Yorkshire leisure park targets significant turnover and new local community engagement

A local leisure park is targeting record turnover as it aims to deliver new ways to engage with customers and local community.

Award-winning Patrington Haven Leisure Park has grown its team from 35 employees to 70. With a growth in turnover from £2.7m in 2014 to £5.6m in 2018, the owners-only park close to the East Yorkshire coast is forecasting a new revenue high of £6m for 2019.

The leisure park is also experiencing its highest ever occupancy rates, with just 15 of 485 plots currently free. It was founded by Atlas Caravans owner Graham Sparkes in 1984 on a disused RAF base, after he sold the business to members of the management team.

It is now run by Graham’s son, Guy Sparkes, his wife Karen and their extended family. Now, after investing £5.5m in the leisure park’s Country Club, the business is pushing forward with new services for its owners and visitors and reaching out to the community.

The lake at Patrington Haven Leisure Park.

Managing director, Guy Sparkes, said: “We’ve seen a really strong five-year growth period and I put that down to belief, supporting the team and allowing them to be in charge of their own destinies.

“A leisure park is only as good as its owners and its guests and we have some of the best. Our main aim is for all our customers to be proud of our team and our team to be proud of our customers.

“I can’t say it’s like coming to work here. It has various pressures, but at the same time, you’re coming in to collaborate with people who believe in the same things. When you have shared beliefs, you can achieve anything.”

Investments have included changes in Guy’s Café Bar and Restaurant, new tech in a state-of-the-art gym, and three new vans for the maintenance team, which have helped to improve rubbish collections and upkeep of caravans.

Salesperson, Martin Taylor is responsible for caravan sales, customer relations and ongoing aftercare. He concluded: “I love the team here. We’re all committed to looking after our customers and it’s not just about profit.

“We’re exceptionally busy and that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of hard work. Customer care has to be knitted into the foundations of what you do, and we do it consistently.”

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