15-03-2023, 07:56 AM
UPDATED MAR 14, 2023, 4:32 PM SGT
HIGHCLERE, England – It is a problem the butler of “Downton Abbey” might have sympathised with.
Highclere Castle in southern England, where the early 20th-century period drama about the lives of aristocrats and their servants was filmed, is facing a serious staffing crunch.
The reason is the dearth of workers from the European Union (EU), which has forced owner Fiona Carnarvon to mothball the castle’s main business of hosting larger weddings on the site
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A vital workforce of EU students attending university in Britain who were available to work during weddings is no longer available, said Lady Carnarvon.
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The number of EU students admitted to British universities fell 50 per cent in 2021, and applications dropped 40 per cent ...... in 2022.
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Highclere’s gift shop has also stopped shipping to EU countries – about a third of the shop’s overall business – because of increased courier costs and paperwork in the aftermath of the EU departure, Lady Carnarvon said.
Other trade from the Highclere estate, such as the export of horse feeds, has also fallen due to the amount of paperwork and legal fees, she added.
“We are wrapped in red tape now in every piece of our business,” she said.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europ...says-owner
HIGHCLERE, England – It is a problem the butler of “Downton Abbey” might have sympathised with.
Highclere Castle in southern England, where the early 20th-century period drama about the lives of aristocrats and their servants was filmed, is facing a serious staffing crunch.
The reason is the dearth of workers from the European Union (EU), which has forced owner Fiona Carnarvon to mothball the castle’s main business of hosting larger weddings on the site
......
A vital workforce of EU students attending university in Britain who were available to work during weddings is no longer available, said Lady Carnarvon.
......
The number of EU students admitted to British universities fell 50 per cent in 2021, and applications dropped 40 per cent ...... in 2022.
......
Highclere’s gift shop has also stopped shipping to EU countries – about a third of the shop’s overall business – because of increased courier costs and paperwork in the aftermath of the EU departure, Lady Carnarvon said.
Other trade from the Highclere estate, such as the export of horse feeds, has also fallen due to the amount of paperwork and legal fees, she added.
“We are wrapped in red tape now in every piece of our business,” she said.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europ...says-owner