Marina Pavilion taken on by Lightening Leisure

Dynamic new hospitality group Lightening Leisure Ltd has signed a deal with economic development company Sea Space to take on Marina Pavilion, on St Leonards seafront, as a high quality venue. Lightening Leisure will brand the venue ‘Azur at The Marina Pavilion.’

Lightening Leisure is a new company set up to run Marina Pavilion by entrepreneurial duo David Thorpe-Tracey and Allison McQueen-Luzar. David Thorpe-Tracey was a founding director of West Ham United Hospitality Ltd, the hospitality arm of the well-known football club. Allison McQueen-Luzar is one of the UK’s top complementary medicine consultants, having owned and run a successful clinic for the last 18 years.

Lightening Leisure will run Azur as a landmark restaurant, entertainment, wedding and conference venue, beach-front bistro café and state-of-the-art complementary health and beauty suite clinic using the latest technologies. The number for people to call with any enquiries about Azur is 0845 812 1066.

The company’s first step will be to fit out the interior of the facility. The fit-out works will be carried out by Hastings-based Chameleon Refurbishments Ltd over the spring and summer.

David Thorpe-Tracey, Chief Executive of Lightening Leisure, says: “The Marina Pavilion is a superb seafront location. It has stunning views over the sea towards Beachy Head and will be a fantastic place for us to run our latest operation.”

Helene Møgelhøj, Destination Development Manager at Sea Space, comments: “Lightening Leisure is an exciting company to take on Marina Pavilion. The team brings a wealth of experience and I see it setting a new quality benchmark for coastal hospitality businesses for the twenty-first century – not just in Hastings but nationally. It will be a venue for all parts of the community and will add greatly to the redevelopment of St Leonards, attracting visitors from across the town and the wider area.”

History of Marina Pavilion: The venue, originally known as the Sun Lounge, was built in the 1930s as a seafront café and function rooms. It was a popular facility until the end of the twentieth century when it fell into disrepair, before finally closing in November 2003. Sea Space took it on from Hastings Borough Council in 2005 and has since undertaken a complex series of renovation and extension works. This included the creation of a high quality new restaurant space at promenade level with striking coloured glass walls. The renovation works were partly funded by the EU.

For more press information, please contact:
• Tariq Khwaja from TK Associates on 07833 336 271 or
tariq.khwaja@tk-associates.com
• Allison McQueen-Luzar on 07843 589 011 or dthorpetracey@aol.com

Tuesday, 26th February, 2008