Angry brides besiege meeting

6:15pm today Friday 18th July 2008

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THE owner of a bankrupt bridal shop took a bodyguard with her to a creditors meeting this week.

Lisa Clarkson, 33, from Warsash, who owned Arvella Bridal with branches in Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, and Lyndhurst, Hampshire, faced angry brides-to-be for the first time since her shops closed without warning last month, at a meeting held at the liquidator's office in Poole on Monday.

That meeting was for creditors of the Hampshire shop and a meeting for creditors of the Bradford shop is expected within the next few weeks.

Bernard Camish, owner of The Poplars pub in Wingfield, attended the meeting after he had to shell out twice for his daughter's wedding dress when the business folded.

He had to pay another £1,200 for his daughter Ria's dress after finding it was still with the designer, and lost £700 he paid for hiring the men's suits and £400 for shoes and handbags.

Mr Camish said: "There were about 80 people there, mostly brides and their mothers. They were spitting blood and fire. They were calling her all names under the sun.

"Lisa Clarkson arrived with a huge bodyguard then we heard the report as to why the business had gone down."

In a three page-long report Mrs Clarkson blames the failure of her business on being let down by suppliers and a downturn in the market.

She said a number of people cancelled orders without settling their bills when they found they could buy similar gowns for less money direct from factories in China via the internet.

But Mr Camish said: "I just can't see where all that money has gone when it seemed to be such a successful business."

Debts for the Hampshire shop have been estimated at more than £370,000 by liquidator Nick Peat.

Mr Peat said: "The meeting went more or less as expected.

"The room was full of brides and their families accusing her of fraud.

"The Bradford on Avon shop will be going into liquidation shortly and I am drawing up a list of creditors who will be informed when a date has been set for the meeting."

The Bradford shop was known as Arvella Bridal but traded under the name The Wedding Outlet Ltd.

He added: "We need to sort out the stock and send some back to suppliers and some brides will get their dresses back.

"Whatever is left will go into a sale."

At the end of the meeting Mrs Clarkson exited through a back door and left in a BMW to avoid any further confrontations.