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The team at Ghyll House Upholstery has been working with cafes, bars, caravan parks and hotels to ensure venues were ready to welcome back the public from today, as businesses reopen for indoor service and overnight stays under the next milestone of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
Joe McAlpine, general manager of Ghyll House Upholstery, which is based in Mealsgate, near Cockermouth, Cumbria, said the team had worked with a number of different clients on interiors projects, including recovering existing chairs and seating, and creating new chairs, banquette seating and soft furnishings for venues.
He said: “We’ve been working non-stop for clients on refurbishment projects to ensure they were ready to welcome back customers in time for the easing of restrictions.
“Many business owners in the hospitality sector have taken the opportunity during lockdown to update the interior of their venues, and it’s great that we’ve been able to help them through our specialist upholstery services.
“We work closely with clients to ensure they get exactly what they need, from matching fabrics to existing items of furniture, to creating curtains and blinds.”
The Ghyll House team has worked with a variety of hospitality businesses across Cumbria over the past couple of months.
At The Wild Strawberry cafe in Keswick, the team upholstered banquette seating for a large alcove, as part of a major refurbishment project.
The venue in Main Street will reopen on Tuesday, May 25, with its sister cafe in Grasmere, Emma’s Dell, reopening today (Monday, May 17).
Formerly a crêperie, The Wild Strawberry will relaunch as a cafe and patisserie, with a cake counter and afternoon teas as well as a lunch menu.
Owner Emma Bray said: “We felt the time was right for a change and we were delighted when Paula Murchison, who was previously head pastry chef at the Sharrow Bay Hotel at Ullswater, joined the team.
“The cafe has been completely refurbished and we’re delighted with the result.”
Ghyll House Upholstery has also created cushions for seating and beds in three new camping pods at the Harbour Side Caravan Park in Maryport, which installed the pods and almost tripled its number of caravan pitches to meet the demand from visitors.
The team has also worked on projects at the Embleton Spa Hotel, near Cockermouth; the Glen Rothay Hotel at Rydal, near Ambleside; the clubhouse at Cockermouth Golf Club; and Grasslot Welfare Sports and Social Club in Maryport.
From today, the rules in England change to allow pubs, bars, restaurants and other hospitality businesses to open indoor areas.
Customers will be required to order, eat and drink while seated with table service, although there will be no curfew or ‘substantial meal’ restrictions which had been imposed prior to the latest lockdown.
Customers are now also able to meet in groups of up to 30 in outdoor areas such as beer gardens, which have been open since April 12 with ‘rule of six’ curbs in place. Groups of up to six people or two households can meet indoors.
People are also able to stay in hotels and visit cinemas, concert halls and other leisure venues.
Ghyll House offers a range of cost-effective interior solutions, including specialist fast-acting, durable antimicrobial fabrics and vinyls, proven to be effective against coronavirus.
For more information about Ghyll House Upholstery visit www.ghup.co.uk.
