AROUND 80 jobs have been saved after the future of Park Hall Hotel, Charnock Richard, was secured.

The hotel was threatened with closure after the adjacent theme park, Camelot, was placed in receivership last month by owners Prime Resorts.

The 140-room hotel, near Chorley, has been bought by Lakeside Collection Ltd, which trades as the Lavender Hotels Group.

The firm, which owns a number of hotel across East Lancashire, has struck a deal with administrators Grant Thornton to take over Park Hall and will retain much of the existing staff.

But it is still unclear what the future holds for Camelot theme park.

Les Ross, of Grant Thornton, said: “We are delighted to secure the future of the Hotel and will now focus on the ongoing negotiations in relation to the remainder of the site.”

Lavender Hotels have been operating since 1979 and already runs The Old Mill, Ramsbottom; The Oaks Hotel, Burnley, and The Higher Trapp Country House Hotel, Simonstone.

Stefan Sikorski, Lavender Hotels group managing director, said “Park Hall Hotel fits perfectly into our group’s portfolio and we are delighted to complete the purchase.

“From our initial discussions with the receivers it quickly became clear that Park Hall Hotel had similar facilities and strategies to our existing hotels and leisure clubs, and we look forward to building on the hotels’ already outstanding reputation.”

Camelot went into receivership last month, threatening more than 100 jobs.

The theme park, which employed 21 permanent staff during the winter months, was due to open on April 4.

Camelot opened in 1983 and has expanded and invested in new rides over the past 25 years.

Grant Thornton said the park had struggled for a number of years to compete with larger sites such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Alton Towers.