Bright future for Wimborne as licence approved
30th April 2010
Wimborne’s future looks bright after Deans Court was granted a licence for holding a handful of strictly controlled events each year. East Dorset District Council’s licensing committee have approved the licence with 68 conditions. Two large (over 1000 people) and four small events can be held in the historic house and gardens annually.
Owner Sir William Hanham says: “We are delighted and want to assure the public in no uncertain terms that the types of events we plan are civilised, well controlled, aimed at families and people who respect residents’ quality of life. Deans Court is a valuable amenity to the town. Improved access to Deans Court will mean improved cultural tourism for Wimborne. For the last 35 years Deans Court has provided people with a magical escape from the hurly burly of every day life and this weekend we look forward to opening again for the National Gardens Scheme. Our new licence now means we can serve lunch with a glass of wine in the garden as well as our traditional teas – all prepared by Masterchef’s Jez Barfoot. It’s not in our interest to kill the goose which lays the golden egg.”
An agreed strategy will provide a management plan to ensure residents are not disturbed. In particular, fears regarding noise levels have been allayed as none of the events can have music as the main focus.
The Feast of Dorset food festival has already shot to national prominence winning a national award in its first year, 2009. Sir William received numerous complimentary letters with no complaints from residents. Town traders reported a surge in sales and all local cash machines ran out of money. An impressive range of celebrity chefs is lined up for this year’s FoD (September 18-19) which was featured in The Independent newspaper on 28th April in a round up of the UK’s best food festivals this summer.
Deans Court opens its doors through out the summer as part of the National Gardens Scheme with some proceeds going to the town’s Victoria Hospital. It is open 2-3 May, 30-31 May, 2 June, 9 June, 29-30 August.
