Poole Park Grabs Gold in Dorset Tourism Awards
The owners of a hideaway Poole holiday park are celebrating after their business was named Dorset Holiday Park of Year at the Dorset Tourism Awards in October. Joanne and David Bridgen of South Lytchett Manor Caravan and Camping Park stepped up to receive their accolade at a glittering awards ceremony at The Tank Museum in Bovington. The husband-and-wife team beat scores of parks across the county to take the top gold award for their 150-pitch touring park, set in the former grounds of an historic country manor house.
Their success means the park will now be fast-tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in February 2015 – and possibly then onto the national finals later in the year.Joanne and David’s Dorset Tourism award comes on top of a raft of other honours received by 20-acre park since the couple took the business on just seven years ago. Then just a very basic touring site, the pair were determined to turn South Lytchett Manor into one of Dorset’s premier park destinations by giving it a top-to-toe makeover.
They invested much time and energy into landscaping and developing the grounds, putting the emphasis on first-class facilities and led by the principles of sustainable management. Their reward has been to see the now five-star park scoop a host of awards from tourism authorities, guides and environmental bodies – plus regular visitors from all over the UK and overseas.
South Lytchett Manor has also earned many glowing comments from visitors on review websites, many mentioning its superb heated amenity buildings, and the peaceful, friendly ambience.
In order to gain its latest award, the park had to undergo a rigorous three-stage judging process, including a “mystery guest” visit from an awards inspector.
Joanne said that the Dorset Holiday Park of the Year prize had a special resonance for her and David because of the judging criteria: “We knew that we were being assessed not just on the quality of the surroundings, but also the standard of service and hospitality which guests receive,” she said. “Our aim has always been to create a welcoming atmosphere where people can relax and enjoy their stay, and know there’s always help and assistance on hand if they need it. “We now find that the majority of our guests are either repeat visitors or come as the result of a personal recommendation, so I hope we can claim some success with this policy. “It’s fantastic to receive this award, and I hope the publicity will help benefit all local tourism businesses by putting the spotlight on this lovely area of Dorset,” added Joanne.
There is more information about the park at www.SouthLytchettManor.co.uk
October 25, 2014
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