Verdant Leisure

DEMAND SURGE FOR PINELOG’S DOG FRIENDLY TIMBER LODGE DESIGNS

Posted on August 7, 2024

Pinelog Ltd has seen a rise in demand for its dog-friendly timber lodges, driven by increased dog ownership during the pandemic and a growing staycation market. Chairman Nick Grayson attributes this trend to pet owners viewing dogs as family members, prompting them to seek accommodations that cater to pets.

He noted that holiday park customers are capitalizing on this trend, resulting in more orders for pet-friendly lodges. Dog boarding can cost about £125 for seven nights, so bringing pets on holiday can save money for owners. Research from Verdant Leisure supports this trend, showing 40% of people look for pet-friendly facilities when choosing UK holiday destinations.

Pinelog’s lodges feature amenities like stable doors, vinyl flooring, dog showers, and ‘Mucky Pup’ hoses to cater to pets. Kelling Heath Holiday Park in Norfolk is introducing dog-friendly Woodland lodges in 2024, designed and built by Pinelog with external dog showers among other features.

Similarly, Darwin Forest Luxury Lodges Holiday Park in Derbyshire, owned by Pinelodge Holidays, offers pet-friendly lodges with spacious verandas, outdoor washing facilities, and utility areas with stable doors. The Coppice Spa lodges also feature a unique doggy shower. These lodges, introduced in 2018, have been popular with guests.

Caroline Povey, Associate Marketing Director of Pinelodge Holidays, mentioned that pet-friendly lodges have broadened their market. Lodges with hot tubs and pet-friendly features, especially the Coppice Spa lodges, have the highest occupancy rates.

Nick Grayson added that these designs are ideal for parks like Darwin Forest and Kelling Heath, which offer ample dog walking opportunities. Pinelog’s pet-friendly lodges can be customized to meet the needs of holiday parks. Designed and built at their Chesterfield facility, these luxury timber lodges are an attractive option for holiday parks looking to tap into the staycation market.

Pinelog
01246 942842
www.pinelog.co.uk

THE GLADE by Pinelog are all bespoke and can include a dog shower.

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.

PALANTINE EXITS VERDANT LEISURE

Posted on October 28, 2021

PALANTINE EXITS VERDANT LEISURE

 

SINCE INVESTING in the business five years ago, Palatine has supported Verdant Leisure to acquire six additional sites.

 

PALATINE Private Equity has exchanged contracts for the sale of its stake in Verdant Leisure, the award-winning holiday park operator, to the management team backed by Pears Partnership Capital. The deal is subject to FCA approval.
Verdant Leisure is a bespoke holiday park operator offering lodge and caravan holidays and holiday home ownership at stunning sites across Scotland and Northern England.
The sale will see Palatine exit the business with a returns multiple of 3.7x, following a highly successful strategy of acquisitions and value creation which has grown Verdant’s annual turnover by 150% since 2016. Since investing in the business in April 2016, Palatine has supported Verdant to acquire six additional sites, increasing its footprint to 10 locations and 3,500 pitches, making it a leading operator in the UK.
Management’s value creation focus has increased both holiday home sales and the proftability of Verdant’s holiday let operations by enhancing on-site leisure facilities and investing in central management functions including a new head office and customer service contact centre.

Holiday Snaps – ft Graham Hodgson

Posted on January 26, 2021

Holiday Snaps - featuring Graham Hodgson

Founder and Chief Executive of Verdant Leisure Limited and runs a group of 10 parks in North East England and Southern Scotland. Born in Morecambe, Lancashire, Graham is married to Louise and they have two sons, Martin and James.

WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER PATH INTO THE INDUSTRY?

As an HSBC Bank Manager I had several caravan park operators as customers, one of whom was John Morphet and his business, South Lakeland Caravans. In 2001, John tempted me away from the bank to join him as Chief Executive and so started my second career in the caravan industry. We quickly set about improving and professionalising the business before selling it towards the end of 2007, just before the financial crash, at a handsome profit. This enabled me, alongside Bev Dixon, who was then Operations Director, to set up Verdant Leisure in 2010, with a new Finance Director, Andrew Wall.

HOW HAS THE MARKET CHANGED?

The quality of both the parks and the accommodation that we offer in this industry has improved on all levels. Fundamentally, our customers still want the same thing, a place of their own to relax and get away with family and friends and our strap line ‘Relax, Explore, Experience’ remains as relevant now as it was when I started.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY HAS RESPONDED TO COVID 19?

I think our industry has reacted fantastically to the pandemic to date. There was a lot of work going on collaboratively between the larger park operators including ourselves, and our trade bodies including the BH&HPA, NCC and UK Hospitality. I think that this coordinated approach was instrumental in enabling parks to re-open quite quickly following Lockdown.

BEST PIECE OF INDUSTRY ADVICE?

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” While I think that this applies to life in general, it is equally appropriate to anybody in business. Too many people are focused on an end goal but that is just one moment in time. Whilst I certainly have a plan, I try to enjoy each experience as it comes, and, with hard work, success has followed.

HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR OUT OFWORK TIME?

I have always enjoyed lots of sports although playing has been replaced by watching over recent years! I spent 22 years as a Director of Morecambe Football Club, and this remains a big passion of mine

IF WE COULD GIVE YOU THREE GUESTS? WHO WOULD LIKE MOST LIKE TO SIT DOWN TO DINNER WITH AND WHY?

Winston Churchill – A flawed leader who achieved the most amazing things; Peter Kay – Always hilarious and would lighten the mood if the conversation became too intense; Mohammad Ali – One of the greatest sports personalities ever – and much more besides

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO BE LISTENING TO IN THE CAR?

Often ridiculed! I enjoy the classic groups from years ago – Dire Straits; Fleetwood Mac; Queen and the like. The music I grew up with has never really left me – some would say I should move on

ANY CLAIMS TO FAME?

I can juggle!

WHERE DO YOU PREFER TO TAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS?

Barbados is my ‘go-to’ destination. I love it and hope to be able to return there soon.

VERDANT CELEBRATE IN STYLE

Posted on January 26, 2021

VERDANT CELEBRATE IN STYLE

Bespoke holiday park operator Verdant Leisure recently celebrated its 10th birthday in style with gifts for staff and holiday homeowners. Through its social media pages, Verdant gave away 10 holidays to one lucky family who has a child that turned 10 years old in September. Verdant Leisure runs ten UK holiday parks in spectacular locations across South East Scotland, Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Perthshire & North East England offering a wide range of accommodation from self-catering caravans, deluxe lodges to camping pods, glamping pods and touring pitches at selected parks.

BEATING HEART

Customers and staff have been at the heart of the business since it was born in 2010 – the brainchild of founders CEO Graham Hodgson, Commercial Director Bev Dixon and Finance Director Andrew Wall. The company employs over 300 staff and is passionate about building a solid team, who are invested in the brand and deliver exceptionally high customer service. As a testament to their engaged and happy employees, Verdant Leisure were awarded 13th Best Company toWork For in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies List in 2020, 3rd in the North East and 9th Best Company in Scotland. “We value all members of the Verdant Leisure team and really treasure the people who make our company what it is. It has been the same since 2010 and each and every one of them has played a large part in our success, today is really about them and our customers – both new and existing,” says CEO Graham Hodgson. Verdant Leisure’s service levels ensured that 2019 saw 60% of guests booking again and the latest customer satisfaction survey results show that 95% of holiday guests would recommend Verdant Leisure to family and friends. “The 2020 customer base has shifted slightly, we’re welcoming lots of new customers into the Verdant family, many of whom may not have enjoyed a British holiday park break for a number of years,” continues Graham.

A significant number of new customers are also deciding to purchase holiday homes on Verdant Leisure’s parks as the post-Lockdown staycation uplift sees no signs of abating. Verdant Leisure was founded in September 2010 following a management buy-in of Dunham Leisure Limited, owners of Pease Bay and Thurston Manor Leisure Parks in South East Scotland. Verdant went on to purchase Viewfield Manor Leisure Park in Ayrshire in July 2011 and Riverside Leisure Park in Northumberland in 2012. Kingfisher and Heather View Leisure parks in Wear Valley, and Coldingham Bay were then acquired. Scoutscroft Leisure Park was purchased in February 2018 followed by Queensberry Bay in Dumfriesshire in October 2018. In January 2020 Verdant Leisure purchased Erigmore in Perthshire bringing Verdant Leisure’s portfolio to ten parks across Scotland and North East England. This deal continued the company’s growth strategy to create a strong regional group with significant scale, and Verdant Leisure remains keen to add further parks to its group over the next 18 months.

Verdant Leisure
Tel. 03300 535524
www.verdantleisure.co.uk

SOARING BOOKINGS FOR OCTOBER BREAKS

Posted on September 4, 2020

SOARING BOOKINGS FOR OCTOBER BREAKS

Verdant Leisure, a bespoke holiday park operator with ten holiday parks in Scotland and the north of England, is reporting a continued trend for staycation bookings this autumn, with October bookings doubling on autumn 2019. “We’re continuing to see recordbreaking bookings across all our UK parks,” says Verdant Leisure’s Chief Executive, Graham Hodgson. “This is really helping to boost the local economies in the Scottish and English regions where our parks are located, as each park provides the customer base for numerous other regional businesses, including local suppliers, shops, pubs, restaurants, cafes and visitor attractions,” Verdant Leisure recently secured licences for some of its leisure parks which permit them to open for 12-months of the year.

With the enforced closure and demand for UK breaks now so high, the company was in talks with local authorities to agree this for 2020/2021. The nationwide lockdown from March-June put considerable strain on the many local economies in the UK that rely on tourism to survive. Therefore, extending ‘the season’ was high on the agenda for Verdant Leisure and the British tourism industry as a whole. “As with many businesses in the sector we have seen an uplift in last minute bookings with more people than ever wanting to take a break with their family in the UK – a trend which we predict will continue well into 2021.

We recently announced a half a million-pound investment to increase accommodation pitches at our Scottish parks to keep up with demand and these are due for completion in the next few weeks, ready for our autumn visitors,” continues Graham. Verdant has also recently invested £500,000 to keep up with the current staycation demand. A new luxury lodge development has been completed at its East Lothianbased Thurston Manor Leisure Park. The company is also starting a new pitch development at Perthshire-based Erigmore Leisure Park.

Northern Lights

Posted on November 6, 2018

Northern Lights - Title Pic

Northern Lights

Verdant Leisure is on the acquisition trail…

Verdant Leisure’s strapline - Relax, Enjoy, Experience – is key to understanding the company’s focus and why its parks are located where they are. Destination and service are the key pillars of its business strategy to deliver the best possible customer experience. A bespoke holiday park operator, Verdant Leisure offer self-catering holidays and holiday home ownership at eight holiday parks across stunning countryside and coastal locations in Scotland and the north of England. The company was founded in September 2010 following a management buy-in of Dunham Leisure Limited, owners of Pease Bay and Thurston Manor leisure parks in South East Scotland. Verdant went on to purchase Viewfield Manor Leisure Park in Ayrshire in July 2011 and Riverside Leisure Park in Northumberland in 2012. Kingfisher and Heather View holiday parks in Wear Valley and Coldingham Bay and Scoutscroft in Berwickshire were then acquired as part of an ongoing buy-and-build strategy.

When holidaymakers visit any of Verdant Leisure’s holiday parks across Scotland, Northumberland, and County Durham they can expect fantastic on-site facilities, outstanding customer service, excellent holiday accommodation and a superb range of holiday homes for sale.

Northern Lights 2Verdant’s holiday parks provide the perfect environment for families to spend precious time together, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Scoutscroft Leisure Park is located a couple of minutes’ walk ideally located from the breathtaking Coldingham Bay beach. Just under an hour’s drive from Edinburgh and close to the Scottish Borders, the park is ideally located for holidays and weekend retreats for all, with an abundance of attractions. Situated on the Berwickshire Coast, just an hour’s drive from Edinburgh, we then find Coldingham Bay Leisure Park. With 22 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the park offers the peaceful tranquillity of a countryside setting. With the beach and a host of activities and attractions just a stone’s throw away, it is a wonderful holiday retreat.

Nearby, Pease Bay offers an idyllic beachfront location, the perfect place to enjoy time with family and friends. For those seeking a little more adventure, there are great water sport opportunities and a wealth of attractions available in this spectacular corner of Scotland.

TRANQUIL HIDEAWAY

Northern Lights 7Still in Scotland, Thurston Manor is nestled at the foot of the Lammermuir Hills near the stunning East Lothian coastline, amid 176 acres of breathtaking countryside. This beautiful holiday park is under an hour’s drive from Edinburgh so visiting the capital is easily done. Set in the heart of the beautiful Ayrshire countryside, Viewfield Manor provides an ideal base from which to explore the historic attractions, thriving market and seaside towns and world famous sporting locations that Ayrshire has to offer. Viewfield Manor is situated only 20 minutes from Ayr, and with attractions such as Culzean Castle, Kelburn Park, and Irvine, Troon and Ayr beaches all within a 30 minute journey.

Move down to the heart of the stunning Northumberland countryside, Riverside Leisure Park, sits on the edge of the Wooler Water. For those looking for a base to explore all that Northumberland has to offer, or those simply wanting to relax and unwind in a tranquil hideaway, Riverside combines superb facilities with a wonderful woodland setting and an abundance of wildlife to create a truly unique holiday location. Meanwhile, Heather View is the perfect base from which to explore everything that County Durham has to offer. Within a few miles you can be exploring the outstanding Durham Dales or the beautiful Hamsterley Forest with its endless walking, cycling and horse riding routes.

The local area is steeped in history with an abundance of castles and museums to discover. There are so many picture-perfect villages in the region, full of quaint shops and tearooms. Kingfisher Leisure Park is an exclusive holiday home ownership location. Ideally located on the banks of the River Wear, Kingfisher is the perfect base to explore the breath-taking scenery, historic attractions and miles of walking and cycling routes that County Durham has to offer. Onpark facilities include a children’s play area and exclusive fishing rights on a section of the River Wear, making Kingfisher the perfect location for fun-filled family holidays.

VNorthern Lights 8erdant Leisure offers a wide range of holiday options to suit all budgets, whether guests want to buy or rent a holiday home or caravan. The company has invested over £6 million in its portfolio in the last two years and customer service is very much at the heart of the Verdant Leisure ethos. All Verdant Leisure’s holiday park locations have Tripadvisor ratings of 4 out of 5 and Heather View and Coldingham Bay have Facebook review scores of 5 out of 5 and 4.3 out of 5, respectively.

GREEN TOURISM

Recently Verdant Leisure has, this year, been awarded membership into the Green Tourism scheme; the world-leading sustainable certification for the tourism sector. Membership gives Verdant Leisure access to specialist advice and support for its business and recommendations for future improvements. All Verdant’s parks have recently been awarded the Bronze Green Tourism Award and company is looking to improve on this over the next 12 months.

TNorthern Lights 9his year Verdant Leisure is supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust following its success last year in raising money for When You Wish Upon a Star. Verdant Leisure aims to raise £30,000 for the charity by hosting fundraising activities at its head office and charity open days throughout the year at all eight of its parks. The company has also been shortlisted for a total of seven awards in the last 18 months – including both the Lloyd’s Bank Business Awards and the Amazon Growing Business Awards this year. Verdant has also been shortlisted for several customer service awards, in recognition of the hard work put in by the whole team to deliver exceptional customer service at all its park locations. Last month Verdant Leisure celebrated its eighth anniversary and the company is due to announce its ninth holiday park acquisition in the coming weeks. It looks like 2019 will be another pivotal year for the bespoke holiday park operator.

Verdant Leisure
Tel: 03300 535524
www.verdantleisure.co.uk