 24 January at London’s Underglobe. Last year, we were Highly Commended and we’re hoping to top that in the 2024 Final!

If you are considering a wedding venue in the North East, contact our wedding planning team today.

Wendy said, “I am thrilled and honoured, but also moved by being named the UK’s best Wedding Co-ordinator.

“When I got the news I just burst into tears. I really can’t quite believe it. It’s fantastic and such an honour to be part of so many couples’ special wedding celebrations.”

Wendy’s attention to detail, calmness under pressure and ability to lead during her time as Wedding Co-ordinator, were some of the reasons why she was promoted six months ago.

General Manager Anthony Hunter explained: “I am absolutely thrilled that Wendy has been given this award. She deserves it. Everyone in our team looks up to Wendy as she is diligent when it comes to our guests’ requests and unwavering in delivering a fantastic service. It is her commitment to the venue and the hospitality sector which makes her a real asset to the business.

“The team at Ellingham Hall know there’s something truly special about Wendy – and this award proves just how wonderful she is. I am proud and honoured to have Wendy as one of the Ellingham Hall family.”

Among the categories is the award for Outstanding Service. The award will be presented to the employee who has consistently demonstrated excellent service, to fellow employees and clients alike, but who has also gone that extra mile.

The judges will be looking for:

• Evidence of excellent customer service and going above and beyond.
• Examples of how value has been added.
• Feedback from customers regarding service given.
• The impact the candidate has had on customer service in the business.

Anthony has been an integral part of Ellingham Hall for 10 years now, and we know he is always giving outstanding service – whether that’s towards the rest of his team or to our clients.

We will find out if Anthony is successful at a glittering ceremony on Friday 29th November at Newcastle’s Crowne Plaza Hotel.

We wish him the best of luck, but we know that whatever the outcome, Anthony is a star in all our eyes.

Lynn has joined our team as Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager and is looking forward to arranging events for businesses and private parties.

Whether it is for a product launch, conference, team-building or special meetings and events, Lynn will be going out across the region to explain just why Ellingham Hall is the perfect venue.
She says, “Unlike a hotel, if you arrange business events at Ellingham Hall you won’t have to share the venue with other delegates. The exclusivity and flexibility are what differentiate Ellingham from other venues.

“I’m looking forward to meeting businesses across the region and I’m sure they will be excited by what we have to offer.”

Lynn has worked in the events industry for seven years and has been involved in sales and marketing roles in various sectors for 18.

As well as the corporate market, Lynn will be arranging a calendar of events at the Hall to provide opportunities for people to come and enjoy the Hall and its wonderful surroundings, as well as the amazing food from our Head Chef.

In the past, the only way to enjoy the Hall was to be invited as part of a wedding party, but with events including Sunday Lunch for Mother’s Day, an Easter family fun day and a Father’s Day laser clay experience, we’re looking forward to welcoming even more guests throughout the year.

In January Rachel was appointed as Wedding Marketing and Communications Manager to raise further awareness for Ellingham’s first-class wedding service, in the North East and beyond.

Rachel has been working in the marketing and events sector for almost 10 years now and over the last two years has worked exclusively in the wedding industry.

She says, “It’s so great to be starting at a venue which boasts so many gorgeous spaces and with a multi-award winning and experienced team alongside me.

“Ellingham Hall is such a beautiful venue both inside and out. From rooftop terraces and cascading waterfalls, to our spacious reception rooms and historic Chapel, it’s a joy to be part of something really special.”

It’s going to be an exciting year, and we can’t wait to welcome you.

On a final note, we were officially named Northumberland’s Most Outstanding Luxury Wedding Venue in the Global Luxury Hotel & Spa Awards 2019, which is organised by exclusive magazine Lux Life.

Our General Manager Anthony has celebrated his 10th year in the post. So, we thought we’d catch up with him and find out more about his past decade.

What have been the highlights of 2018 for Ellingham Hall?

There are three things that stand out: we’ve had our busiest ever summer with weddings! Our Head of Weddings, Wendy, was named Wedding Co-ordinator of the Year in the North of England Wedding Awards. And we officially launched the venue for corporate events. It has been very eventful, but I’ve enjoyed it.

What has been your biggest challenge this year?

As this has been the busiest summer, the biggest challenge has been on logistics. It was essential to ensure our guests’ expectations were met or exceeded, but it was equally important to look after and support our team.

What has been your proudest moment?

It was when Wendy, our Head of Weddings won her award! As well as being proud of her, I was also proud of the fact the whole team had been recognised for the service we deliver. We pride ourselves on our service, and this award highlighted that effort.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on an exciting new venture! We will be launching our sister venue Lemmington Hall, as an exclusive-use event space next year, so I’ll be very busy with that. We are also arranging a calendar of events to enable the public to experience Ellingham Hall. As an exclusive-use venue, there isn’t the same chance to visit like you can with a hotel. If you’ve been a guest or a client in the past, we want to welcome you back. It will give you the chance to relive some great memories! We’re also working on building on the success of the corporate launch.

Tell us about your team?

I’m fortunate to have in place strong Heads of Departments, all of whom have been with me for between four and nine years. I appreciate it’s quite unusual in this industry to work with people for so long, and I hope that length of service shows how well we get on, and that we are a genuine team. I also think the key is mutual respect and listening to them. Their opinions and work are valued, and that’s what has helped make Ellingham Hall what it is today.

As we plan for further growth in 2019 and 2020, I recognised that we needed additional experience in marketing and sales and have made two new appointments in Lynn Sanderson and Rachel Barlow. I’m looking forward to working with them for many years to come!

How do you keep ahead of the competition in such a competitive sector?

We were one of the first exclusive-use wedding venues in Northumberland, and in that time, we’ve focused on customer experience, retained our exclusivity, and our attention to detail hasn’t wavered. It’s important to move with demand and offer a high-quality service at a good price. We listen to our customer feedback to help us improve where we can.

What services do you offer?

Exclusive weddings, corporate and special events; private parties; private dining and holiday cottage breaks.

Where do you see the business in 12 months’ time?

We should have experienced the planned growth and launched our second venue, Lemmington Hall, ready for trading in 2020.