Couples are fighting to get their deposit back after Cornish wedding venue closed

On By Pranco

BBC A man in a gray and white shirt and a woman in a pink top. Both sit in wooden chairs and look at the camera.BBC

Mark Dobson and Karen Kendall said they were shocked to discover the venue had temporary event licenses

A number of couples in Cornwall say they are left devastated and left without money after the sudden closure of a wedding venue.

Mark Dobson and Karen Kendall, from Ponsanooth, were among those who had their weddings canceled by Manhay Farm and Wedding Events, near Helston.

They said they were shocked to discover that the venue was using a range of temporary licenses to stage its events and that under the terms of the contract they signed they would not get their £1,000 deposit back.

When contacted by the BBC, the company said: “Our business has now permanently closed. All operations have ceased and we are no longer in a position to correspond on an ongoing basis regarding historical bookings.”

‘Destroyed us’

Mr Dobson said they received the cancellation email in early October.

“We were absolutely devastated,” he said.

“We had put five months into it… planning it down to the last detail – to get that email just destroyed us.”

He said: “We clearly said in the email that there will be no problem getting our deposit back as this is not our fault. That is not quite what happened.”

It was the same story for Dave Towsey and Rachel Wakefield, who live in St Austell and also paid a £1,000 deposit.

A man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a T-shirt, sitting on a couch next to a woman with long hair and glasses.

Dave Towsey and Rachel Wakefield said the cancellation left them in a depressed state

Mrs Wakefield said: “They emailed us out of the blue one night and said they could no longer hold weddings or organize parties.

“We ended up getting into a bit of a depressive state,” Mr Toswey added.

Mrs Wakefield continued: ‘I had to take time off work.

“You know these things can happen, but you don’t think about the chance of them happening, do you?”

Cornwall Council said the farm was running events under a range of temporary licenses but was close to reaching the maximum number it could use in a 12-month period.

The company announced the closure after the last temporary permit was not approved by the municipality.

Insurance not required

The couples said Manhay Farm and Wedding Events told them they had agreed to terms under which it could not be held liable for not making the venue available following the council’s decision as it fell under their clause relating to “changes in the law or restrictions imposed by legal authorities”.

The company told the BBC that it had recommended that all couples take out wedding insurance and that it had done everything it could to help couples find alternative locations.

Mr Toswey said they did not take out insurance as it was not compulsory and they were trying to keep costs down.

He said: “It’s strange to have a contract anyway. It’s one thing if we cancel. I can understand it then, but if they cancel? That doesn’t really make sense to me, how can they keep any money for that? ” “

Both couples said the alternative locations suggested by the farm were either for the wrong dates or not comparable in price.

It is not clear how many weddings and events have been affected by the venue’s closure, but Mr Dobson and Ms Kendall said they knew 28 other couples and were in contact with some who were also trying to get their deposits back.