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A couple who feared they may lose their business during the coronavirus lockdown are celebrating after hitting the number one slot for the best guest house in Keswick on TripAdvisor.
Fiona and Ben Goodman, who run Squirrel Lodge in Eskin Street, admit it has been like “a whirlwind” since they reopened their guest house on 4th July.
“Bookings have gone through the roof. We were fully booked throughout August and have just a few vacancies in September and into October.
“We have had such wonderful feedback from our guests which has obviously sent us to the top of the TripAdvisor charts,” said Fiona.
This is a far cry from the first day of lockdown in March when the couple feared they may lose the business they bought a year ago, after moving to Keswick from their home in Leicester.
They had fallen through the gap in government funding as they had only been operating for just over a year.
Although they received a hospitality grant, that was eaten up with refunds on cancelled bookings, and Ben was forced to return to Leicester and his former job as a tree surgeon just to make ends meet.
Fiona said: “It was always our dream to live in Keswick after we married at the Lodore Falls Hotel 14 years ago. We would come on holiday every year with our two boys. It was the one location anywhere in the world we all wanted to be.”
Ben and Fiona sold their house in Leicester and, with their sons Harry, aged nine, and seven-year-old Ollie moved in with family for almost two years as they saved for their dream home and lifestyle in Keswick.
They bought Squirrel Lodge in February, 2019, and opened a few weeks later. Fiona said the first year went well, and the money made was ploughed back into updating the business.
Ben added: “We began our second year, then the whole country closed down due to COVID-19. We were at our lowest ebb, and our dream of living in Keswick was fading rapidly.”
But the one positive for the couple was that their neighbours and friends they have made in Keswick were kind, supportive and helped whenever they could.
Fiona said: “When we reopened and things started taking off, they couldn’t have been more pleased for us.
“Ben is back home and we are working together in the guest house, but he is also employed in a local pub from noon to 9pm every day.”