Lancaster

AUTHENTIC GROWTH REWARDED

Posted on May 17, 2024

A COLLECTIVE TEAM effort has seen Pure Leisure Group clinch a coveted award.

Independent holiday park operator, Pure Leisure Group, has won the coveted Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Award at Lancashire’s prestigious Red Rose Awards 2024. The Group was recognised for its authentic and organic growth, unwavering commitment to community, charity and country and its contribution to the local economy, fighting off tough competition to be crowned winners of the sought-after accolade.

The awards, which are now in their 14th consecutive year, look to celebrate businesses and individuals across Lancashire, delivering outstanding service and performance, across 21 different categories. Winners were revealed at an exclusive ceremony hosted at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens in front of a 1,000-strong audience.

Commenting on the win, John Morphet, Owner of Pure Leisure Group said: “We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to have won the Red Rose Award for Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality and want to thank each of our team members for the hard work that got us here. Pure Leisure Group was founded in 2004 by local entrepreneur John Morphet and has gone from strength to strength since.

Today, it boasts over 1000 acres of land, over 4000 caravan and lodge bases, 154 touring pitches, 25 pods + three Rustic Glamping Pods across its portfolio of 19 holiday parks across England and Scotland. John added: “It is this collective effort that has led to our continued growth and success in Lancashire and beyond and we have enjoyed sharing our success with important community groups and organisations, most recently providing a £50,000 donation to Stockport’s Beechwood Cancer Care Centre and St John’s Hospice in Lancaster as part of our charitable initiatives.”

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES

Posted on March 13, 2024

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES

Verdant Leisure offers an award-winning holiday formula...

VERDANT LEISURE expanded in 2002 with two parks in Devon - Golden Coast Leisure Park and Cleavewood Leisure Park, pictured

Creating the perfect environment for customers to relax, enjoy and experience is an award-winning formula for leading holiday park operator Verdant Leisure. Since its foundation in 2010, Verdant Leisure has gone from strength to strength, and now boasts 13 parks within its growing portfolio.

Offering quality self-catering holidays and holiday home ownership in stunning coastal and countryside locations across Scotland and northern England, the Verdant Leisure story began with Thurston Manor Leisure Park in East Lothian and Pease Bay Leisure Park in Berwickshire. Riverside in Northumberland and Viewfield Manor in Ayrshire soon followed in 2011.

County Durham- based Heather View and Kingfisher were acquired in 2016, Coldingham Bay, Berwickshire in 2017, Scoutscroft in Berwickshire, and Queensberry Bay in Dumfriesshire in 2018. Two parks in Perthshire – Erigmore and Ballintuim – joined the group in 2019 and 2022 respectively. Finally, in 2022, Verdant Leisure expanded further south with two Devon-based acquisitions: Golden Coast Leisure Park and Cleavewood Leisure Park.

“Golden Coast is a fantastic, family friendly park in North Devon,” says Verdant Leisure Communications Director, Stacey Hope. “As the newest addition to the Verdant Leisure family, it offers a wide range of accommodation options and a whole host of fun filled facilities. Golden Coast Leisure Park is a great addition to the Verdant Leisure portfolio.”

A WAVE SURFING SIMULATOR is just one of the activities on offer at Golden Coast Leisure Park.

ACTION-PACKED
Situated amidst picturesque countryside, just a couple of miles to the east of the award-winning golden sands of Woolacombe beach, Golden Coast Leisure Park offers guests an action-packed holiday. A huge range of family friendly activities is on offer including indoor and outdoor swimming pools with flumes, a wave surfing simulator, high ropes course, climbing wall, ten pin bowling, fishing lake, arcade, adventure golf facilities, and plenty of places to eat and drink.

For those seeking something more relaxing, the Waves Ceramic Studio is ideal for creative pottery decorating. Verdant Leisure parks offer a wide range of entertainment options. From packed programmes including kids’ clubs with their resident foxes Vinnie and Violet, to visiting acts offering everything from comedy to live singers, there really is something for everyone.

Accommodation at Golden Coast includes a wide range of apartments, houses and villas (including some with hot tubs) to suit all budgets and requirements. Modern and stylish self- the exceptional location, Cleavewood owners can also use all the facilities at Golden Coast and enjoy delicious food and drink at the historic Old Mill pub and restaurant on-park.”

WATER ZORBING at Thurston Manor Leisure Park.

HOME-OWNERS
Verdant Leisure caters to 2,000 holiday home-owners across its parks, and this is an ever-growing sector. Another new holiday home development was recently completed at Thurston Manor Leisure Park in Dunbar, Scotland. Nestled at the foot of the Lammermuir Hills, near the stunning East Lothian coastline, Thurston Manor Leisure Park is set in 176 acres of breathtaking countryside.

This beautiful holiday park is under an hour’s drive from Edinburgh, making this park a top choice for holiday makers wanting to combine a visit to the Scottish capital with the benefit of a home from home woodland retreat. Once a private estate visited by kings, Thurston Manor now offers a superb range of luxury caravan and lodge holiday accommodation, alongside fantastic facilities for all the family, on the historic site of the original 16th century castle whose scenic ruins still stand today.

The Glade development consisting of six lodge pitches and 34 caravan pitches for holiday home-owners has been built on an exclusive area of Thurston Manor, offering fabulous views and a private gated entrance. Facilities on the park include an indoor heated swimming pool, fishing lake, gym, outdoor play parks, games room, arcade, dedicated family room with seasonal entertainment, as well as Hunter’s Bar & Restaurant and Muir’s Pub.

Verdant Leisure, whose Head Office is in Lancaster, say that their mission is “To create the perfect environment for customers to relax, enjoy precious family time and experience a new lifestyle.” They also place considerable importance on creating a more environmentally aware holiday experience.

GOLDEN COAST is a fantastic, family friendly park in North Devon.

GREEN TOURISM
“We’re committed to promoting sustainable tourism and protecting and enhancing our natural environment,” explains Stacey Hope. “We have a dedicated Green Team in place across the business, and each park has its own Green Champion. All of our parks are members of the Green Tourism scheme, and we aim to make all Verdant Leisure parks more environmentally conscious and help our customers to do more whilst visiting our locations.”

As part of their Green Tourism commitment, Verdant Leisure also champions investment and improvement in local communities. The company nominates a different Charity of the Year each year, and raised over £80,000 for Blood Cancer UK in 2022. Additionally, it supports the Wildlife Trusts close to their parks (Durham, Northumberland, Scottish and Devon Wildlife Trusts) by offering holiday guests the option to donate £1 per holiday booking.

As a team that prides itself on the exceptional standards of their parks and the customer experience for all holiday guests, it’s unsurprising that Verdant Leisure’s success has been recognised by a slew of top awards, including most recently, Silver for Best Company for UK Family Holidays and Bronze for Best Company for UK Parks and Lodges Holidays in the British Travel Awards 2023.

Verdant Leisure has also won several accolades for its employee engagement. The business has been voted one of the Best Companies to work for within the entirety of the UK, in the northern region, and in the leisure and hospitality sector several times over. A superb achievement, based on ratings from their own employees. With guest – and employee – satisfaction top of the agenda, continued success seems assured.