Couples Face Financial Losses After Cornwall Wedding Venue Closure

A number of couples in Cornwall report being devastated and financially impacted following the sudden closure of a wedding venue. Mark Dobson and Karen Kendall, from Ponsanooth, are among those whose wedding plans with Manhay Farm and Wedding Events, near Helston, were cancelled. They stated their shock upon discovering the venue had been using a series of temporary licences for its events. Furthermore, they learned that, under the terms and conditions of their signed contract, their £1,000 deposit would not be returned. When contacted by the BBC, the company issued a statement: “Our business has now permanently closed. All operations have ceased, and we are no longer in a position to engage in ongoing correspondence regarding historical bookings.” Mr Dobson indicated that the cancellation email was received at the start of October. “We were absolutely devastated,” he commented. He elaborated, “We had put five months into that… planned to the most intricate detail – to get that email just destroyed us.” He added, “We said in the email obviously there will be no problem getting our deposit back as this is no fault of ours. That’s not quite what happened.” Dave Towsey and Rachel Wakefield, who reside in St Austell, experienced a similar situation, having also paid a £1,000 deposit. Ms Wakefield recounted, “They sent us an email out of the blue one evening and they had said that they can’t do weddings any more or host parties.” Mr Towsey further noted, “We ended up falling into a bit of a depressive state.” Ms Wakefield continued, “I had to take time off work. “You know these things can happen but the odds of them happening, you don’t think about it do you?”” Cornwall Council confirmed that the farm had been hosting events using a series of temporary licences, but it was nearing the maximum number permissible within a 12-month period. The company announced its closure after its latest temporary licence did not receive council approval. The couples reported that Manhay Farm and Wedding Events had informed them they had agreed to terms and conditions under which the venue could not be held liable for its failure to provide services following the council’s decision, as this fell under their clause covering “changes in the law or restrictions placed by statutory bodies.” The firm told the BBC it had recommended that all couples consider taking out wedding insurance and asserted it had done all it could to assist them in finding alternative venues. Mr Towsey explained that they did not purchase insurance because it was not mandatory and they were attempting to keep costs down. He remarked, “It’s a strange thing to have in a contract anyway. It’s one thing if we cancel. I can understand then, but if they cancel? That doesn’t really make sense to me, how they can keep money for that?” Both couples stated that the alternative venues suggested by the farm were either unavailable on the required dates or were not comparable in price. The exact number of weddings and events affected by the venue’s closure is unclear, but Mr Dobson and Ms Kendall indicated they were aware of 28 other couples and were in contact with several who were also attempting to recover their deposits. For updates, follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.