A DISTRAUGHT bride-tobe has seen her dream wedding turn into a nightmare.

Laurna Roberts, 29, was due to marry her fiance Paul Burns, 34, at Mollington Grange Golf Club on July 30 but her big day was cancelled after the club went into receivership.

Laurna said she made the booking with owner Sue Morgan: “Sue told me they were booking up fast so I paid a £400 deposit in January 2010. She told me then about her husband’s death.

“She promised me a fairytale wedding with a marquee on the lawn – I’ve heard this has been sold – and said the club house was being refurbished.

“I heard it was going under in January but she denied it.

“Two weeks ago she told us to go ahead and send out the invitations but that we didn’t need to sort out the fine details until six weeks before the wedding. She promised us that everything was all right.”

Eventually, Laurna, of Lincoln Road, Blacon, decided to go to the club and see for herself.

She said: “The room looked the same as it did when I first saw it. I feel really stupid now because I fell for it.

“My big day is ruined – we have been ringing other places but most of them are either booked up or beyond our budget. If we don’t find somewhere soon it’s all gone and she refuses to give my money back.”

Owner Sue Morgan, widow of former owner Gary Chubb, said: “Ever since my husband passed away, Mollington Grange has experienced difficult financial pressures.

“I spoke with Laurna’s mother on Thursday to apologise for her experience and to reassure her that the business continues to trade. If Laurna wishes, the wedding can still take place here.

“When the booking was made and the deposit taken, we were confident that the bank was behind our plans for the venue and that we would be able to honour such a reservation.

“The bank’s assurances continued until last month, when I went into hospital for a gall bladder operation. If I had known this was about to happen, we would never have taken Laurna’s deposit.

“As it stands, we are unable to repay her deposit and I have already offered my apologies for that. The situation with members’ subscriptions is slightly different as a separate fund was set up at a much later time.”