HOLDING wedding ceremonies in the magnificent setting of Towneley Hall. Burnley, looks like remaining something of a lottery, museum chiefs have been told.

The investment in new facilities, licence fees and staff time, would be considerable, museum officers say.

And it would take a successful bid for National Lottery funding to get some facilities in place.

In a report to councillors, they add: "At present demand would not be sufficient to cover the investment." Last year it became possible for venues other than registry offices to carry out wedding ceremonies, a move which led to a rush of licence applications from many hotels.

The report to this week's meeting of the council recreation committee says a licence from the county council would cost £650, but Towneley would probably meet the required conditions. It adds that only one museum in the North West has been licensed - Tullie House in Carlisle, which has so far attracted only two bookings.

The report states that the new civil marriage arrangements appear to be more suited to country house hotels with full facilities, rather than museums.

The report says, however, a wedding reception will be held at Towneley as an experiment later in the year.

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