Teacher and solicitor leave jobs to acquire Scarborough guest house

A husband-and-wife team have acquired a guest house business in Scarborough with six-figure bank funding.

Tim and Suzanne James left their jobs as a teacher and solicitor to purchase the freehold of Kenways Guest House in the North Bay area using a £127k loan from NatWest.

The funding package also went towards refurbishing the venue’s seven en-suite bedrooms and guest facilities, spread across three storeys.

Tim and Suzanne had dreamed of owning a guest house in retirement, but a desire to find a better work-life balance and spend more time with their seven-year-old daughter led them to the venture sooner.

Suzanne said: “It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago Tim and I were working in regular jobs.

“Now we own and run our own business and do something we love every day. NatWest made the whole process as easy as possible.”

She added: “The finance they provided has enabled us to use part of our savings to invest back into the guest house and ensure we offer the best facilities possible for our guests.”

The deal was referred through Synergy – James Blacklaws Ltd. NatWest business development manager Ben Davey supported the transaction with relationship manager Dave Oram.

Dave commented: “Tim and Suzanne had a dream of owning their own guest house by the sea and with our help, this is a now a reality for them.

“They are relishing the opportunity to provide the best hospitality for people visiting Scarborough and I look forward to supporting them further as their business grows.”