Mayfair Centre set for £300,000 investment as Seaton Carew venue is relaunched under new management

The events venue has been dormant for around two years apart from occasional use.

Now a new team of business partners are promising to return it to its former glory after taking it over on a six-year lease.

A variety of events are already planned and all facilities at the venue on Tees Road are due to be up and running again in time for its official launch on Sunday, September 15.

The new management team includes Geoff Clark, who has come out of retirement to lead the venture as general manager, Newcastle chef turned businessman Andy Nicholson as operations manager, and events manager Carly Wenn from Hartlepool.

Geoff, who spent 40 years in the licensing trade running hotels nightclubs, said: "We are trying to brig the Mayfair back to life. It was a very successful events venue, everybody used to use it.

"Overall, we are looking at a large investment of over £300,000. We have got a lot of exciting plans."

The lease also includes the Golf Dome which the team plan to reopen and add new children's soft play features and a possible cafe.

The Mayfair Centre will cater for wedding receptions, private parties and business events in its two large function rooms with professional in-house catering offered.

And an events suite with space for 500 guests is planned to host sporting events and dinners with the first being former footballer Stan Collymore on October 12.

Numerous studios will look to be hired out to users such as dance schools and fitness classes, and the centre's steam room, sauna and hot tub will be brought back into use again.

Andy said: "I have put quite a lot of projects on the back burner to be involved in this. The potential it has got is outstanding.

"It is going to be returned not just to its former glory but better and we have got the right team in place to be able to achieve that."

Also part of the new-look team are Andy Husband as events co-ordinator and Joe Russell who will be in charge of the wedding side of the business.

Among the events already in the diary are an evening with psychic medium Peter Crawford on Wednesday, September 25; The New Jersey Tones on Friday, October 25, and an 80s Christmas Party on Saturday, December 7.

Before then, people are being invited to see what the centre has to offer at a family fun day on Saturday, August 31.

On from noon-5pm, it will feature local traders, craft stalls, two dance schools performing, Hartlepool Hawks cheerleaders, bouncy castle and fun fair.

Entry is free and food will be served all day.