A MALVERN couple who planned their wedding reception at a hotel hit by financial woes could be left £2,000 out of pocket – but their big day should still be going ahead after they were inundated with kind offers of alternate venues.

The Bank House Hotel at Bransford has been placed in the hands of joint liquidators CMB Partners and another firm.

A management company are now running the hotel under licence.

But the hotel’s troubles left husband and wife-to-be Gemma Humphries and Nick Lancett, of Moat Crescent, Malvern, to deal with the fallout as its short-term future is thrashed out.

They had already paid two cheques for venue hire and catering for £2,070 – money which there is little chance of them seeing again according to the liquidators. They could have hung on to see if the hotel is still trading by their wedding day on Saturday, July 28, but decided not to take the chance and cancelled the venue.

Miss Humphries said they have been inundated with offers from venues across the county following their decision.

The couple are currently weighing up their options and expect to have a venue confirmed in the next couple of days.

In June last year the couple paid a deposit of £500 to the then owners Brook Hotels No2 Ltd (now Albermarle Hotels No2 Ltd).

In March, after Miss Humphries had heard staff had not been paid earlier in the year, she says that hotel management assured her it was business as usual, so she handed over another cheque for £1,570.

“I said ‘is everything going to be ok, before I pay this next bit of money?’”

said Miss Humphries.

“They told us everything would be honoured which we had already booked.”

Because the couple have paid their money to Albermarle they will now have to join the long list of creditors trying to claw back money from the failed business.

Meanwhile, Devon Lane Management Ltd – a separate firm appointed by the liquidators – is running the hotel and keeping the doors open.

The liquidators are now in the process of selling off the company assets. Terry Campbell, partner at CMB, said anyone in a similar situation with a booking should apply to CMB for a statement of claim form, so they could be added to the creditor list.