Wedding day 'dream' shattered

Couples who were planning to hold wedding celebrations at a popular Black Country venue earmarked for closure say they have been left high and dry.

Alister Morton and his fiancee Annie Roberts, 27, were looking forward to holding their wedding reception at Regis Banqueting Suite in Cradley Heath.

And Steve Turton and his wife Stephanie were due to hold their silver wedding anniversary celebrations at the Reddal Hill Road venue on February 9. Now both couples have been forced to book other venues after discovering that Sandwell Council is set to close the venue, also known locally as Regis Restaurant and Regis Hall, from February 1.

Steve says he has had to fork out cash for around 100 new invitations and has lost £200 on a deposit for a band and a DJ. He said: "If it wasn't for a woman from the Regis taking it upon herself to tell us it was closing we would never have known."

"The annoying thing is we haven't had any official news from the council. This is something we've been planning for two years. We had a friend coming from Sweden, who actually booked a flight, and now she can't make the new date. It's a real let down and it's cost us a lot of money."

Alister Morton and his fiancee will hold their reception at Stourbridge Rugby Club after failing to find another venue nearby. Alister, 32, of Netherton, said: "Being born and bred in Old Hill, it would have been really nice for us to hold our wedding reception there. "It would have been a dream come true."

Around 300 have signed a petition. The council will discuss the issue on January 16. Councillor Pauline Hinton said the two bookings were "provisional" as no deposits had been made.

* Have you been affected by the planned closure? Phone 01902 319550 or email [email protected]