A POPULAR wedding venue in Menstrie, near Stirling, has collapsed into liquidation, after succumbing to the fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic.

Broomhall Castle, which can trace its history back to 1874 and was turned into a small hotel in 1985, offered function rooms, a restaurant and 17 en-suite bedrooms.

But trading was badly affected by the impact of Covid lockdowns, with debts accrued making the business no longer viable.

The business ceased trading following the appointment of administrators Ken Pattullo and Kenny Craig of Begbies on August 2, with all 12 staff being made redundant.

Mr Pattullo said: “It is sad to see the demise of this popular hotel after almost 40 years in business. Unfortunately, the hospitality sector was one of the worst affected by the disruption of the pandemic with the series of lockdowns over the last two years resulting in a significant loss of revenue.

“We are currently in the process of realising any assets we can to provide the best return for creditors, as well as liaising with anyone who has bookings at the hotel to advise them of the situation so that they can make alternative arrangements for their weddings.

"There are currently 18 weddings booked, almost all of which have been secured via credit cards, so these customers should be able to get their deposits reimbursed by the credit card companies.”