November Newsletter – 6th November

November 7, 2023

A lot has changed in Lochranza Country Inn since our last update. Our new general management team, Mark and Linda, have arrived. We would like to warmly thank our temporary manager, Bruce, who left for pastures new at the end of September. Bruce kept the metaphorical and literal fire burning through high season.

Mark and Linda may have brought wet and wild weather with them from Durham but they have settled in immediately. Along with their dog, Mindy, Mark and Linda are newcomers to Arran and when they can’t be found behind the bar, they can usually be found getting to know the local landscape. They have been providing some cheer as the days shorten, with a blazing fire in our new log burner and the bar (and staff) decorated for Hallowe’en.

With the autumn storms battering Lochranza, it can feel like the whole island is battening down the hatches for the winter, but the inn is still open throughout the year. We are now on winter hours, which can be found on our website.

Work continues at the inn to make it a functioning and future-proof business. Some of these are small jobs, such as fixing doors, hanging signs and installing the new septic tank lid. Others are much larger – work has just started on improving our fire alarm system, which will take several weeks. Other jobs are on the horizon. For example, our hot water boiler is old and when it broke down recently the inn was forced to shut for several days. Thanks to our local heating engineer we got it going again, but we are now looking at a new boiler system, providing hot water and heating through all 3 floors of the hotel for many years to come.

The building warrant application has now been submitted and is sitting with the council for their approval. When this has been granted and we have been through the tender process, work can start on the second floor, we are aiming to provide the crucial staff accommodation in time for the start of the 2024 season.

We had our AGM at the end of September. Thank you to everyone who came to vote, ask questions or just listen to our progress and the challenges ahead. It was a great turnout and fantastic to see so many people come out to show support for the community. We welcome two new people to the board of NACBS – Kirsty Pritchard, who was already heavily involved in the steering committee and registrar and brings years of project management experience, and Andrew Rigby, whose expertise is already proving invaluable for the future plans for the inn. We look forward to having them on the board for a long time to come. As per the benefit society rules, one of our board members had to step down and stand again for re-election, so we would like to welcome Duncan Craig back to the board as director of operations.

As the nights lengthen and the winds become to bite, we hope to see all of you at the inn to warm up over the coming weeks and months!

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