One of Scotland's "premier" catering businesses, based at the Eskmills Venue in Musselburgh, has gone into administration, raising concerns whether its planned events - including a free Christmas party for hundreds of elderly residents - would go ahead.

Opus Restructuring & Insolvency has announced that Mark Harper and Charles Turner have been appointed  joint administrators of Edinburgh-based Hickory (Scotland) Limited, which went into administration on Wednesday.

Hickory was described as "one of Scotland’s premier event catering businesses dedicated to delivering excellence and quality."

A statement issued following the administration announcement said: "Established in 2012, the company adopted a Quality Management System integrating ISO 9001 as part of the company culture.

"The company ensured that quality was woven throughout every part of their business, including development and training. This ethos helped the company win many industry awards and recommendations.

"The company experienced a period of poor trading and margins as a result of Covid, which led to temporary closures of sites and further financial pressure.

"Working capital requirements became a pressing issue, due in no small part to high levels of inflation, interest rates and the cost of living crisis.

"Turnover during the course of last year peaked at £5.6m. As the levels of activity started to recover in early 2024, the company had a growing funding requirement.

"However despite the best efforts of the directors, the business faced a range of cash flow challenges in recent weeks and could not continue trading."

Mr Harper, partner for Opus Restructuring & Insolvency, said: "We are working closely with the directors and a number of stakeholders to ensure continuity of the forthcoming events.

We are actively seeking the sale of the business and would encourage any interested party to contact us – edinburgh@opusllp.com"

Hundreds of elderly East Lothian residents were set to enjoy a Christmas celebration at Eskmills Venue, Station Road, Musselburgh next month.

The Courier previously reported that the community lunch on December 3 was organised by Hickory and has been part of the venue's calendar for more than seven years.

More than 250 people were expected to attend the free event in Musselburgh this year, put on by Hickory.

Attendees were to be treated to a three-course Christmas dinner, music from DJ Colin, and raffle prizes donated by local businesses and community members.

An events industry source told the Courier that as recently as two weeks ago that Hickory's social media accounts were advertising this event to the public.

"My concern is that a large number of people will be disappointed," they said.

The source believed all of the company's employees were "let go" on Tuesday "with no notice whatsoever".

"There has been no official announcement nor any communication to ticket holders," they claimed.

READ MORE: Hickory's festive lunch for the community proves a big hit

Also advertised on Eskmills Venue's Facebook page was Bingo Loco on December 6, saying: "Join us for a night of music and great prizes. Bring your friends for an unforgettable evening!"

A post by a concerned resident on Musselburgh Folks Facebook page said: "If anyone has bookings at Eskmills venue, weddings or bingo, they have gone into liquidation."

A staff announcement was said to have taken place and staff were sent home, with one woman claiming a relative would not get any pay.

One person expressed concern at the news, saying: "I have booked their Christmas night."

Another wrote: "Is this definitely true? My friend's wedding is there in June."