An Interview with The Scarlet Hen: Sustainable Hen Party Venue
Planning a hen party with sustainability in mind?
We’re dedicated to finding businesses that help you to have a sustainable hen party, so we chatted to Charlotte from The Scarlet Hen.
Facilitating bespoke celebrations for hen parties in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside, The Scarlet Hen helps you celebrate in your style, without costing the earth.
Tell us about The Scarlet Hen (Norfolk House).
The Scarlet Hen (Norfolk House)is a beautiful Georgian venue situated in the heart of Yorkshire.
Here at The Scarlet Hen (Norfolk House) we are really conscious about waste and sustainability and we help hen parties celebrate with sustainable style.
What do you do to reduce waste from party decorations at your venue?
We put up a balloon arch which is a permanent fixture and this is replaced about 2 to 3 times a year. This is so that guests don’t have to bring lots of disposable decor stuff that they either then take with them or throw away, or just leave here.
Do you have any reusable hen party accessories?
Absolutely! We have a dressing up box here and suggest that our hens can leave their Hen Party paraphernalia in the box for other guests to enjoy.
It’s full of things that would’ve just gone to landfill like wigs, hats, masks, Hen Party game sets, tiaras, veils, that type of thing.
It gets used every single time and stuff always gets added for the next party!
How do you encourage guests to be more sustainably minded?
Leftover food and drink is a problem, as sometimes it can’t be used before going out of date. We try to remind guests not to over buy on food and drink, especially things like tonic water and lemonade - which we have a cupboard full of!
So I tend to remind guests not to bring these things, as it’s one item that gets left behind every single week.
The main way we do this is by trying to discourage pointless party bags with nothing in them but plastic tat. Instead of plastic or even paper bags we would suggest getting a little mini tote or make up bag which can then be used over and over while acting as a lovely souvenir of the celebration.
In terms of what’s in the bag, we suggest guests make conscious choices about things that can be enjoyed and reused, rather than unusable bits of plastic. For example, just one really nice lipstick.
That way if they don’t like the shade they’ve got they can swap it with one of the other girls.
Also something useful for the party celebrations like earplugs and paracetamol are a nice idea as they will be used either on the weekend or at another time. Anything else, even sweets, just get binned!
In what ways does the running of the venue prioritse sustainability?
We only have parking space for six people. For some people this is a downside of the venue but we think it’s a positive because that way people car share or come on the train.
We only supply one bath towel each week as clean towels always end up in a dirty pile which means excess washing and energy use to do so.
For this reason we suggest that guests bring an extra towel for the hot tub. That way there's less washing and wastage at the venue.
Want to know more?
If you think that the Scarlet Hen sounds like the perfect hen party retreat for you, head to their website for more information and how to book.
