A BARROW hotel boasting 51 bedrooms and a busy bar and restaurant has new management.

Lancaster Brewery has announced an internal promotion to fill the newly vacant general manager role at The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel.

Gemma Carradice, senior manager at Lancaster Brewery said: "Michelle Wood initially joined The Mill at Ulverston from The Abbey House hotel as our Restaurant Manager but soon found herself promoted to become General Manager in 2018.

“Now, after the recent retirement of our long term Duke GM, John Fisher, Michelle has been successful in beating a number of internal and external applicants to grab this plum role. We're thrilled to see what Michelle brings to the hotel, bar and restaurant."

Phil Simpson, director at Lancaster Brewery, showered Michelle with praise.

“Michelle has done great work at The Mill in Ulverston," he said.

"She's a local Cumbrian, steeped in the values of the area and she'll bring some new energy and fresh ideas into our beloved Duke. We plan on giving the place a lift, now we're finally out of Covid times, refurbish the bedrooms, and refresh our food and drink offer,” said Phil.

“We first bought the Duke in 2007, the place has changed somewhat since we arrived and we're approaching our 15 year anniversary, it's our prize possession and our biggest venue. It's a pretty special place now, but it's going to be even better in the weeks and months to come."

Michelle described the new role as an ‘exciting move’.

She said: “The Duke is a fantastic venue and really an exciting move for me. It's such a well known and busy place, our hotel rooms are pretty packed most of the year and we're getting busier by the week now in the bar and restaurant as the town climbs out of the Covid period.

“My job is to add some polish to the food and drink, a little more sparkle to the accommodation and basically get the whole place buzzing. While the established qualities of the Duke will remain, I hope people start to spot all the little improvements I have planned."