Shropshire restaurant serves up a tasty treat after funding deal
A FAMILY run business in Shropshire has expanded and opened a new eco-friendly restaurant after securing a new finance package.
Sue Vernon and her family of Newtown, Wem, established their catering company at their farm at Northwood Hall 14 years ago, and wanted to extend their business by building on their land to maximise its success.
After securing a £140,000 funding package from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, the family has been able to open a new unique historic restaurant venue, The Moat Shed, directly next to their working farm. The restaurant launch has created five new local jobs.
The Moat Shed has been built overlooking a double moat, one of only two such sites in Shropshire. The steel frame, wood clad building; built by a local firm as a café and restaurant, will also cater for party and wedding functions. With its unique location and views across the moat, the business owners hope that the restaurant will soon attract both local visitors and tourists from Shropshire and right across the UK.
Funding for the business’ expansion was granted under the Funding for Lending Scheme, which provides discounts of 1% to all SMEs in all sectors for the life of their loan.
Sue Vernon, a partner at The Moat Shed, said: “Following the success we’ve had running the farm and catering business, we hope that the opening of The Moat Shed will appeal to local people. The restaurant will improve the choice of facilities in the area and attract more people to hold events in the rural countryside. Its location overlooking a double moat means that the venue is like nothing else available in the area.
“Protecting the countryside and our local environment is very important to us, and so we were always focused on developing The Moat Shed as an eco-friendly building. We wanted to build on our extensive experience of working in the catering industry, and opening the new restaurant has allowed us to explore new business opportunities at the farm.”
Marie Fisher, Relationship Manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, said: “The Moat Shed is a wonderful new attraction in the heart of the Shropshire countryside, and we were pleased to be able to support this growing business as it takes its next steps.
“We saw a good opportunity in this expansion, the Moat Shed is a unique venue that will provide five new jobs and has already generated a lot of interest in the local community.”
