Hello to all our friends and supporters. I thought this would be a good time to update everyone on how things are at Wiston Lodge. Firstly, we hope everyone is safe and well. We are looking forward to having all our regular groups back, as well as new visitors.
Wiston Lodge closed as we followed lockdown to protect our staff and the public. Currently the majority of our staff remain furloughed, as we put in place measures to maintain the safety of our guests and staff alike.
Many of our guests have been incredibly patient with us, preferring to delay visits until later in the year rather than cancel. We must, however, ask for additional patience while we look at staffing ratios, additional training and further measures to make Wiston Lodge as safe as it can be for everyone.
We are taking enquiries over the telephone and email as normal. If anyone requires a visit to the house or estate prior to a booking, we ask that they contact us in advance so we can ensure safety. We will meet visitors outside, and where indoor access is required, we ask our guests to bring face coverings, observe social distancing and sanitise hands. All persons entering the building will be temperature-checked and a log taken to support track and trace. This will be in line with general data protection policy which means this information is kept for 21 days and then destroyed.
Although our staff are furloughed, work has continued with our main projects. The replacement to the Little Lodge facility, funded by Clyde Windfarm and Leader, is well underway including a suite of toilets and showers. This will be a welcome addition to the facilities on offer, with the increased ability to safely work with a wider range of groups. The modern facilities will be much easier to maintain and will enable day guests to visit independent of the main house. The building team, who were also furloughed through the height of the pandemic, are now working hard to complete at the earliest opportunity. We will update our social media to keep you informed of their progress.
Thanks to previous fundraising and donations, work to repair the roof of the main lodge resumed at the start of June and we expect this to be completed within the next eight weeks. This is the first phase of essential maintenance conducted by local builders to ensure the continued safeguarding of our much loved building.
Since March our business has suffered many cancellations and postponements – but what has kept us going has been the support of many of our friends. We are hugely grateful for support given by groups who have made donations, and also the encouraging messages we’ve received.
Our hope is to present to you a stripped back version of Wiston Lodge, with some improvements. We will have to put into storage much of our furniture to match government guidelines, and we’ve stashed the coffee machine away for now. However, we are keen not to lose the welcoming environment of Wiston Lodge and hope to see you back through the door at the earliest opportunity.
We are taking enquiries case-by-case for accommodation, and hope to be able to advise soon about group visits. Please get in touch if you would like to enquire about bookings for our cabins in the near future.
Kind regards,
Jonny Sutherland
Managing Director