Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak has praised a North Yorkshire farming family’s entrepreneurial spirit after visiting one of Yorkshire’s largest wedding venues, created through the diversification of a working farm.
Mr Sunak visited High Brockholme Barns at Danby Wiske, near Northallerton, where the Hugill and Scaife families have transformed former farm buildings into a thriving wedding and events venue.
Opened two years ago, the business now attracts couples from across northern England and beyond. The venue can host up to 300 guests and offers on-site accommodation for up to 64 people, while also providing a base for the family’s successful mobile bars business.
After touring the venue, Mr Sunak praised the family’s investment and ambition.
“Seeing how the family have developed this business in just two years is inspirational,” he said.
“They have shown real entrepreneurial adventure. The investment has been sizeable but it is good to see how it is paying off for them now.”
The Hugill family has farmed High Brockholme for a century, with three generations caring for the land. Originally a mixed dairy farm, the business has evolved over the years while continuing to farm the surrounding land through a share farming arrangement.
The diversification project saw former agricultural buildings converted into an events barn featuring a ceremony room, alongside a six-bedroom farmhouse sleeping up to 12 guests, four three-bedroom holiday units and a honeymoon suite.
The venture is run by Alan and Rachel Scaife, with Rachel’s parents, Heather and Tony Hugill, playing an integral role in the business.
Before launching High Brockholme Barns, Alan and Rachel built up extensive experience in hospitality, running a mobile bars business and operating the Arden Arms at Atley Hill, near Scorton, for five years.
Rachel said the inspiration for the venue came from the couple’s own wedding, held in a marquee at the farm in 2014.
“That day we realised how much work was involved in creating the perfect space for a wedding and how beautiful the rural backdrop of High Brockholme would be for other couples,” she said.
She said convincing her parents to diversify the farm had been the next challenge before planning permission was secured and work began in 2023.
High Brockholme Barns welcomed its first wedding in the summer of 2024.
“We love the planning and getting to know our couples as much as we do executing the wedding itself,” Rachel added.
“We want couples to be able to enjoy our little corner of Yorkshire in a relaxed and private setting while creating memories that last a lifetime.”
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