12.03.03
Year round opening creates new jobs at Cornish hotel

Forty new full time jobs have been created at a leading Cornish hotel – thanks to an exciting expansion project that has enabled them to open all year round.

The Bedruthan Steps Hotel at Trenance, Mawgan Porth, received a £22,300 grant from the Objective One funded Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Food and Drink Partnership Scheme towards the £56,000 total cost of the project.

It involved the redesign of the hotel’s two restaurants, children’s tearoom, poolside bar and barbecue area and the purchase of new kitchen equipment.

The new a la carte restaurant – the Indigo Bay – offers a spectacular view of the North Cornwall coast and a superb menu featuring the best local produce Cornwall has to offer.

Building on the 40 new posts that were formerly seasonal and so were lost during the winter, the hotel is now focusing on the development of a skilled permanent team with appropriate training to give an ever-improving service to guests.

Project manager Jamie Alexander said: “We are delighted to be able to open all year as it enables us to welcome local guests to our new restaurant as well as improve facilities for holiday visitors.

“Many regular guests who stay in the summer have commented on how welcoming the hotel is in the winter with the log fire and a la carte restaurant. We have always used local produce and the Indigo Bay Restaurant is committed to giving diners the best Cornwall can offer.

“This first year has given us a good foundation on which to build for the future with an amazing number of enquiries for conference and banqueting facilities.”

Graham Woolcock, of Business Link, programme manager for the Cornwall Food and Drink Partnership Scheme, said: “We are proud to have created new jobs and to be associated with this magnificent venue for all types of holidaymaker.

“They will now be able to appreciate fully not only the quality of the hotel but the best Cornish produce. More than £150,000 worth of Cornish produce can already be linked back to local producers and we expect this figure to increase significantly.”

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Food and Drink Partnership Scheme helps businesses involved in the food and drink industries in the Objective One area. It is funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and delivered through a partnership involving the Business Link service for Devon and Cornwall and Taste of the West.

The scheme, which provides business, technical and development advice as well as capital and marketing grant aid, is open to food and drink processors, caterers, wholesalers, retailers and agricultural producers. Up to 50 per cent of the total cost of a project is available and all applicants must show a link to Cornish agricultural production.

There is a fast track application process where the total project cost does not exceed £10,000 and a mainstream programme for projects up to £120,000 (maximum grant support level £60,000).

For more information contact Business Link on 0845 600 9966 or Taste of the West on 01579 349363.

Editor's notes:

For further press information please contact Ian Gent on 0845 600 9966 or 07771 631518 or Lucy Batchelor on 0845 600 9966.

For the Bedruthan Steps Hotel contact Jamie Alexander on 01637 860555.

The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)

The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) is one of the four funds that make up the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly which is making £314m available to support the local economy between 2000 and 2006.

EAGGF aims to:

• Help preserve the link between diversified farming and the land.

• Improve and support the competitiveness of agriculture as a key activity in rural areas.

• Ensure the diversification of the economy in rural areas.

• Help to keep thriving communities in rural areas.

• Preserve and improve the environment, the landscape and the rural heritage.

Jason Clark
Communications Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Tel: 01872 241379
Fax: 01872 241388
jason@dclark.co.uk

back to top