Preston wedding venue offers virtual tours for couples

The live stream will act as an opening evening, taking viewers through the grounds and around their lit up Shepherd's huts.

Sharon Jones, Hall Director at the 14th century home, hopes that the tour, streamed through Instagram's IGTV feature, will encourage engaged couples to consider booking their special day with them in the future.

"I have done this voluntarily, and will be lighting up the huts and garden areas to show people how amazing the hall can look on their special day," she said.

"The live stream has a feature so I can answer any questions people have about spending their wedding with us.

"Should anyone want a private virtual tour, we can do that for them whenever. It's a great way for people to see our venue whilst in the comfort of their own homes. For us, it is a case of sitting back and waiting because we are still taking bookings."

Sharon, who has worked at the award winning venue for 20 years, has said that despite lockdown restrictions, no wedding bookings have been cancelled and have instead been moved to a later date.

The once-family home, built in 1325, is undergoing difficulty like many other wedding venues during the coronavirus lockdown.

"Our income that keeps our hall open comes from happy couples wanting to spend their day with us, so that has stopped completely," said Sharon.

"At this moment in time we are running on virtually nothing and only have our groundsmen looking after the building.

"The support that we get from our customers means we can give it back to them in the future. They will still be able to have the best day of their lives, just not now."

The live tour can be streamed at 8.30pm on Friday from their instagram page @samlesburyhall.