A FAMILY from Crosby have swapped the muddy shores of the Mersey in favour of St Annes' sands and are describing their new life as hoteliers in the Fylde as a "breath of fresh air."

Barbara and Colin Godfrey purchased the Elsinghurst Hotel, Derbe Road, St. Annes in November last year and are planning to refurbish the hotel in the near future.

The former hotel owner Mrs June Leatham is currently relaxing and enjoying her free time but plans to return to her former work at special needs schools.

Paul Barrasford of Christie & Co who handled the sale revealed: "Initially, the Godfreys plan to run the Elsinghurst Hotel along the same 'warm welcome' lines as June Leatham. In due course, however, the new owners look set to refurbish the hotel alongside developing the trade in line with the potential of a 20 bedroom hotel ideally located between the promenade and town centre."

The new owners from Merseyside have bundles of hospitality experience after working for a large catering firm for more than 15 years.

Barbara Godfrey told The Citizen how they were getting on: "We used to manage some of the Beefeater chain of pubs and restaurants where we lived and are finding it very relaxing to work for ourselves for a change.

"We were originally looking for a hotel in Blackpool but after visiting St Annes we thought it would be better for us as a family as we have two young children and it is such a lovely area."

Barbara was also asked about any refurbishment plans in store for the hotel: "We are planning to refurbish the entire hotel and all of its 20 bedrooms to a uniform standard with new carpets, curtains and so on. At present we are just pricing everything up."

The Elsinghurst Hotel was sold for an undisclosed figure against an asking price of £225,000.