THE owner of a hotel which hosts swingers' events has defended his new business venture.

Allan McCloud, owner of Croydon Hall, a hotel based in Rodhuish, near Minehead, said the members-only section of the site is a much-needed addition to the area.

Exclusively Silks, a private members and swingers group, hosts monthly events at the hotel, giving people the opportunity to explore their sexual desires in a safe and clean environment.

Mr McCloud said: "There's always going to be some objectors.

"But we've got an open door. If anyone has any concerns they are welcome to come and have a cup of tea and a look around.

"We moved into the building on November 5. We've had to bring it up to standard.

"We planned to speak to the residents around the house but haven't had five minutes yet, but we intend to push forward with this as a priority.

"We chose this area as there is a big demand and we just fell in love with the building.

"It's quite and out of the way.

"We have already got a few local couples booked in."

Somerset County Gazette:

GROUNDS: Croydon Hall, based in Rodhuish 

The next members-only event will take place at the end of January, for £80 a ticket approved members can attend the Burns Night evening.

The new business also aims to forge positive links with the community, with local businesses being used as often as possible.

Mr McCloud added: "We hosted our first event on New Years Eve and we only hold them once a month.

"We are mainly a hotel, but we were approached to see if we could do something like this, after a lot of research we realised we could cater to this market.

"We are here to be part of the community.

"Locals have been positive so far.

"We will also be working with local businesses in the area for our catering and cleaning jobs.

"We are encouraging people to come and have a look, they are very welcome, and then they can make their own judgements.

"It's an open door."

Visitors to the exclusivelysilks.co.uk website can find the opportunity to join the 'Silk Swingers' club.

The club's rules explained on the website say 'anyone can be a swinger' - as long as you're over the age of 18, or 21 in this case. They also try to be body-positives, with no discrimination based on appearances.

The owner explained how people of all shapes and sizes are welcome into the club, unlike others of its kind in Europe which impose size restrictions.

However some restrictions are in place for single males attending alone.

Mr McCloud said the space can be used for events to suit all kinds of people, from the LGBT community, 'lads' nights, and hen nights, as well as swingers and people looking to explore their options with their partners.

READ MORE: Swingers' club night opens up near Minehead

He added: "There's a huge amount of people with nowhere to go for this sort of thing.

"We have set out rules and regulations and now they have somewhere to go.

"It's classy. It's Champagne, not Prosecco."