Closed Northamptonshire wedding venue backtracks and confirms all deposits WILL be repaid by the company

A Northamptonshire wedding venue which has closed for good as a result of Covid-19 will now repay all deposits.

Bluebell Woods Estate in Ecton Lane, Sywell launched as a wedding venue just months before the pandemic hit and has been badly affected financially, so will not reopen.

The company in charge failed to inform couples of the closure and some found out after seeing the venue’s furniture for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

One couple received a letter from the business owner last week stating the venue will close due to ‘financial reasons beyond our control, primarily linked to the length of the pandemic’ and that the company would help customers to claim deposit money back from insurers, but there was no mention of the business itself paying back any of the funds.

The couple who received the letter were later told they could not claim on their wedding insurance as the company had not been placed into liquidation.

Now the company has confirmed it will repay all of the deposit money to all couples who had their big day booked at the venue.

Director of the company, David Bletsoe-Brown, said: “I confirm as a director of Bluebell Woods Estate that I received on February 26, 2021 all financial matters to do with the company that previously was run by my ex-wife who was a director and her daughter as company secretary..

“I can confirm that all the wedding deposits held by Bluebell Woods Estate are being paid back in full.

“I am very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.”

Mr Bletsoe-Brown says he has paid back two of the customers and is aware of three more after checking paperwork against bank statements.

Any remaining customers will be paid back once they make contact with the company via the details they have.

Mr Bletsoe-Brown claims he is unable to make contact with the customers directly as he was not left with contact details.

The couple who originally contacted this newspaper confirmed that they received their deposit money back yesterday (March 31).

A planning application was also submitted in December last year to change parts of the grounds of the Bluebell Woods Estate from a horse grazing area to a croquet ground. Permission has been granted.

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