Doxford Group to expand accommodation offer with £5.7m funding

The Doxford Group has secured a £5.7m financial package from NatWest to support the expansion of its weddings, private events and accommodation business.

The Northumberland-based hospitality group currently manages weddings, events and overnight stays at Charlton Hall Estate (pictured above) and Doxford Barns near Alnwick.

A new 15-bedroom hotel, restaurant and bar will open at Charlton Hall in early 2023, while Doxford Barns will gain seven new bedrooms and a bridal boutique by late 2022 as a result of the seven-figure deal.

Richard Shell, owner and director of the Doxford Group, had once been a summer intern at the NatWest Group in Edinburgh.

He said: “This is a monumental moment for the Doxford Group as it allows us to deliver on the short-term projects we’ve been working on for several months, including the launch of our new hotel at Charlton Hall Estate making it a leisure destination in Northumberland like no other as well as our plans to develop Doxford Barns to enhance what we have built over the past seven years.

"Our plans will generate 40 new jobs within The Doxford Group which is great for the county.

Mark Gubbins, group finance director at the Doxford Group, added: “This deal is the culmination of several months work and to have secured such funding as the hospitality sector recovers from the pandemic, and faces new challenges, is testimony to the offering that we possess at Doxford."