Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa is on the shortlist for the 2023 Cumbria Tourism awards as a leading wedding venue in the Lake District.
The venue first ventured into the mainstream wedding industry over 30 years ago.
With panoramic views of Windermere and the Langdale Pikes as a spectacular backdrop for unrivalled wedding photographs, and event capacity for up to 280 guests, its reputation as a wedding venue continues to grow.
“The hotel service is fantastic, the views of the lake are absolutely stunning and there is a really relaxed, laid-back vibe about the place that instantly puts you at ease.”
Lorna & Matthew
The wedding co-ordination team at Low Wood Bay is always looking for ways to improve the big day experience for a couple getting married, and the time they spend with us either side of that.
We maintain strong, sustainable working relationships with a host of high-quality local suppliers to ensure couples have access to a wide-ranging choice in food selection, florists, photography and entertainment.
Bespoke, customised options include menu choices at no extra cost, 4-tier wedding cakes, our novelty beer boat and Lazy Susans fashioned for woodland themed celebrations.
“Couples state that when booking their wedding, it is about their interactions with the team and the wedding coordinator assigned for the planning process and wedding day itself. We thrive on the chance to offer our couples a range of optional extras and finer details to ensure their big day is unique.”
Rachel Baines
The venue has a private wedding area managed within the resort so couples and families do not need to pay for total exclusivity of the hotel.
We also have over 10 different room types to fit all the diverse requirements of our wedding guests. Options include The Winander Club, lake and fell views, balconies and roof terrace access. Our wedding co-ordinators work closely with couples to organise inclusive packages and keep prices competitive.
The spa facilities and thermal journeys at Low Wood Bay are another key benefit for wedding couples, their friends and families to enjoy during their stay. Our indoor and outdoor thermal facilities and invigorating spa packages are designed around relaxation and rejuvenation to allow that little extra luxury to mark the big occasion.
Wedding breakfast menus and options include additional creations from our in-house executive resort chef, including a full 3 course wedding breakfast menu featuring over a dozen different types of canapés, 11 starter options, 17 main courses and 11 desserts from which to choose.
We do not charge any extra for offering a choice of 3 different options per course for guests to select. From pan fried fillet of seabass to a slow cooked shank of Lakeland lamb, the result is the curation of a high-end, appealing, wide-ranging and gluten free menu which offers both traditional and alternative dishes, including vegan and vegetarian options.
“A special shout out to the chef and his team, I have never had so many people comment on how good the food was at a wedding before.”
Bride and Groom, Victoria & Joe
Our novelty ‘beer boat’ has become a real talking point as an alternative way to serve drinks during the wedding day celebrations. The boat is hired and filled with the couple’s choice of drinks from which guests can then help themselves – a modern alternative to a free bar. This is available throughout the wedding breakfast and evening reception.
One of our biggest wedding events was in 2022 when we catered for 250 guests, including a pre-wedding dinner for 70. The wedding breakfast itself saw over 500 individual canapés initially served, followed by 680 separate dishes moved from kitchen to table over a 2.5 hour period – 45 of which were adapted so suit individual guests’ dietary requirements. From breakfast to evening buffet, over 230 staff hours were worked by the team.
The summer months of course are always busy and in August 2022 we broke our record for the most weddings in a single month – 15!
We are continually reviewing the scope and value of our wedding package offers. Another key consideration is the cost of living and rising prices which everybody is facing. We want to make Low Wood Bay more accessible for lower budgets so as many people as possible can have the venue firmly in their sights as the place to celebrate their big day.
From an environmental and sustainability point of view, wedding parties can choose a venue in Low Wood Bay that uses hydropower as a source of electricity and wherever possible sources goods from local producers.
“The wedding team was an absolute joy to deal with. They helped make our memorable day even more special.”
Bride and groom, Stephanie & Chris
Call our wedding co-ordinators team today on 015394 39479 and find out how they can make your wedding day a little extra special.
As a Lake District wedding venue, Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa has become a highly popular choice, and perhaps the biggest driver behind its success is the endeavour and attention to detail of our wedding co-ordinators Rachel Baines, Lucy Newton and Ewelina Jozwik.
The venue’s wedding team helps couples from all over the world to plan their big day, tie the knot and start their married lives with unforgettable memories. We have looked after brides and grooms from a host of international backgrounds, couples from nearby Ambleside, from London, and from far flung countries including India, China, America and Australia.
Flexibility is the key, with the team able to prepare and dress the venue to cater for wedding parties of 20 or large-scale ceremonies for nearly 300.
“We have the experience to create intimate wedding days for a couple’s nearest and dearest, or larger ceremonies with hundreds of guests. We give couples the flexibility to plan their big day, mapping it out precisely as they wish.”
Rachel Baines
“Your team were faultless, helping with any queries and questions without hesitation. They were all on hand whenever we needed them, even the day after the wedding.”
Bride and groom, Victoria & Joe
“I really enjoy putting all the stationery, décor and final details together in the run up to and on the wedding day. When working together with our couples, I love the planning process and being able to use my creativity to ensure their day is exactly what they imagine it to be. It’s so rewarding to the see our couple’s faces light up when they view the room before their guests come in and see that their vision has come to life.”
LucyRachel Baines“Personally, I love standing at the top of the Gallery with the bride before her music starts and she walks down the aisle. There’s nothing left to plan and the last 18-24 months of organising have built up to this 10 minutes of nerves and excitement and trust that her dream day is about to begin. Building up a relationship with our couples is so important and I love that moment when they look to me to guide them to their first step down the aisle. No matter how many times I do it, it always makes me feel proud of them.”
“The best part of my job is the satisfaction of helping couples create their dream wedding. I get to witness the joy and happiness of the couple and their families on the wedding day. Seeing all the planning and hard work come together to create beautiful and memorable events is incredibly rewarding.“
Ewelina
Lucy graduated from university with a degree in Business & Tourism management and was looking to start a career in weddings or events.
“I saw an advert on the website for a wedding & events assistant and knew this would be perfect for me. Following a great interview with the weddings manager, the role was offered to me and I quickly worked my way up to a wedding & events co-ordinator position – I haven’t looked back since!”
Lucy
After attending a friend’s wedding when she was 18, Rachel knew that she wanted to be a wedding co-ordinator so got in touch with the weddings manager here at Low Wood Bay for some advice.
“She told me to start from the bottom, work my way up and get as much experience as possible, so after shadowing her on a couple of wedding days I bagged myself a job on the hotel reception. Six months later I was planning small scale events and it all snowballed from there. I have been co-ordinating weddings now for over 7 years and it’s seen me through getting engaged, getting married and having a baby. Low Wood Bay has really become my second home.”
Rachel
“I previously worked as a wedding planner in a small hotel and I sought the opportunity to work for a busy, larger wedding venue. The position at Low Wood Bay gave me the opportunity to develop the role with the facilities that are offered here, and I am really glad they did!”
Ewelina
For more information about holding your wedding at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, please feel free to give one of our wedding co-ordinators an introductory call on 015394 39479.
Angela Martindale probably didn’t realise when she got married at Lancaster House Hotel in 2016 that in half a dozen years or so her daughter Nicole Pilkington would in some ways be following in her footsteps.
Nicole is currently a wedding co-ordinator at our Lancashire venue which specialises in helping couples tie the knot with a memorable big day. So is it a coincidence that she landed her favourite job at the same place her mum got married?
Nicole had worked in a number of roles in hospitality before joining English Lakes Hotels in 2018 as a receptionist. From the moment she arrived she struck up a friendship with Lancaster House wedding organiser Lisa Ng and more or less from day one said she’d love to be involved in helping brides and grooms organise their nuptials.
As the venue’s reputation for wedding events grew, so too did the workload, and when a new job was created, Nicole grasped the opportunity to join the wedding team and has never looked back.
I suppose Mum and my step-dad Andrew’s wedding here influenced my thinking without me knowing it. But the idea of getting involved in co-ordinating other people’s weddings didn’t really hit me until I saw what Lisa did in the job and how rewarding it is.
Nicole
Angela and husband Andrew speak very fondly of their wedding experience at Lancaster House too: “It was just the picture-perfect venue to host our wedding day and they tailored everything to our needs,” she enthuses.
“The atmosphere on the day was so relaxing and the staff genuinely friendly and super-efficient. It was the little decorative details and additions which made all the difference, extra special touches you noticed around the hotel.
“We stayed in the main Silverdale bridal suite that overlooks the beautiful grounds. The reception was held in the Dalton suite with bespoke design and natural light coming through the window. The team absolutely catered to our every need down to the final details and helped organise our wedding accessories on our arrival too.”
Angela
Angela and Andrew’s guest list was around 60 and due to long travelling distances for some family and friends, quite a few took the opportunity to book a room and stay overnight in the hotel.
Lancaster House has around 30 weddings planned in the coming months of 2023, having successfully delivered 37 in 2022, some of which were held over from Covid related postponements. The venue has capacity for up to 50-60 such events each year and Lisa and Nicole are aiming to build on their successful working partnership and grow this side of the business.
If you are looking for a top venue for your wedding in North Lancashire, Lancaster House may just be the answer! Whether it’s to plan a smaller, intimate, close knit wedding experience with family and best friends or a larger scale celebration for up to 140 guests, our team can help you every step of the way with tailored packages, special offers and specific requirements.
Find out more here https://englishlakes.co.uk/lancaster-house/weddings/
call us today on 01524 585 175.
All in a day’s work – A range of different careers in hospitality.
At English Lakes Hotels, Resorts & Venues, we have some great jobs available. It’s not just the obviously crucial positions, from a restaurant assistant or reservationist to a breakfast chef or customer service supervisor.
Hospitality roles are by nature highly varied with team members working in a range of diverse environments, whether it’s in food and beverage services or housekeeping, concierge and reservations.
And then of course there is a highly professional, qualified team of people to ensure our spa services run like clockwork.
Here we talk to Kiera Carrick, Spa Training and Development Manager at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa.
I’ve worked in hotels since I was in my early teens, after school and at weekends. I originally did housekeeping and turn down service and then progressed on to front of house and then worked as a head waitress. That was the springboard to a career in hospitality.
I’d always been passionate about the beauty industry and decided to take on a course in facials and skincare. I loved it so much I ended up staying at college to do NVQ Level 2 and 3 in beauty therapy.
Honestly no, not at first. It was never something I had even considered possible as a career until I started the college course and realised it was something I could see myself doing and enjoying.
Initially I did my Level 2 and 3 NVQ in beauty therapy. Once I got established in the industry, I’ve followed up by completing a range of courses with different brands over the years, including ESPA, Decleor, Elemis, St Tropez, CND Shellac.
When I became head therapist at Low Wood Bay, I did a ‘train the trainer’ ESPA course which has allowed me to be able to deliver ESPA training to our therapists in the spa.
Every day is different, there’s a lot of organisation and planning involved for training and ensuring I have all the equipment required and I cover everything I need to in the training session. I also try to make training enjoyable and fun whilst learning.
It’s very exciting to be assisting Kendal College in training students in ESPA with a pathway for them to come out with a qualification and employment at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa.
When I first qualified, I found it initially challenging to get into the industry straight from college, so I would have jumped at this opportunity that we are able to offer now.
This initiative is designed to ensure that newly qualified therapists have an earlier opportunity to gain experience and earn a professional wage.
I can oversee the therapists and see at first-hand how they are getting on with their ESPA training, ensuring they have all the tools and knowledge they need to go into the industry with confidence and excitement.
We’ve also started to specialise in certain treatments, with spa therapists completing Oncology massage qualifications through the accredited Jennifer Young Training School. Their training has included Level 1 and advanced cancer awareness, as well as holistic facial, hand, nail and foot treatments.
Everyone learns differently but I think the main thing is to not overwhelm yourself and come up with a way that helps you remember what you need to learn.
It might be something completely random and trivial, but it doesn’t matter if it helps you remember. Being a therapist is quite a practical role, and so gaining as much practical, ‘hands-on’ experience as possible is a key factor in ensuring that you feel confident and make guests feel comfortable.
We have a great atmosphere here – we all work well as a team to help each other and deliver the best possible service to our guests.
The venue and the hotel group as a whole has given me so many amazing opportunities to learn and develop my skills to get to where I am now. They invest in the staff and want you to excel and enjoy coming to work.
As a family business, the hotel group prides itself on flexibility, professional development and providing progressive, diverse career opportunities for staff, equipping them with the skills they need to succeed.
Our commitment to workforce development includes support not only to help embed strong customer service and team working skills, but English Lakes also seeks to provide additional benefits to make a difference in terms of working hours, travel to work and offering accommodation where we can.
If you’re interested in working for us, take a look at the current jobs at English Lakes we have on offer.
“We have a great atmosphere here – we all work well as a team to help each other and deliver the best possible service to our guests.”
Keira Carrick | Spa Training & Development Manager
While you’re enjoying your hotel stay in the Lake District or North Lancashire, have you ever thought of helping out with some tree planting?
National Tree Week, an initiative spearheaded by The Tree Council, is celebrated in the UK every year at the end of November.
It’s a key time for trees as this time of year marks the beginning of the planting season.
At English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, we’re always looking for new ways to do our bit for conservation, the environment and to reduce our carbon footprint.
Whether it’s using natural, renewable resources through our hydro-electric turbine at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, or making the most of the sun’s energy with solar panels at Lancaster House Hotel, we want to help make a difference.
Tree planting in the Lake District and North Lancashire represents one of our core environmental commitments – our aim is to help breathe new life into those areas which have much less tree cover than they have in the past.
Planting new trees to create more future woodland cover is vital in terms of mitigating the effects of climate change, maintaining habitats and protecting land from flooding, as well as helping to preserve the beautiful scenes of the rural countryside for everyone to enjoy for generations to come.
It’s why we recently donated £5,000 from the English Lakes Hotels Sustainability Fund to The Lune Rivers Trust to create new areas of woodland.
As part of an overall initiative to plant over 1,800 new trees, the funding will cover 0.33 hectares of the project along a section of Ellergill Beck, to the North of the Forest of Bowland.
Too often we take trees and woodlands for granted, despite the huge popularity in the tranquillity of rural, nature-based hotel stays.
It is often said that the UK has one of the highest concentrations of ancient trees in Europe.
Our guests always marvel at the peace and beauty of the 72 acres of ancient woodland we look after around The Wild Boar Inn. These so called ‘Cathedrals of the countryside’ have been around much longer than anything we have built and are a life-giving feature of the landscapes across the Lake District and North Lancashire.
According to The Woodland Trust, the UK’s native tree species and woodlands are not in great ecological shape and are showing declines in wildlife. But there is good news in that tree planting projects across the country are starting to bear fruit and to address these challenges.
At English Lakes Hotels, we’re determined to contribute to the national target quoted by the Committee on Climate Change for the UK to plant 1.5 billion trees – at least 30,000 hectares per year – and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
You can get more involved and help make this happen with a simple decision. When you check out after your stay with us, you automatically make a £1 optional donation to our local tree planting and sustainability projects administered through Cumbria Community Foundation.
Since establishing our sustainability fund in the late 1990s, we have raised over £250,000 for local conservation projects.
In 2019, we partnered up with Cumbria Community Foundation to target more of our fund raising towards tree planting projects. Thus far we have committed over £30,000 for a range of initiatives.
You can also get involved through The Tree Council itself, especially during the winter planting season. Why not plant a few trees or a hedge yourself in the garden, or get involved with a community project or tree planting event by connecting with your local Tree Warden Network.
And if you cannot do some hands-on planting yourself, you can make a donation to The Tree Council for them to plant a tree or a line of hedgerow on your behalf. In this way we can all make a contribution towards a more sustainable future.
Here’s a few more suggestions for days out for all the family in Lancashire …
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We like to keep our visitors to Lancaster House informed of what’s going on in the area. We’ve selected just a few activities in and around Lancaster to suit different interests, price ranges and age levels. Take your pick …
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Visitors to English Lakes have donated an incredible £187,500 to date through our Visitor Giving scheme. If you ever wondered about how that money is used and if it’s making a difference, our Green Team went to find out. They spent a day with Rob Clarke, National Trust Basecamp Community Ranger and a wonderful team of Fix the Fells volunteers committed to keeping the Lake District hills maintained and accessible for millions of walkers each year. (more…)
On 14th June 1997, our previous Managing Director, Michael Berry, was awarded the O.B.E. for services to training and tourism in Cumbria. Twenty years later, English Lakes strives to continue that legacy of
In the third blog of our series on Help for Heroes and North East Military Vehicle Club trip to The Lake District and their visit to Low Wood Bay Watersports Centre, Kara shares her experience of being part of last year’s Lake District adventure. (more…)
At English Lakes, we enjoy recommending local activities and events to visitors from around the world. For those wanting to explore the heritage of the Lake District, we’ve put together a list of five of our favourite heritage days out.
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