Open Air Business June/July 2018
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
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FUNCTION VENUES<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
The Fire<br />
Pit Camp<br />
An eclectic mix of spaces creates an<br />
intriguing venue centered around a<br />
‘warehouse’ with a 10m long bar<br />
We talk to sisters Rachel Hughes-Green and Sarah Hughes-Wade about their ‘not a barn’<br />
venue that features a double decker bus named Lelia, a woven hazel bridal suite dome<br />
and enough magic and mystery to create unforgettable events for guests.<br />
When did you start your venue<br />
business and what is its history?<br />
The Firs is a seven acre small<br />
holding in the heart of Norfolk. It<br />
has been a family home for nearly<br />
20 years. We have managed our<br />
home-grown glamping business<br />
for several years and are now fully<br />
licensed for weddings and civil<br />
ceremonies onsite.<br />
Tell us about your location<br />
and site<br />
We are nestled between two lovely<br />
market towns, Dereham and<br />
“OUR VENUE<br />
IS TRULY<br />
UNIQUE WITH<br />
WE BELIEVE<br />
THE ONLY<br />
WAREHOUSE<br />
VENUE IN<br />
NORFOLK –<br />
IT IS NOT A<br />
BARN!”<br />
Swaffham, 40 minutes from the<br />
beautiful North Norfolk coast and<br />
both half an hour from Kings Lynn<br />
and the fab city of Norwich.<br />
Our venue is truly unique with,<br />
we believe, the only warehouse<br />
venue in Norfolk – it is not a barn!<br />
Inside the warehouse you will<br />
find a 10 metre long cocktail bar,<br />
hand made out of pallets with a<br />
black high gloss finish, polished<br />
concrete floor and industrial metal<br />
walls; the festoon lights which<br />
hang from the ceiling reflect very<br />
nicely! Our outside ceremony<br />
room has beautiful lighting too<br />
with hundreds of tiny fairy lights<br />
hanging from the rustic timber<br />
frame building out in the camping<br />
meadow, which we often style<br />
with beautiful boho candlesticks,<br />
macramé, dreamcatchers, vases of<br />
flowers and grasses.<br />
Our retro 1970s double decker<br />
bus is a great hit as a chill out<br />
area or karaoke station, and our<br />
very cute mini glen caravan works<br />
fantastically well as a DIY photo<br />
booth. The only challenge really<br />
is for clients to decide which<br />
space they want to use for their<br />
ceremony or event! All the rustic,<br />
vintage tables and benches come<br />
with the site.<br />
What facilities for outdoor<br />
functions do you offer?<br />
There is our outside ceremony<br />
room with bench seating for 120<br />
guests, our lean-to space next<br />
to the warehouse which is an<br />
undercover outside space for<br />
a little bit of extra shelter, and<br />
our incredible warehouse space<br />
including the cocktail bar and<br />
vintage American pool table with<br />
wheel barrow lighting and lounge<br />
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 17
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