The History
In 1981, while working in the PR and Marketing department of a
chain of hotels in the North West, Joy Swift came up with the very
unique idea of creating an Agatha Christie style plot, where guests
would become immersed in an almost real-life situation where
murders would be committed and suspects would be revealed. Her
bosses thought she was mad, but Joy was sure that guests would
enjoy being able to play Columbo or Miss Marple and be able to
interrogate the suspects, study the clues and watch as the
character’s skeletons came tumbling out of their closets. So
despite everyone’s scepticism, Joy persevered and performed the
very first Murder Weekend on the 30th October 1981.
fter an unexpected amount of press interest from both home and
abroad, Joy decided she was on to a winner, but little did Joy
realise that her brilliant idea would still be going strong and be
imitated all round the world, thirty years on!
In 2001 Joy was awarded an MBE for her services to Tourism of
which she is rightly very proud and five years later Joy wrote her
first book ‘The Joy of Murder’with comical stories of murder,
creative, ridiculous and disastrous. Joy has written 113 plots,
killed over 10,000 victims and entertained over a 100,000 guests
which rightly earns her the title ‘Queen of Murder’.
In 2009 Joy was delighted to join the vibrant new chain of
hotels, Principal Hayley where she and her team perform her famous
weekends exclusively. Their relationship goes from strength to
strength as 2011 has been their most successful year yet, we hope
that 2012 will be even better.
To book online please visit www.murder.co.uk or
alternatively, please call 0151 924
1124