Warwickshire farm expands into wedding market after £1.75m loan
A WARWICKSHIRE farm and bed and breakfast venue is to develop a range of its buildings into an exclusive wedding venue facility after securing a £1.75m business loan.
Mythe Farm, in Atherstone, has been supported by HSBC’s commercial banking team in the Midlands. The funding will support the conversion of Mythe Barn for use as the new facility.
The venue is set to open next summer and current owners, husband and wife team Joe and Joanna Garland, hope to stage more than 70 weddings a year.
After inheriting the property in 2005, the couple expanded the farmhouse B&B to include an outdoor activities business.
They then decided to expand into the wedding markets and after extensive research into the conversion, DEFRA awarded the farm a grant under the Rural Development Programme for England to support the project.
HSBC, as part of a deal led by commercial manager Mike Duggleby, has provided the additional funding the business needs to carry out the work and also to improve the farmhouse B&B accommodation.
Midlands regional commercial director Roy Harris said: “HSBC has a longstanding relationship with the Garland family, spanning across three generations, so we are delighted to be able to support the further growth of this strong and ambitious business.
“Mythe Farm is an excellent example of a local business looking to improve its business model, expand its offering and take advantage of new and promising opportunities available.”
Mr Garland added: “The new development will hopefully bring revenue into Leicestershire and Warwickshire from the additional visitors and employment the wedding venue generates.”
