Couples from across Herefordshire and the wider area have been coming forward to tell their stories, after they saw their weddings cancelled due to a Herefordshire wedding venue reportedly set to enter liquidation, leaving a number of people concerned that they could lose out on thousands of pounds that they’ve already paid.
A number of couples have claimed that they may have lost thousands of pounds after Herefordshire wedding venue Lemore Manor reportedly cancelled their weddings, with some just a few weeks away.
A group of people have taken to social media to share their experience after receiving a letter from Opus Restructuring LLP who are said to be assisting with the formalities of placing the company into liquidation.
A letter sent to couples that had booked their big day with Fine Manor Events Limited said:
“We regret to inform you that the Directors of the Fine Manor Events Limited, (“the Company”) having explored all options including re-financing or a managed sale of part or all of the business, have formally engaged Opus Restructuring LLP (“Opus”) to assist with the formalities of placing the Company into liquidation.
“The global health pandemic and commercial and social lock down of the last 18 months has drastically and catastrophically affected its business. Having explored all realistic options to try and save the business, the directors have reluctantly concluded a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation is now the only viable option. Accordingly, Opus has been instructed to assist the Directors in the convening and holding of the meetings to commence the Liquidation. Please find attached to this email formal Notice of the meeting of creditors scheduled for 19 October 2021. It is appreciated that there are a number of events booked for the remainder of the year and into 2022 which will be affected by this closure and we will be working closely with creditors and other stakeholders throughout the process.
“The proof of debt form should be received at this office no later than 4 P.M. on the business day before the virtual meeting. The proxy form will need to be delivered to the convener before it may be used at the virtual meeting. Please be aware that if sending documents by email they will not be deemed received until 9 A.M. the next business day unless the contrary is shown.
“Please click here for Formal Notice of the appointment of Joint Liquidators. Please forward any queries to FME@opusllp.com. Notice to customers regarding credit and debit cards. If you have made a deposit for or paid for goods or services by credit or debit card and the goods or services are not going to be received by the due date, you may be able to get your money back by claiming a refund from your card issuer. Please contact your card issuer as soon as you can if this may apply to you. Further information including on time limits that apply is available from the UK Cards Association Credit and debit cards: A consumer guide.”
A number of affected couples have joined a group on Facebook called ‘Lemore Manor – COVID affected couples’ and have been sharing their experiences.
One of the affected members of the public called Kirsty said:
“We are due to get married in December. Any updates would be appreciated.”
Megan was due to get married in two weeks time and said:
“We were due to get married in 2 weeks so are now absolutely screwed! I don’t even know where to start with getting money back/booking somewhere new. I am heartbroken!”
Couple forced to switch venue for wedding next week with wedding venue set to enter liquidation
A Herefordshire couple have told Your Herefordshire about how they’ve had to make a last minute venue change and are concerned over the loss of several thousands of pounds after news broke about the likely liquidation of a wedding venue in Herefordshire.
Megan and her partner had originally planned to get married at Lemore Manor and booked the venue with Fine Manor Events Limited, but have since received a letter to say that the company has explored all options and is looking to enter a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation.
Megan said:
“I’m due to get married on Monday. I’ve had to reschedule my whole wedding but with half the budget as Lemore Manor have the other half.
“We went all year with no communication from them, meetings were cancelled, phonecalls not returned and emails ignored. We were stuck between a rock and a hard place because even if we cancelled, they wouldn’t refund our deposit and would force us to pay the “late cancellation charge” which was around £9,000. So we had to continue our plans at Lemore.
“We received an email from Opus on 6th October telling us they had gone into liquidation. When I rang Lemore I was told they couldn’t answer our questions and couldn’t help us at all. They refused to talk.
“My partner even went to the venue and tried to speak to someone. The building was the same, everything inside was the same. It was like nothing had happened.
“We finally received a call from Margaret, the owner, who tells us she is retiring anyway so can’t help. We have had no support since the day we handed over £7000.
“I had family who spent £160 each on rooms that we can’t get back. We have had to plan a wedding in less than 2 weeks, otherwise we would have lost thousands from our suppliers (who have been paid in full as it is so close to the date).
“Luckily, we found a church and are having a reception at The Green Dragon who have gone above and beyond to accommodate us and make us feel at ease.
“Unfortunately, the money to Lemore was paid by bank transfer (at their request) so I doubt we will ever see that again. We are now £7000 out of pocket while they carry on hosting weddings and guests at the same venue, with the same staff, the same contact numbers, the same owners. It is so heartbreaking.”
‘My daughter found out her wedding was cancelled just days after receiving bad news about her health’
Couples claim they may have lost thousands of pounds after a Herefordshire wedding venue reportedly cancelled their weddings.
A message from Rachel:
“My daughter and her fiancé are one of the many couples affected by this news. Having only 6 days prior been given some bad news regarding my daughters health this has caused no end of stress for them over the last couple of weeks, which is only going to contribute negatively to my daughters health due to her condition being brain related and requiring risky surgery. The stress of this situation could easily lead to fatal complications for my daughter.
“The communication from the business has been shocking, her fiancé having to actually call the business to confirm if the email he had received was spam or genuine as they did not have the decency to tell them the news personally. After reaching out to the venue in hope they would refund the significant sum of money paid in order to reduce their stress yet they were told they would have to just speak to the liquidation company. The stress aspect and potential medical repercussions were made very clear to the owners and I feel like they have no concept of remorse or compassion.
“In May this year, they visited and were shown all the developments around the estate that had been made over the course of the pandemic and were reassured that the business had no issues or concerns having diversified into the hotel and spa business. The fact that they are now saying they cannot afford to continue trading yet remain open under a new business that is still taking wedding bookings only confuses me. Some of the developments included things such as spa rooms, additional outdoor shepherd huts, improvements to existing shepherd huts and construction of a new ski chalet (this was in progress at the time) as advertised on Airbnb at £229 per night hosted by Margaret. After visiting they sent numerous emails to the company and were quickly ignored.”
