The co-founder of Northumberland's newest tourist attraction hopes that its opening will re-generate the town of Wooler.
Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Whisky Distillery opened its doors for previews today (Monday March 20) ahead of its full opening on Saturday. The distillery and visitor experience has been almost five years in the planning, with its founders Eileen and Alan Ferguson saying that it represents the most significant investment in Wooler and the surrounding Glendale area of north Northumberland in recent memory.
It is hoped that the £16m investment will have a positive impact on Northumberland's tourism industry as a whole, with funding coming from the Borderland Inclusive Growth Deal, LEP and Northumberland County Council - though the majority of the investment is from the Fergusons. And after four-and -a-half years since the project was conceived, Eileen is already looking to the future.
Read more: How £16m of funding could change one of Northumberland's most deprived towns
She said: "I look at this project and it's almost like we've been building a yacht to to go across the Atlantic. We've built this superb vessel and it's about to leave the harbour and it's now up to the directors to navigate it across the ocean.
"We want our whisky to be world-renowned, we want to be the museum of choice for anyone who wants to learn about Anglo Saxon England, we want to offer full great Northumbrian hospitality. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe we could do something of this scale, but I'm filled with awe and wonder that we got here."
Eileen and Alan, who both live in Wooler, are inviting the town's residents exclusively inside for the remainder of the week. They say that Ad Gefrin happened because of a lack of investment in the town stretching back for almost 200 years and chose to invest because they "didn't want to sell their hometown down the river," believing that there will be a positive knock-on effect on local businesses.
Eileen said: "What's inspired us has been this passion to regenerate the high street, regenerate this town. When I was a child, every shop on this beautiful high street was full and that isn't the case now.
"We want to see that back again and we want to see jobs for people. If people are employed they have hope, we want to say this is a really good place to live, we have beautiful scenery, we have lovely people and a great community - but we want them to have fantastic opportunities in the jobs that we're creating too."
The Ferguson family's vision has already created 60 new jobs, with nearly half the positions filled by people living in Wooler and the majority living in north Northumberland. It is hoped that 35,000 will visit in the first year, with that providing a business uplift to the local rural economy reaching far beyond Wooler's ancient boundaries.
Eileen continued: "We want to see generations beyond having jobs here to be able to benefit from a really good work life balance, to be able to live here and work here and be proud of something."
Siobhan Younger, chair of the Wooler Traders Association and manager of the local Newcastle Building Society, said: "There’s been great enthusiasm in the local community since the announcement of Ad Gefrin.
"It’s a great asset to the town, creating opportunities for employment, providing amenities for locals and visitors, and enhancing what Wooler already has to offer. It has brought back a positivity to Wooler, and residents and retailers are very excited for the future of our wonderful town."
The construction of Ad Gefrin has not been without its challenges. The coronavirus pandemic and its multiple lockdowns delayed funding, and therefore building as no stone could be laid before funding was in place.
Then the cost of materials "escalated beyond all comprehension" due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, Eileen says that there was never any doubt in the project, and said that she and her husband "couldn't let the people of Wooler down."
She finished: "We'd taken a big jump and you've got to trust that we'll get there, so we kept going every day. If you make a decision based on something, you follow it through so we were fully committed to the project from day one, we couldn't let the people of Wooler down because they were believing in us."
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council and Borderlands Partnership board member said: "Ad Gefrin has highlighted the rich history of the area and will offer a unique, year-round visitor experience with huge financial spinoffs for local shops, restaurants, services, and employment. This is a such a great news story for Northumberland and for Wooler and we have followed and supported the scheme every step of the way.
"This has included funding from both the county council and a £4 million investment from the Borderlands Growth Deal. More recently we have worked closely with Ad Gefrin and local businesses to shine a spotlight on the town and ensure that the financial benefits from the influx of visitors are felt by the wider community."
Ad Gefrin opens to the public on Saturday March 25, 2023 and Ad Gefrin Single Malt Whisky will mature from 2025 onwards. For more information, including admission prices and opening times, visit the Ad Gefrin website.
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