Yep indeedy. It was thirty years ago that Kevin Charity founded The Coaching Inn Group, which is now led by his son Adam Charity. There are 46 such Inns around the country, and it might have been thought that they wouldn’t survive after the coach and horses, which ferried people from one end of the country to the other, were replaced by trains, and then cars. But Kevin Charity realised the importance of preserving what had been a vital source of hospitality in earlier times. So steadily he re-vamped many of our Inns keeping a sense of tradition, comfort and familiarity, together with excellent service, wonderful dining, splendidly comfortable bedrooms, and always a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Typically the group decided to celebrate 30 years of success with the customers in mind.
In no time at all, Sam and Dominic were taking to the road with the marketing team – and the duck – to celebrate with the clientele at each of the hotels and finally reached Thirsk. They promptly blew up the duck – well, not that sort of blew up, but ‘inserted air’ blow up. There was a tombola with vouchers for The Golden Fleece Hotel food, drink or whatever. There was a competition offering several free nights, and – roll of drums – our very own Victoria Herrington, Duty Manager, painted faces – oh yes she did – with the permission of the paintees of course! Here is the lovely Mimi who was a duck for the day.
But a little more about our own The Golden Fleece Hotel which is now much more than a change of horses, but is to many the friendly heart of this small market town and a regular meeting place for coffee with Maltesers, inside or out, drinks, dining, and comfortable rooms. Indeed, The Golden Fleece Hotel bustles with locals and tourists alike. Some of the tourists are on their way to explore the James Herriot countryside and museum which is a short walk from the hotel,and of course, there is horseracing during the season – oh the frocks and fascinators… There are business meetings, weddings, and special occasions… On and on it goes.
But hang on, if you are concerned about the safety of the duck sitting patiently outside The Golden Fleece Hotel – don’t be. The Thirsk Duck Wardens looked after it. You see, the Wardens do the same for the real Thirsk ducks during the summer evenings when they waddle (the ducks, not the wardens) from the beck to the Market Square with the wardens alongside to slow the traffic. Our ducks, you see, are escaping the predatory mink, who take the ducklings as night falls – how very dare they. The volunteer Wardens, in their hi-viz jackets remain at their post until about midnight, when the Square grows quiet, and the ducks and ducklings are asleep on the cobbles near The Golden Fleece Hotel. At dawn they waddle back until the ducklings have sufficient feathers to fly, then they are off to the reservoir or wherever they fancy. As you can imagine, guarding a solitary duck, big though it is, was frankly a doddle.
It was a fabulous day, much enjoyed by us all. Happy Anniversary The Coaching Inn Group.
