Oswestry hotel and leisure chain hits trouble

A major hotel and leisure chain which includes Oswestry's Mclarens Fantastic Fun House was expected to be placed into administration today.

More than 75 American choir members attending Llangollen's eisteddfod were forced to leave one of the hotels, Wrexham's Wynnstay Arms Hotel, when it closed yesterday.

The woman behind Llangollen Hotels, Stephanie Booth, stressed today that Mclarens and the five other hotels in the chain would continue trading as normal and all bookings safeguarded.

She is one of the largest creditors having injected her own money into the company to pay staff.

The Mansfield University Concert Choir, from Pennsylvania, feared it would have nowhere to stay for the rest of the eisteddfod when it was told to leave the Wrexham hotel before 8am yesterday. But after an appeal the choir was given room at Telford's The International Hotel.

Peggy Dettwiler, choir director, said: "We have 78 people in the hotel and had got up for breakfast ready to go to the solo competition."

She said they were greeted by two men in black coats who asked the group to leave the hotel without breakfast.

"It was really out of this world. My students were worried it was a terrorist attack," she said.

A spokesman for the Llangollen Hotels said: "Following a winding up petition issued by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, Llangollen Hotels expects to be placed in administration later today or tomorrow.

"This has necessitated the immediate closure of leased premises The Wynnstay Arms Hotel and the Fantastic Fun Houses in both Mold and Wrexham, as a default on rent is unavoidable.