A new nightclub has opened its doors in County Durham, with partygoers testing it out for the first time.
Eden opened in Consett to VIP guests on Friday (August 14) having overhauled the former Chaplains club.
David English, who also took over The Turf pub in the town last year, took over the venue having been approached by the former owners.
Sister Katherine English, who has been helping him turn Eden into a reality, said: "We've had a fantastic weekend.
"It's been well-received and we're looking forward to continuing to work with the public and making it the place to go.
(Image: CHLOE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY)
“We’ve turned the venue round in only a few months, and we’ve been completely supported by volunteers.
“When we announced the opening, we had so many people reaching out, offering their services.
"The club has been built by the community, for the community."
Mr English, from Consett, has worked in the hospitality industry for thirty years and took over The Turf after seeing the decline of the town centre.
He said: "I hadn’t been back to the town since I left it in 1997, and I looked around and it just had a huge decline, so I wanted to do something to bring a bit of life back to the town centre."
(Image: CHLOE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY)
Then, after The Turf received glowing reviews from customers, Mr English announced he would be opening the Eden club in the old Chaplains building.
He said: "The previous owners came to us and asked us to take it on, and we had a good think.
"We knew that the nightlife in Consett is downgrading over time, and there’s a lot of reasons for that, but we knew we wanted to do something.
"As people born and bred here, we already knew what this town meant to us.
"What we didn’t expect was the incredible support you’ve shown us along the way.
(Image: CHLOE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY)
"Many of you will remember it as Chaplains. Chaplains has always had church connotations.
"We wanted to move away from the existing name and do a rebrand, but the name Eden was a nice tie-in to the original theme.
(Image: CHLOE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY)
"When you go inside, there’s a back wall covered in glass, church windows."
"It’ll have its own personality, its own atmosphere and its own identity, but it’ll be created with the same passion, attention to detail and belief that great venues bring people together."
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The club describes itself as “a late-night destination where music, atmosphere and energy come together. Designed for unforgettable nights and unmissable moments.”
The nightclub also has a private room and bar which will be available to guests who book bottomless brunch through The Turf.
The venues have burlesque and emo nights planned, themed bottomless brunches, games nights, open mic nights, live music, and more.