A COUPLE have achieved their dream and taken over the running of an award-winning guest house.

Brendan Sutherland and Josie Price are the new owners of Wilsons of Haworth.

They have relocated from London to take-on the West Lane business.

Support, in the form of a six-figure sum, has been provided by Royal Bank of Scotland.

Both Brendan and Josie have acquired the four-star five-bedroom guest house after developing successful careers in the food and hospitality industry.

Yorkshire-born Brendan was a chef at the Ritz before moving on to manage recruitment for a large hospitality brand in central London.

And Josie worked as a marketing manager for restaurant group, Cote Brasserie.

Together they are looking to expand the food and beverage offering at the guest house and maintain the acclaimed status of the premises, which – under the previous ownership – were recently named Best Hotel in the UK by Hotels Combined.

“We had dreamed of owning a hotel/guest house one day in West Yorkshire as my family reside here,” said Brendan.

“It’s where I was born and grew-up, so I’m delighted to be back and bringing Josie with me.”

He said running such a business had long been their ambition, but the move had come a little sooner than intended.

“We decided to bring our plans forward and embark on this lifestyle change at a younger age,” he added.

“I’m in my late 20s and Josie’s in her early 30s, so we have plenty of passion and energy to build-up the business and put our own stamp on it.

“We are hugely grateful for the support Royal Bank of Scotland has given us to make this venture of ours happen.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in the kitchen and producing quality food that is locally sourced.

“We are already buying our meat from down the road and using local produce and products wherever possible.

“Over the next 12 to 18 months, we intend to really put our business on the map by building-up a reputation for fantastic food and beverage.”

Andrew Matley, senior relationship manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, said it was delighted to be providing support.

“We are supporting many couples like Brendan and Josie who are looking to take that leap of faith into ownership and make their new venture a huge success,” he added.

“Bookings are looking very healthy and we wish them well as they settle into the local community and enjoy the busy summer season ahead.”