ON your marks, get set. Go!

That was the message from sales manager Linda O'Connor to the newly-appointed sales team at the Village Hotel, Bury, as they celebrated the opening of its new sales cabin.

The hotel, on the Waterfold Business Park, Heap Bridge, is due to open in the autumn.

But Linda and her team have left the starting blocks and are well on their way, taking bookings for membership of the Leisure Club and rooms in the £12 million hotel.

In fact, they've already taken their first booking for a wedding which will take place in September.

Linda, delighted with the response so far, said: "We are really pleased to be up and running. Even though people can't view the hotel yet, they can visit us in the cabin to find out all about the hotel and its facilities.

"The best thing about the cabin is that we can see the hotel being built as we work."

The 98-bedroom Village Hotel and Leisure Club will feature a 25-metre swimming pool, aerobic rooms, squash courts and a host of other amenities.