News release: Issued Friday 21 December 2018 New £400,000 wedding and events venue to

boost the economy of rural East

Work to construct a purpose-built, £400,000 licensed wedding and events venue with stunning views across the recently began on a private country estate near in East Yorkshire.

The Manor Rooms is being developed, and will be operated by, the experienced, award- winning team behind Drewton’s, which operates a farm shop and two holiday cottages on The Drewton Estate. Local businesswoman Katie Taylor has secured a £115,000 grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) towards the cost of the exciting new project, which has already created one additional, full-time role within her team and will generate a number of part-time posts when it opens for business in May, 2019. The project is another example of how The Drewton Estate, which remains a farming and shooting estate, has successfully diversified from agriculture to become a popular shopping, dining and leisure destination, whilst, at the same time, taking care to minimise the impact of its activities on the environment.

The purpose-built venue will comprise a large function room, known as The Manor Room; a more intimate space - set on a mezzanine level - called The Library; a Garden Room with a fully-equipped bar; a beautiful, outdoor terrace offering panoramic views across the woodland and rolling hills of The Drewton Estate, which sits on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds; and an African Boma (an enclosed seating area surrounding a fire pit) for guests to congregate around, which is a nod to the Taylor family’s connections with Africa. Up to 80 guests can be seated on the mezzanine level for civil wedding ceremonies and The Manor Room will be able to seat 150 guests for weddings and parties, or up to 225 people standing for food festivals and other events. Catering will be provided by the same award-winning team responsible for the creative menus on offer at Drewton’s, which has achieved local, regional and national recognition for its commitment to sourcing local and ethically- produced ingredients.

Katie Taylor explained: “For the last eight years, we’ve been providing a bespoke catering service for private functions, but we decided to develop a completely new venue in response to demand from customers keen to stage larger weddings and events with us. It means that we can offer a comprehensive service to our customers, with full catering and bar facilities in a modern, exclusive, barn-style wedding venue. We’ve also been busy forging links with reputable wedding suppliers so that we can offer couples planning their special day help with every aspect of their requirements. We can even offer fun add-on options, from barrows full of beer to Prosecco, gin or seafood bars!

“We’re incredibly grateful for the financial backing that we’ve received from the European Union’s European AgriculturalFund for Rural Development (EAFRD), which is aimed at boosting the economy in rural areas.

“The interior will have a contemporary yet luxurious, country vibe, with rustic wood panelling and exposed beams, and the menus will reflect our commitment to championing local, seasonal produce. In keeping with the trend for more casual dining, we’ll be offering a range of menu options. For example, our lamb can be served as a traditional roast with all the trimmings, carved at the table, or Lebanese-style with tabbouleh and flat breads for a more modern and relaxed approach.”

Sir Gary Verity DL, Chief Executive of Welcome To Yorkshire said: “It’s great to see this investment in East Yorkshire allowing a successful, rural business to develop and expand even further. The creation of The Manor Rooms is a real boost for the local economy, creating new jobs and bringing even more visitors to this picturesque part of the county, which will undoubtedly benefit other local businesses too.”

The Rural Payments Agency, an executive agency of Defra, has welcomed the many benefits that this project will deliver for this part of East Yorkshire, including the creation of new jobs and increased visitor footfall.

(ENDS)

Caption details: The accompanying images show the construction work taking place on site and an artist’s impression of how the finished venue will look.

Media contact: For more information, contact Lucy Oates on 01757 633833/07968 277218 or email [email protected].

Notes for editors:

• Katie Taylor, who owns and runs Drewton’s Farm Shop and The Manor Rooms, is well known for championing Yorkshire food and drink. • Drewton’s has won a string of high-profile awards, including the Training and Development title at the 2018 and Howdenshire Business Awards; the Council’s Chairman’s Award for Business (under 50 employees) 2017 and the Coffee Shop of the Year category in the Hull Lifestyle Awards 2017. It was also a finalist in the 2018 Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards (REYTAs) in both the Taste of East Yorkshire and Cuppa categories. Katie Taylor was named Food Hero of the Year in the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2018. • Katie is committed to reducing food miles and buys from a network of more than 250 Yorkshire food producers, growers and suppliers. She has provided employment for more than 40 local people, and works closely with over 40 other Yorkshire businesses, which supply her with everything from marketing and design to accountancy services. • For more information, visit www.themanorrooms.co.uk. • You can follow the development of The Manor Rooms on Facebook and Instagram (@themanorrooms).