A Scottish catering firm has been awarded the contract for the revamped Sands Centre in Carlisle.
The complex’s £27 million transformation is set to be completed in the autumn and Hickory has been appointed as the exclusive catering partner for the venue for 10 years – its first outside of Scotland.
The venue – which will combine two existing sites at The Sands Centre and The Pools – will provide entertainment, leisure, swimming and eating and drinking facilities on a single site, with estimated yearly footfall of more than a million.
The Sands Centre’s catering facilities will include a new restaurant with a range of dining areas, a coffee shop with separate indoor seating, two downstairs bars, an upstairs bar and a large outdoor terrace.
Hickory will also offer bespoke catering packages for meetings, conferences, and celebrations in The Sands Centre’s flexible function rooms.
This latest success for Edinburgh-headquartered Hickory follows a string of business wins. It recently signed a partnership with the prestigious National Museum of Scotland to offer a range of food and drink experiences for the landmark venue’s private guests. It also recently gained a new contract to operate the hospitality at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, alongside working with Fringe by the Sea Festival for a second year running.
James McGarry, general manager of The Sands Centre, said: “We’re excited to be nearing completion on our multi-million-pound redevelopment. Our food and drink offering must be of the highest quality to reflect our new surroundings. That is why we’ve chosen Hickory as our exclusive catering partner. During the tender process, we were immediately attracted to their proposals for our extensive catering facilities and the expertise and enthusiasm of their people.
“Hickory clearly understands the wide range of customers that will visit The Sands Centre, the type of food and drink they will be looking for and the prestigious events we will be hosting. They also put a real emphasis on using the best local ingredients and treating staff well. We’re building a trusted relationship with Hickory and we’re pleased that our businesses share the same ethos. We’re really looking forward to working closely with Hickory in the months and years to come.”
In 2023, The Sands Centre will host 200 professional events with capacity for over 250,000 customers. As well as its programmed events and performances, the facility will be home to a number of sporting events of regional and national significance including regional swimming galas, sports specific tournaments and competitions.
The Sands Centre is operated by GLL in partnership with Carlisle City Council. Established in 1993, GLL is the largest UK-based charitable social enterprise delivering leisure, health and community services.
Operating under the Better brand, GLL manage 258 public sport and leisure centres, 113 libraries and 10 children’s centres in partnership with 50 local councils, public agencies and sporting organisations. GLL has 850,000 members and welcomes 46 million customer visits per year.
Hickory has scooped several awards, winning the accolade of Food and Drink Company of the Year at Insider’s Made in Scotland awards, and is a finalist in the Best Scottish (Independent Business) category at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards.
Hickory will continue to expand its outside bar and food festival-style service supporting large-scale events, which has, to date, included catering for the Borders Book Festival, Bars for the Genesis Scottish Open Golf Tournament in East Lothian and the Royal Highland Show.
It also delivers events at an extensive and eclectic portfolio of venues across Scotland, including the Assembly Rooms, Royal College of Physicians, Dovecot Studios, Newhall Estate and Neidpath Castle. It exclusively operates the new Cairns Farm Estate in the Pentland Hills and Eskmills Venue on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
