By Gillian Ellison

Last updated at 12:27, Thursday, 29 March 2012

A NEW £1million accommodation wing at Gosforth Hall was opened this week.

Local people and dignitaries were invited along to see the culmination of hard work and determination which has taken place.

Business is going well for owners Rod and Barbara Davies who are also taking on an extra five full-time staff.

They bought Gosforth Hall Country House Hotel & Restaurant in 2002 and they renamed it Gosforth Hall Inn in 2008.

Throughout their 10-year ownership they have invested considerable time and effort into bringing back the heart of the Hall.

It has been roofed, windows reinstated, numerous dry stone walls surrounding the property have been rebuilt and more recently, they have designed and built the brand new annex that houses 13 en-suite bedrooms.

The project at Gosforth Hall received just over £50,000 worth of funding through Cumbria Tourism via Rural Northwest Tourism Connect, an accommodation improvement programme, designed to raise business performance and drive up design and accommodation standards in Cumbria’s serviced accommodation businesses.

The funding for Tourism Connect is provided by the Rural Development Programme for England, for which Defra is the managing authority, part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.

Ian Stephens, of Cumbria Tourism, said: “The Rural Northwest Tourism Connect scheme has been highly successful and has helped a number of our accommodation providers to raise their standards. Gosforth Hall is a prime example of this. Improvement of this nature is particularly important as this ensures that the county, as a top visitor destination in the UK, continues to compete at a world class level.’’

First published at 11:07, Thursday, 29 March 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk