ONE of the North East’s leading wedding venues has invested in adding a new dimension to the business by opening an on-site hair and beauty salon.

The opening of the upmarket ‘Olive & Orchard’ salon represents a £600,000 investment at South Causey Inn, in County Durham, and has created five jobs.

The popular family-run hotel and restaurant, located a few miles from the world-famous Beamish Museum, caters for around 400 weddings a year, and has more than 50 rooms.

(Image: Belle Studio) Managing Director Susan Moiser said: “South Causey Inn has a reputation for constantly reinventing itself and expanding, and this is the latest example of that philosophy.

“We specialise in weddings – everything from micro-weddings to accommodating up to 200 guests – so we felt that having our own luxury hair and beauty salon on site was the perfect addition to the business.

“It means the bride and other guests can arrive at the hotel on the morning of the wedding and go into the salon to get ready without any hassles on their big day.

“However, it’s not just there for our weddings customers, the aim is to also provide a great experience for anyone who wants to spoil themselves!”

(Image: Belle Studio) The salon’s name reflects the fact that 33,000 trees have been planted in the hotel grounds this year, in association with The Woodland Trust. They include olive trees as well as an orchard with apple and pear trees, plus 30,000 daffodil bulbs.

With the hotel focusing on sustainability across its 110-acre site, it has recently been presented with a Northumbria in Bloom gold award for the third year running.

Two hairdressers and two beauticians, with a wealth of experience, have been recruited for the new branch of the business, along with a receptionist.

The hotel was opened in July 1990 by Susan’s parents, Jean and Jim Gibson, with Susan and her husband, Phil, taking over the business in 2007, and running it with their four children – Katy, Frances, Harriet and Douglas.

Since then, it has expanded into a major wedding, conference and function venue with a creative flair.

Known for its quirkiness, it also features heated dining pods as well as a restaurant, hot tubs, pets’ corner, dog walks, an antique shop, a London bus that doubles as a bedroom, and a fire engine that serves as a bar.

The latest addition, the Olive & Orchard salon, has been built in an elegant barn-style setting within the site’s former equestrian stable block. Managed by Harriet, it offers hairdressing, make-up, eye and nail care, facials, massages, and other luxury spa treatments.

(Image: Belle Studio) “We’ve become so much more than a hotel and restaurant business – we are a high street within ourselves,” added Susan. “We never stop looking to the future, and the hair and beauty salon has given us another exciting dimension.”

(Image: Belle Studio)