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!

NACBS have refocused our efforts to support the Lochranza County Inn (LCI) team. This is to ensure that new management is found to replace the imminent departure of Craig and Heather who will leave in mid July for opportunities elsewhere on the island. We would all like to thank Craig and

Heather for successfully opening the Inn and the kitchen to supply a much needed hospitality venue for visitors and locals alike.

Meanwhile a new chef, June, has joined to support the extended menu in the Bouguille bar accompanied by two further chefs to ensure meals are supplied at lunchtime as well as the evening. Beth has been joined by Peter in the front of house roles alongside Catherine and Michael as kitchen porters to ensuring a welcome face to those who have been able to visit the Inn. May and June proved great months for a steady stream of customer, however between the school holidays and the change of weather, everyone seems to have disappeared for the moment. Let us hope the tourists return with settled weather.

It is the intention of NACBS and LCI to appoint either a temporary management team or ideally if found a new management team. A recruitment team formed jointly of NACBS and LCI are working with an agency to deliver this end. Meanwhile on the development of the hotel, many small repairs have been made which were requested when the hotel was audited. Those who have been in the bar, may have noticed the second till appearing in the bar, our struggles with broadband speed delayed this until now and impacted speed of customer service. We remain to get the accounting system streamlined as was promised on delivery that is now due within the next couple of weeks. We are very grateful to Arran Electrical and Refrigeration for finding time in the recent heatwave to install a new cellar cooling system. The new unit ensures that our kegs are kept at a chilly 3 degrees. Work has started on relaying the outside steps and patio to make it flatter, safer and more visitor-friendly. We will also be installing anti-slip nosing and lighting down the steps. Quotes are being sought from local tradespeople to install commercial boarding in the dry store. This is above and beyond requirements from our recent Environmental Health visit, and will go some way to future-proofing the operation of the Inn. Some small but persistent leaks in the roof have been plugged, with repairs made around two of the chimneys. At the other end of the chimney, a survey was carried out on the stove in the bar, and we are all set for the new one to be fit in early August, ready for the first autumn chill.  Finally, the plans for the second floor have now been agreed with our architect. The drawings, which include changes to the wooden ramp from the first floor, will be submitted as part of a building warrant application in a few days. It is a sign of the commitment of the LCI and NACBS volunteers, that while several members have been absent over the last 2 weeks, other members rallied round to ensure support was provided to address the current challenges.

It is with regret that NACBS must announce the resignation of Craig and Heather Wood from the Lochranza Country Inn (LCI).

For those familiar with the Inn you will know that the realities of upgrading the building, opening the public bar and actually living on site, for a family, have proven very difficult.

The LCI Board will communicate their plan going forward in tandem with a new General Manager (GM), or GM team once appointed.

Also, as you will already have noticed on the website this will not include the offering of hotel rooms by the LCI. The rooms will serve to provide the much needed staff accommodation in the short term.

The recruitment process is underway and at the present time NACBS and LCI remain committed and optimistic that we can bounce back from this set-back.

Support from the community remains essential. Hospitality on the Island and across Scotland is facing extreme pressure as customer expectation and business realities place strains on all the individuals at the front of the offerings.

Some of you will have seen that the opening date for the Lochranza Country Inn (LCI) was not achieved.

In planning the opening, sadly it was not the obvious things that have caught us out it was the less obvious.

Equipment attrition has been higher than expected with several pieces of kitchen and bar equipment failing as they were brought back into service. Some of this had been anticipated and managed but not all. Modern standard of banking using electronic payment have been an obstacle course to get through which was one of the key lessons learnt last week. We also chose to improve the flooring critical to opening the kitchen area, which as many of you will know, once you start uninstalling a kitchen to lay flooring the task can becomes rather disheartening

overwhelming!

It should also not be forgotten that maintaining standards in an open business is different to opening a business that has been closed to the public – now three years.

One very tangible area is that the top floor. This use to house most employees of the hotel but the standard of accommodation would now even be accepted by students who have ensuite facilities in most if not all rooms. We must admit that upgrading this has been, and remains, our greatest

challenge.  It needs considerable investment to accommodate the employees of the LCI at present.

In addition the willingness of customers and employees to use litigation has increased dramatically. As one member of the team incurred a nasty fall on-site in the pursuit of progress,  we must address this before opening.

The actual opening date remains for the LCI to communicate but NACBS remain focused on the overall improvement of the asset purchased for the long term benefit of the community. The team, both NACBS and LCI, some remote to the island, continue to work tirelessly to open the hotel in a safe and responsible manner, and to address what will remain the greatest challenge of commencing guest accommodation in June.

The North Arran Community Benefit Society (NACBS) are pleased to report significant progress with the Community Inn.  As we move forward to a phased reopening, the recently formed Lochranza Country Inn Ltd (LCI) board are taking over the operational control of the new venture and will be responsible for the day to day management. As owners of the building, NACBS will continue to approve capital expenditure and refurbishment costs, as well as monitoring the finances of the new business. For the avoidance of doubt NACBS is a Charity whilst Lochranza Country Inn is a business.

NACBS have been delighted to welcome on board Craig and Heather Wood who have already made a substantial impact in driving the Community Inn forward. Further appointments will be communicated by LCI through social media.

NACBS continue to be indebted to our development officer, Dan Richardson, who has worked frantically delivering the schedule of work that is currently in process to achieve opening of each phase. Both parties (NACBS and LCI) had intended to open the Inn (Bougillie Bar) this coming Friday 28th April, however for safety reasons the opening has been delayed to the Bank Holiday weekend – Friday 5th May 2023.

When we first purchased the building with community support, NACBS were aware that we faced a number of challenges.  Much legislation has changed in recent years which has prevented us using all of the existing infrastructure.  Those local to the hotel will be aware of a flurry of local tradespeople helping to bring up to standard – flooring, fire doors, lighting, electrical fittings, plumbing, and heating.  Whilst we had hoped to retain much of the existing business, quite simply, legislation and practical cost efficiencies have driven considerable capital and operational expenditure.

We would like to record our appreciation to the community for their ongoing support and for hopefully understanding the reasons behind our delayed reopening. As you will expect we do have a responsibility to ensure that everything is in place for safe and effective operation. LCI and NACBS look forward to welcoming customers to the Inn from the 5th of May at the start of our staged reopening.

The NACBS now has charitable status under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. This required a slight change to our rules which have now been approved by the FCA
Our Share Offer Document has been recommended for approval for the award of the Community Shares Standards Mark. This has involved certain changes to the Business Plan and the Share Offer Document.
On Tuesday 8th of November, the share offer was launched at an open day at Lochranza and Catacol Village Hall and many of you dropped in to pick up the Share Offer Document and pay your Community Member fee of £1 and apply for some Contributor Shares. We have now registered 44 Community Members to date.
We are holding back on sending out Contributor Share Certificates until we hear about the grant situation. Their decision on this is imminent.
As a result, of some of the changes we have put up the latest versions of the Rules of the Society, Business Plan and Share Offer Document. None of these changes impact those of you who have already applied but you may wish to read the latest documents.
Thank you for your support.