Telford college buys county hotel
Telford will become a leading light in training teenagers for a career in the hospitality industry after a hotel was bought by a college.
New College Telford has purchased The Whitehouse Hotel in Watling Street, Wellington.
It will continue to run as normal but will also be used by the college to train students in hospitality and catering.
The sale also includes AFC Telford United's west stand, which is attached to the hotel.
Teenagers will be able to get hands-on experience of how a hotel runs on a day-to-day basis.
The new National Hotel School will open in September.
College principal Garry Phillips would not reveal how much had been paid to take the hotel out of receivership.
He said: "We got it at the rate that hotels are going for at the moment."
He added: "We're starting off in September with our higher education award in events management, then there will be the traditional hospitality and catering courses.
"The other things we'll be looking at are around sports performance because we have got an affiliation with the football club.
"The hotel has leisure facilities like the swimming pool."
Jenny Wynn, a governor at New College, said it would mean Telford would lead the way in training in the hospitality sector.
She said: "Garry is very entrepreneurial. He's looked at what's needed in the wider economy.
"This is another example of Telford leading the way and seeing what's necessary.
"One in 14 jobs in the UK are in the hospitality sector. This addresses the need very well."
The hotel will be run by Redefine, which manages hotels across the country.
Maxine Sutton, for the firm, said a hotel school is new for Redefine.
She said: "This is completely different. It's a commercial hotel that will continue to operate as a commercial hotel but it will also give students an opportunity for work-related experience and training.
"They will be looking at front of house and back of house. We will have training kitchens and facilities for them to progress.
"It could lead onto working in five star hotels or running their own businesses if that's what they want to do.
"There is always a risk but we have taken due diligence and we'll make it work."
