Fairy Tale Story - Wyldecrest Parks' Alfie
The story of Alfie Best’s rise from a humble childhood to multimillionaire businessman reads like a modern day fairy tale. Born into a Romany Gypsy family in 1970, Alfie started working at the tender age of eight, labouring and laying tarmac alongside his father. By 14, he was buying and selling vehicles and just a few years later, he already owned several mobile phone shops across London. By 2001, entrepreneur Alfie had made enough money to invest in his heritage, purchasing his first mobile home park in Romford – Lakeview Residential Park – for a significant £1.7million. Lakeview Park, with its 132 homes, is still one of the most popular parks in Alfie Best’s portfolio - the Wyldecrest Parks Group, now valued at over £230 million. As one of the most successful park operators in the UK, the award-winning Wyldecrest portfolio includes 52 residential parks for the over 50’s and six holiday parks offering homes for rent and sale. As the only ISO 9001 accredited operator within the parks sector, Wyldecrest Parks is also the only parks group to have nationwide coverage in 24 counties across England, Scotland and Wales.
PHENOMENAL GROWTH
The phenomenal growth of Wyldecrest Parks is undoubtedly a product of Chairman Alfie Best’s personal drive to succeed. Although numerous, his park investments are testament to quality over quantity with carefully chosen locations, safety and security provided by on site staff, and the highest operational standards. Saltmarshe Castle Park is a particular jewel in the Wyldecrest crown. Homes are set amongst the picturesque grounds of a former 19th century country house and estate close to the market town of Bromyard in Herefordshire. The original castle was demolished in the 1950s but parts of the outer walls and turrets remain, alongside several outbuildings and stables. All are being restored to their former glory to add to the park’s unique atmosphere. Saltmarshe Castle Park started life as a holiday park and was acquired by Wyldecrest Parks in 2015. It still has some 300+ holiday homes but the park is currently in the midst of a massive upgrade with 60+ residential plots being developed in the initial stage.
According to Alfie Best, Saltmarshe Castle Park’s many natural assets made it a natural choice for residential development. “The park’s premier location and its outstanding beauty are impossible to deny,” says Alfie. “It would have been a shame not to take full advantage of that. Now people can live in this astonishing site permanently, and enjoy its beauty full-time.” Out of the initial plots being developed in the Tower Court area of the park, more than half are ready to receive happy new owners, whilst further availability is limited, especially for those plots which offer exclusive and unrestricted country views.
Adding to their investment in the local region, last year Wyldecrest Parks also acquired the nearby Sapey Golf Club. Alfi e Best believes that the popular Club offers huge potential as a lifestyle venue. The rebranded Sapey Golf and Country Club is shortly going to be offering a select number of exclusive golf lodges. “Our main goal is to bring the golf club up to its former glory, at the same time we create more jobs, invest in the region and bring revenue to the local community,” explains Alfi e. Giving back to its communities is at the heart of Wyldecrest Parks’ ethos and to this end, the company recently launched the Wyldecrest Parks Charitable Trust. The aim of the Trust is to deliver family support, equipment and health care to those who are facing life-threatening health conditions in and around their park communities. The charity will also be supporting holiday breaks for families in need. Through the Trust, the Wyldecrest Parks Group hopes to inspire some of its 120 staff and many thousands of homeowners to organise their own fundraising activities and get involved in volunteering opportunities within their own communities. “As a company, we are really excited about this development. We feel it’s our duty as a successful, growing company, to make a positive contribution to worthy causes and this is our expression of that deeply held commitment”, says Alfie Best. If Wyldecrest Parks’ recent growth (30% expansion over two years) is anything to go by, the business is assured of a bright future. Over the years, Alfi e has also built up a number of other successful businesses within the hospitality and leisure, events, trading and finance industries including Vinyl Bar, Best Park Home Finance, Kyoto Clearance and Wylde Events.