A mum has been recognised with an award after turning a run down house into a huge party pad.
'Honorary Scouser' Kristina Castellina, 36, is from Blackpool but now lives in Woolton . She turned to property development after a career in singing for added security.
Kristina was inspired to buy 'Empress Hall' on Empress Road in Blackpool during the winter lockdowns of 2020/21. She said: "Everyone was working but you couldn't see anyone.
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"I had a six-month-old and a two-year-old - I was up the wall really and fed up with the lockdowns. I came across this totally random property in Blackpool that had been listed with six bedrooms.
"When I viewed it, it was actually a ten-bed with five reception rooms and a granny flat to the rear. The agent didn't really know how to market it. It had an amazing feel to it."
Kristina's vision for Empress Hall was immediately a celebration house. She added: "I wanted it to be a place where people could come together and celebrate - birthdays, hen parties, Christmas. It probably wouldn't have the same effect on me now, but at that time I felt it's what everyone needed."
The project has created "a real quirky house" and bagged Kristina the Deal of the Year Award at the Prosperity Network awards. Each room has its own theme and there's also a games room and cinema room with a popcorn machine.
She said: "We took something that had a lot of potential, making it really colourful and bright. It was an amazing project because it was so different."
A few weeks before she exchanged on the property, the house was also visited by Australian actress and Oscar winner Cate Blanchett while filming in Blackpool.
"They ended up using the house for cast and crew - Cate was in there getting hair and make up done and chilling out. Even they loved it and it was before we'd even added the extra stuff."
The dining room is Kristina's favourite spot in Empress Hall. She said: "There's loads of colour and it's really unusual and vibrant. It's the hub of the house."
Although Kristina lives in Liverpool with her family, she invests in Blackpool as she knows the town so well. However, she may dip her toe in the Liverpool market soon.
She added: "That's probably something that might come in the coming years, especially in Woolton. The market in Liverpool is just crazy in terms of competition."
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