Old Meets New As Wensleydale Creamery Invests In Office Barn Conversion
Aug 08, 2011
The Wensleydale Creamery, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, has invested part of its prize from the HSBC Business Thinking initiative in renovating an historic traditional Dales barn on the Creamery site into a state-of-the-art meeting facility.
In November 2010 the Creamery was announced as one of two regional winners in an HSBC initiative to find the UK’s most innovative and forward-thinking companies. The value of the prize was £43,000.
The refurbished barn still retains its original facade and traditional characteristics such as cast iron guttering. However, the interior has been updated with bespoke furniture, audio-visual equipment, fibre-optic links to the main Creamery building, sky-light windows and a concealed refreshment centre.
The meeting room will be made available for local and community organisations to utilise as well as Creamery staff. The facilities of the Visitor Centre, which recently underwent a £800,000 investment, and its Calvert’s Restaurant and 1897 Coffee shop are also available to users.
David Hartley, The Wensleydale Creamery’s managing director, said: “We were very proud to be one of the winners of this prestigious initiative and a lot of time and thought was put into how to make the most of the prize.
“The barn dates back many hundreds of years and the exterior remains the same but inside it is modern and bright with up-to-date equipment and a really good ambience which is conducive to a great working environment.”
Mark Vines, HSBC’s Regional Commercial Director for Yorkshire and the North East, commented: “The Wensleydale Creamery was chosen as a regional winner of our Business Thinking 2010 initiative thanks to the truly innovative approach David and his team had taken to move the business forward, addressing the challenges faced by all businesses during the recent recession head on.
“This exciting development shows the Creamery is not resting on its laurels since winning the initiative, instead choosing to invest for future business growth.”
