The latest news from both counties NEW £2 MILLION WEDDING AND EVENTS VENUE TO LAUNCH IN THE COTSWOLDS A new £2 million state-of-the-art events and wedding venue is to launch in the Cotswolds. Midlands-based property development and investment company The Wigley Group has formed a joint venture with leading National Hunt racehorse trainer Ben Pauling to establish The Naunton Downs Estate at his base near Cheltenham. The company has planning consent for the 5,000 sq ft barn which will cater for exclusive weddings, family celebrations, and corporate and racing events and is planning to start construction in 2023 with completion scheduled for the second half of 2024. Pauling moved to a new state-of-the-art yard last April after buying the 200-acre site which also includes a golf course and a dining, entertainment and artisan retail venue. The joint venture will also invest around £300,000 in upgrading the existing venue – which is currently also home to the Fitzdares Club – and golfing facilities. Pauling, who moved his operations to Naunton in Gloucestershire from Bourton Hill Farm last year, said: “We are really excited to move this forward and to have formed the new partnership with The Wigley Group. They are a company we have got to know very well and they are very much embedded in the racing world as well as having a track record of commercially successful developments. “Purchasing Naunton Downs and creating the new yard was a real game changer for us as a racing business but the site has much more potential. We are in a great location in the heart of an area of outstanding natural beauty yet easily accessible from London and close to Cheltenham. The existing dining and entertainment venue and Fitzdares Club are well established as luxury destinations and we believe there is significant potential for a luxury venue in this location that can cater for a wide range of events – personal, business and racing-related.” There will be a very strong focus on quality and sustainability with, for example, extensive partnerships with local suppliers and businesses, www.nauntondowns.co.uk RAISE A TOAST To World Gin Day on 10th June 2023. Why not enjoy it with a glass of the award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin which is a full-strength spirit made with nine carefully-considered botanicals including lavender from the Cotswolds and freshly peeled grapefruit and lime zest? Due to the unusually high volume of botanicals that are used, the gin causes a pearlescent cloud to appear when ice and tonic are added. A juniper-led gin with fresh citrusy notes, it’s priced at £34.95 from www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/products/cotswolds-dry-gin NEWS Nearlywed UK ROAD TRIPS OFFER RENTAL HOMES WITH A SUPERCAR IN THE COTSWOLDS Take a road trip to remember in a Ferrari F8 Spider or Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante on one of the UK’s stunning driving routes – from the quintessential Cotswolds to coastal routes through Dorset and Devon. StayOne - the community of like-minded owners and guests of the top percentage of the world’s finest properties - has partnered with private members’ supercar club, Auto Vivendi, with supercars delivered to, or collected from any StayOne home in the UK or Auto Vivendi Club Hub. A Lechlade-based property sleeping up to eight guests in four bedrooms is included in the offering. This charming home with its contemporary glass façade revealing spectacular views of the surrounding lakes has an open-plan living area occupying the split-level ground floor. A wood-fired fireplace separates the living room from the beautifully presented dining and kitchen area that’s fully equipped with all modern conveniences. On the higher split level, there’s a dedicated TV room and a large en-suite double bedroom, both with two-sided glass walls to the outdoor spaces, while three further bedrooms are located on the first floor, all with en-suite facilities and two-sided glass walls offering stunning views of the lake. A large open roof terrace entered via an electric skylight door at the top of the staircase reveals 360-degree panoramic views. To find out more and to book, visit www.stayone.com LOCAL NEWS 9
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