We take a look at what the staff have been up to over winter so far!

We may be closed during the weekdays in the Winter – but that doesn’t mean things slow down! During these ‘off peak’ periods, many of our staff get to experience team building trips, take part in an array of courses to further their training and development and are lucky enough to attend some exciting award ceremonies. Plus we’re able to develop areas on park for our guests enjoyment such as the installation of new touch screen menus at our Burger Bar restaurant…

Staff trip to the NEC in Birmingham

During November, our management and senior team attended the NEC showrooms on the 15 and 16 November in Birmingham, showcasing everything from holiday park accommodation, food and beverage stalls, park entertainment and our attractions. The team came back buzzing with lots of new ideas and inspiration for future developments for both the attraction and the Holiday Park.

Jamie and Dan testing out some of the exhibits on show at the NEC

The supervisory food and beverage (F&B) team recently visited Longleat for a team building day. They got to experience all aspects of the attraction and gain insight into Longleat’s own food and beverage offering. This was a great opportunity to gather new ideas that the team can look to implement in the future.

This department is also undertaking an array of customer service and team leading courses throughout the winter period, in preparation for re-opening in the new season.

Meeting Longleat’s very own lion ‘Aslan’ at their Festival of Light event

But that’s not all for our F&B team – The Burger Bar restaurant has recently had a modern refresh with the addition of new touch ordering screens now available for guests convenience. An exciting update allowing us to streamline queues during those peak periods!

November was also super exciting for the team as we scooped a number of awards for our Holiday Park.

We became a Hoseasons 2023 Diamond Award Winner for Wales’ Best Lodge Escape in the Lodges and Parks small park category, and we were also winners of the  ‘Campsite/Glamping Provider of the Year’ award in the Visit Pembrokeshire Croeso Awards.

Some of the team accepting the Hoseasons Award at the Celtic Manor recently

The awards are testament to the amazing work carried out by the array of staff working so hard to achieve such high standards – from the housekeeping, management, operations and grounds team – to the admin team that ensure a smooth booking and arrival process. Well done everyone!

We’re thrilled to see our staff thrive and to offer the team such amazing opportunities to further their knowledge and in turn provide a great experience for our guests!

Congratulations to the following staff members…

• Pippa Jolly and Dan Sutton from our zoo animal care team have recently been promoted to zoo ambassadors. Well done both!
• Ben Lewis, Gareth Brown, Sarah Mattick and Ellie Harries recently passed their ‘First Aid at Work’ course during November and join many other staff in the First Aid team.
• Pippa Jolly and Meg Burns from the zoo team recently attended the International Giraffe Conference at the Bristol Wildlife Project, bringing back a wealth of ideas which will enable the team to continue providing the best care possible to our own giraffes.

Keepers Meg and Pippa with their certificates from the Giraffe Conference