January weddings at Gretna Green have been postponed and hotels closed as a major Dumfriesshire employer reacts to Scotland’s second lockdown.
The family business, Gretna Green Ltd, said the temporary closures have been made with “a tremendously heavy heart”.
The move into Level 4 restrictions saw chairman Alasdair Houston and his team shut the Famous Blacksmiths Shop Retail and Visitor Attraction.
And now, lockdown has forced the business – which has led the wedding industry in Scotland’s marriage mecca for more than 135 years – to take a further step.
A statement from the business said: “We are now announcing the temporary closure of Smiths and Gretna Hall hotels, and the postponement of all weddings which were due to take place in the month of January.”
It cited the “safety of our colleagues, visitors and wedding couples” as the deal breaker on whether or not to continue under the lockdown restrictions.
The statement added: “While Scottish Government guidelines do allow us to continue to both conduct weddings and provide accommodation for wedding couples and their guests – albeit with new, reduced numbers – we feel a strong social responsibility to protect our colleagues, customers and our community.
“Our wedding team is working with all our couples, individually, to move their weddings to a safer date in the future and offering our full support throughout this difficult situation and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their kind messages, comments and understanding over the past nine months.
“We look forward to welcoming back all our visitors, wedding couples and their guests when it is safe to do so.”
Their online shopping business is still operating.
Another nearby business and major employer, Gretna Gateway Retail Outlet Centre, has also temporarily closed its doors again to meet lockdown restrictions.
