Hotel closure: Couple's wedding saved after new venue steps in

Anne Chilcott and Les Way feared they would have to cancel their wedding

A couple say a new venue has stepped in to save their wedding after the hotel they had booked closed without warning.

Bride-to-be Anne Chilcott, from Poole, Dorset, was distraught after learning Poole Quay Hotel shut suddenly, just three months before her wedding day.

After hearing about her plight on BBC South, the Lord Bute hotel in Highcliffe offered to help and now the wedding is back on.

Ms Chilcott said: "It's a lovely venue and we are really excited."

The Lord Bute stepped in to save the couple's wedding plans

Ms Chilcott and her partner, Les Way, said they had been unable to contact anyone from Poole Quay Hotel following its sudden closure on 20 March.

They said they needed to recover their £4,000 deposit to book another venue.

Brad Green, owner and executive chef at the Lord Bute said he had watched the couple's story on BBC South "with horror" and decided he would "dearly like to help them with their wedding plans".

He said: "A wedding should be one of the happiest moments of your life. I always wanted my restaurant to be able to do everything we could to make these memories come true.

"It was our pleasure to turn things round for this couple and do the wedding at half price."

Brad Green is owner and executive chef at the Lord Bute

Ms Chilcott said: "It's all going ahead on the same day, same time - just the change of venue.

"The Lord Bute have been amazing and given us everything we require and more."

Last month, Ms Chilcott told BBC Radio Solent she had booked Poole Quay Hotel in 2022 for their ceremony and reception in June 2024, along with guest accommodation.

After discovering it had closed, she said their "dream wedding" had been "completely dashed".

The Poole Quay Hotel site is set to be redeveloped by MHA Burleigh Poole Ltd. The BBC contacted the developer's planning agents but did not receive a response.

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