When you’re asked to raise the profile of one of Scotland’s ‘hidden gem’ castles it’s fair to say that securing a television audience of more than 4m viewers is pretty much nailing the brief.
Seasoned events professional Jonathan Findlay was brought in by the owners of Duns Castle in the Scottish Borders last August to develop business opportunities for the 700-year-old country pile, just outside Duns in Berwickshire.
Within just two months he had managed to secure a contract with international holiday rentals firm HomeAway, which had been scouting Europe for a castle to offer as a competition prize as part of a marketing campaign it was running alongside the recently-released Disney blockbuster Beauty and the Beast. The lucky winner – who will be revealed next month – will win a five-day stay at the castle with up to 20 guests, including expenses, food and drink and activities.
Although the castle itself had not been used as a location for the movie – which stars Emma Watson – judges at HomeAway were looking for a castle which reflected the values of the children’s classic; they were so impressed with the images Jonathan submitted, which showcased the castle’s fairytale features, including minstrels’ galleries, ornate gargoyles and griffins carved into a fireplace, that it chose Duns from a shortlist of 20 castles across Europe. And the icing on the cake came a fortnight ago when America’s most popular morning network news programme – NBC’s Today Show – responded to the big PR push and flew its anchors Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones into Scotland to do a live broadcast from the baronial estate.
“Until just a few weeks ago Duns Castle was a hidden gem,” says Jonathan. “It still is to an extent, but VisitScotland has recognised this as a major coup for Scottish tourism – it could have gone elsewhere in Europe had we not won it. We had been sworn to secrecy up until that point, but the PR week was fantastic and changed all that. We had the crew and anchors of NBC Universal, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers played here, we had Highland Games, dancers, falconry, Shetland ponies and much more. It was a big turnout – there were also journalists and influencers (bloggers), so we laid on hospitality for them all. The crew also filmed in Edinburgh and the region to show the great culture and activities that can be found locally.”
It was partly good fortune that the castle had been chosen, but Jonathan – who used to work for international corporate events and venue management company Banks Sadler – had done his homework. He had enlisted the help of Edinburgh-based film location firm LS Productions, who had been due to send a scout to Duns Castle when the brief from HomeAway came in.
In the end it was down to the strength of the photographs Jonathan had taken and shared of the estate and a convincing ‘pitch’ by telephone and online. It is indeed a major coup for the castle, given the fact that last year HomeAway chose the Eiffel Tower as its prize giveaway, installing a temporary apartment within the fabric of the iconic Paris landmark for a family to stay in overnight. Thus far, the competition running for Duns Castle has attracted over 600,000 entries, compared to 170,000 for the Eiffel Tower, some feat for a relatively unknown castle built by the Earl of Moray in the 14th century.
I ask whether the castle’s owners, Alick and Aline Hay (it’s been in their family for 300 years and they still reside in one of its wings), were impressed with the former army officer’s efforts, given he had only just started in his new role after relocating back to Scotland from his home in France, where he had spent 25 years.
“I think they’re pleased with the outcome,” he says, rather modestly.
As for the future plans for Duns Castle, Jonathan is in the process of creating a ‘programme of events and activities’ working up towards the castle’s 700th anniversary celebration in 2020. He is quick to point out that he doesn’t see Duns Castle – which has 12 guest rooms but can sleep up to 50 including six cottages on the estate – being used as a venue for ‘Woodstock’, but there is scope to develop its offering for smaller events, weddings (which it does already), corporate board meetings, team-building and Tough Mudder-style outdoor events. Given the castle sits in 1,200 acres, two-thirds of which is woodland, it is perhaps an obvious use although Jonathan is also keen to push the green credentials of the castle, which already has a ground source heat pump as its heating source.
“The property here has such potential and there’s nothing more challenging than starting from scratch,” adds Jonathan, who points out there will be further ‘reveals’ as part of its tie-up with HomeAway over the next couple of months.
He adds: “The property is in the process of putting some exciting plans together for events and activities in the future, leading up to and going beyond 2020. It’s a watch this space.”
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