1 week Ago By [email protected] (Yasmin Sarwar)
A new Cheshire wedding venue has opened its doors. The Cheshire Venue, located at School Farm in Sandbach, has undergone seven months of strenuous renovations to get the place ready for people to celebrate their special day since March this year. Former air hostess Judy and dairy farmer husband John Colclough, along with their two sons, James and Teddie Colclough, bought School Farm in October 2023 after Cheshire East Council launched its Rural Grant Scheme, a project to encourage the creation and growth of improvements and expansions of rural leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses.
The family decided to take full advantage of this as they owned a neighbouring working dairy farm, Bank Farm, where John and James take care of a herd of 400 cows alongside the new venture. The multi-purpose venue is located in Hassell in Sandbach, and can accommodate from 15 up to 300 people (and dogs) depending on what they would like for their event. The Cheshire Venue consists of four different spaces; Teddie’s Barn - which was opened for private events at the start of this year - the Twilight Loft, the Tipi Field and The House at School Farm.
Oh So Sweets founder, Lucy Gill, who is also the Director of events, marketing and planning at The Cheshire Venue, said: “Back in March, Judy began to look at plans and came up with a vision. The events industry took a massive hit during Covid, and many businesses didn’t survive, so 15 businesses including Oh So Sweet were contracted in to create a one-stop shop for customers, putting money back into the economy. “Connor’s Building Services and a local architect have worked with Judy to create this amazing venue.
It has a high end look without losing that rustic, country feel. We’ve used natural colours of sage as well as keeping the Juliet balcony, the exposed beams, the brickwork and the trapdoor in the Twilight Loft. “We’re a massive believer of businesses supporting businesses, so we’re going to be hosting wreath making experiences, networking events, ‘Women With A Vision’ networking events, conferences and corporate functions, baby showers, parties, a Lapland experience in December - we want to cater for everyone, both locally and further afield.
We’re not just a venue for weddings, and clients can personalise all events however they like. There’s nowhere like it in the world. “The House at School Farm has seven bedrooms across three-storeys, and all rooms have an en-suite.
There’s a luxurious dressing room for doing makeup on the day of the wedding, and there’s a big open fireplace outside and a pizza oven with stunning views of the Tipi Field. Each suite is named after something in the garden, for example the Magnolia Suite, because Judy loves gardening. There’s a minimum two-night stay, and it will be available on Airbnb so it can be hired on its own when there are no events on, and we can create a bespoke and unique experience for our guests.
“As I previously mentioned, Judy loves gardening, so people can choose a bouquet of their choice to add their own personalised touch. Kelly from Blush is moving her business to the barns outside. And we’re making a bachelor’s barn too, because most venues focus on making the experience perfect for the bride, so there’ll be a darts board, a pool table, a mini fridge, and basically we’re creating an area for the groom and his friends during the ceremony.
Everything is bespoke to what people need and require. We’re hoping to have Glamping Pods next year, too.” James Colclough, who’s also still dairy farming and DJs on the side, added: “We’re happy to spread the cost of people’s weddings and events as long as they’ve fully paid 35 days before their event.
It’s great because we can make the spaces perfect for everyone, so for smaller, more intimate events there might be 15 people celebrating in the Twilight Loft, and then for bigger events there’s the Tipi Field. The idea is to have a few tipis that all face each other, so one would have the dancefloor, one could host the sit down meals, another could host a buffet, etc.” NEWSLETTER: Sign up for CheshireLive email direct to your inbox here.
