Wooler couple to take over running of hostel

In December, we reported that the Glendale Gateway Trust, which bought the 46-bed hostel for £250,000 in 2006 after the Youth Hostels Association decided to close it, was shortly going to be advertising the opportunity to lease it.

This week, it was announced that Karl and Cindy Wait are taking over the running of the hostel next month from the Trust, which has run the facility for the past 12 years.

The Trust still owns the building, but will lease it to the Waits.

The couple plans to develop the business with a special emphasis on outdoor pursuits. Karl is a qualified mountain guide and a volunteer trainee member of the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team.

Both Karl and Cindy have worked with local groups, including the Scouts.

The couple plans to move into accommodation at the hostel with their family too.

Karl said: “We want to bring more people to Glendale, as we believe the area has so much to offer yet doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

“The hostel already has a good and steady number of visitors, but we feel we can add significantly to the business.”

Frank Mansfield, chairman of the Trust, said: “We had a lot of people interested in taking on this lease, but we felt local couple Karl and Cindy had the drive and the ideas to take the hostel on to the next level – to the benefit of our local community.”

In 2016, The Great Outdoors magazine listed Wooler youth hostel on its list of five of the best places to stay in the UK.