August 2021

ISSUE 44 | August 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com 

BUSINESS 

LUXURY ACCOMMODATION 

FUNCTION VENUES 

› Open Water Swimming 

› Bad Reviews 

/ / 

GLAMPSITES 

› Finding Money 

› Designing Signage 

EVENTS 

› Travel Emissions 

› Safety Consultants 

CASE STUDIES: 

THIEF HALL • HEDGEROW LUXURY GLAMPING • THE FOREST SHOWCASE FOOD FESTIVAL

THE POD BODS 

NATURE DWELLINGS | OUTDOOR LIVING | HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS 

GUEST 

HOME OFFICE 

THE POD BODS 

CHALET 

HOSPITALITY 

Visit: thepodbods.com | Call: 01924 677002 | Mail: Info:@thepodbods.com

ISSUE 44 | August 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com 

WELCOME 

THERE ARE some interesting statistics that I have come 

across in compiling this issue. Thanks to the pandemic, 

dog ownership has rocketed, as have searches for 

dog-friendly holiday accommodation. Cold water 

swimming participation has also increased three-fold. 

Savvy business owners are already capitalising on these 

opportunities; welcoming dogs to a glampsite is one thing 

but turning your body of water into a safe swimming 

location takes some more thought. Fortunately, Charlotte 

Winship has researched what you need, with inspiration 

taken from Compton Verney’s offering. 

Our entrepreneur of the issue, Amber Lort-Phillips, has also made the most of 

her coastal location with wild swimming, one of the wellness activities offered 

at her Little Retreat on the Lawrenny Estate. So in demand are her retreats that 

she co-founded the Big Retreat Festival, which has grown each year into a major 

event and yet another string to this remarkable estate’s bow. 

The big news is that events finally have government-backed insurance – let’s 

hope this allows an acceleration of the re-emergence of the industry. Not many 

events have managed this summer, but things are ramping up for the autumn. 

Our case study is on The Forest Showcase Food Festival in the Forest of Dean 

which takes place in October. Having lost its district council support in 2010, it 

is now a sustainable business in its own right – huge congratulations to coorganisers 

Amanda Smith and Rachel Salway. 

The Glamping Show is coming up, one of my favourite trade events. We’ll be 

there on Stand OSA 14 – come and say hello! 

Tally Rix 

Editor / Publisher 

PUBLISHERS 

Steve Rix - steve@openairbusiness.com 

Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com 

EDITOR 

Tally Rix - tally@openairbusiness.com 

ADVERTISING SALES 

Marney Whyte - 01892 677743 

marney@openairbusiness.com 

ADMINISTRATOR 

Kirsty Farrow – 01892 677740 

kirsty@openairbusiness.com 

DESIGN 

James English - 

www.jamesenglishdesign.co.uk 

PUBLISHED BY 

Coffee Shop Media Ltd 

www.coffeeshopmedia.com 

Milroy House, Sayers Lane, 

Tenterden, TN30 6BW 

01580 848555 

Contents ISSUE 44 – AUGUST 2021 

OPEN AIR BUSINESS IS 

NO LONGER FREE 

To start a paid subscription, please visit 

www.openairbusiness.com/subscribe 

UP FRONT 

4 News 

7 Product News 

10 Glamping Show 

Preview 

12 Entrepreneur’s Chat 

– Amber Lort-Phillips, 

Lawrenny Estate 


16 Thief Hall – a no 

rules wedding venue 

with guest glamping 

20 Bad Reviews – 

Caroline Cooper 

advises how to 

handle them 

23 Business Loyalty 

– it’s time to think 

about how to win 

more business 

24 Open Water 

Opportunity – 

capitalising on the 

rise of cold water 

swimming 

28 Outdoor 

Accommodation – 

products in action 

GLAMPSITES 

31 Hedgerow Luxury 

Glamping – a no 

children, no pets 

luxury retreat 

36 Trade Secrets – 

designing signage 

for Leafy Fields 

Glamping 

39 Finding Money – the 

secrets to securing 

a rural business 

mortgage 

42 Social Media 

Planning – working 

out your posts for the 

year 

44 Infrastructure – 

products in action 

EVENTS 

48 The Forest 

Showcase Food 

Festival – a foodie 

haven in the Forest of 

Dean 

52 Safety Specifics – 

how to choose your 

safety consultant 

56 Tackling Travel – 

ecolibrium’s Travel 

Carbon Calculator 

app for events 

60 Professional 

Services – product 

snap shots 

62 Spotlight 

63 Classifieds 

65 Behind the Scenes – 

Deborah Collins, The 

Belfry Hotel & Resort 

Find more expert advice online: 

www.openairbusiness.com 

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ONLINE 

LUXURY ACCOMMODATION 

FUNCTION VENUES GLAMPSITES 

EVENTS 

› Open Water Swimming › Finding Money 

› Travel Emissions 

› Bad Reviews 

/ 

› Designing Signage 

/ 

› Safety Consultants 

CASE STUDIES: 

THIEF HALL • HEDGEROW LUXURY GLAMPING • THE FOREST SHOWCASE FOOD FESTIVAL 

COVER PHOTO 

The Roof Terrace Eco Lodge, a masterpiece of innovative 

design and engineering. Introducing an Outerspace 

building that takes you to a special place of comfort and 

relaxation. Hand built in Britain to the highest standards 

for all season use. www.outerspacegroup.com 

BUSINESS 

WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 3

665% Surge in 

Dog-friendly 

Holiday Searches 

ACCORDING TO a recent study based on 

research conducted by Devonshire holiday 

park Cofton Holidays, nearly half of Brits 

(44%) got themselves a new pet over the 

lockdown period and are searching for 

suitable pet-friendly holiday destinations. 

When comparing the most recent year on 

year data available (May 2020–May 2021), 

searches for the term ‘dog-friendly holidays’ 

has increased over 665%, from 2,900 to 

22,200 average monthly searches. 

When looking into more specific holiday 

types, the term ‘dog-friendly lodges’ has also 

peaked dramatically, increasing by 400% (880 

vs 4,400). 

This rise has seen Cofton Holidays expand 

its pet-friendly accommodation with new 

lodges launched in July. 

£750m Government Backed 

Insurance for Events 

THE NATIONAL Outdoor Events 

Association (NOEA) has welcomed 

the announcement of the £750m 

government-backed insurance scheme. 

Partnered with Lloyd’s, the Live 

Events Reinsurance Scheme will see 

the government act as a 'reinsurer', 

stepping in with a guarantee to make 

sure insurers can offer the products 

events companies need. 

“We’re delighted to see this scheme 

announced by the government and 

are fully supportive of it,” says NOEA’s 

president Tom Clements. “Although 

we’ve had some events this year, a 

number couldn’t run with the risk of no 

insurance cover. There has remained 

a massive cloud over the future of the 

industry that this scheme will begin to 

disperse. 

“The biggest issue we have as an 

industry is the confidence and risk 

attached to putting on major events. 

Until now there just hasn’t been the 

incentive for events to take place 

beyond 2021; those that have are doing 

so because of commitments made, 

and tickets sold, back in 2018/19. This 

scheme reduces the risk and ups the 

incentives. Whereas before we have had 

events, now we have an opportunity to 

rebuild an events industry. 

“Unfortunately, we do need to 

underline that we’re not out of the 

woods yet. We’ve lost a lot of people, a 

lot of skill and talent, and we also have 

businesses that have had no income for 

the last two years. We need government 

to look after these businesses until 

summer 2022.” 

GETTY IMAGES 

Leisure Firm to Build Glamping Pods 

SALOP LEISURE, which operates the Love2Stay resort on the 

outskirts of Shrewsbury, has applied for planning permission to 

extend its business in order to manufacture glamping pods and 

holiday lodges. 

“The proposed development will help to sustain a key part of our 

business by enabling us to relocate an existing caravan storage, repair 

and maintenance facility which is soon to become unavailable,” said 

Mark Bebb, Salop Leisure’s managing director. 

“In addition, the manufacture of glamping pods and lodges will 

further diversify Salop Leisure’s existing operation, creating new jobs 

in this arm of the business”. 

SALOP LEISURE 

4 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Record Numbers at 2021 Game Fair 

RECORD NUMBERS of people 

attended the Game Fair at 

Ragley Hall in Warwickshire at 

the end of July. 119,378 people 

visited across three days – the 

most in the event’s 62 year 

history. 

The first large-scale event 

since ‘Freedom Day’, the Game 

Fair also welcomed 1,000 

exhibitors with whom an 

estimated £60 million was spent. 

The Game Fair’s managing 

director James Gower said: “It’s 

been a huge amount of effort 

to actually get here with all the 

changing rules and regulations. 

However, we remained confident 

and we have an amazing 

industry supporting us. 

“This year I’ve particularly 

enjoyed the new outdoor 

cinema; it was brilliant and we’d 

like to do more of those sorts 

of things. I’ve loved the party 

atmosphere this year – I think 

everyone wanted a release after 

the past 18 months and the 

Game Fair has provided that." 

JOHN ROBERTSON / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO 

Event Company Plans Venue 

FLINTSHIRE EVENTS equipment company Tents and Events has entered farm-based 

wedding venue plans. The proposal is for a marquee on land at Clawdd Offa Farm in 

Penyffordd. A representative for the company said: “This business has been seriously 

impacted by Covid-19 and its future will be determined by adapting to the future needs 

within the events and hospitality sector. 

“As a leading supplier to the events industry in Wales this company wants to lead the 

changes and adapt to the challenges needed to survive. A permanent structure would offer a 

major opportunity to showcase best practice and demonstrate to clients the ability to adapt 

to a very changing market”. 

Under the proposals, wedding services would be held in a wooden pergola with space for 

up to 25 guests. Additional capacity would be provided by a further temporary structure in 

the event of bad weather. 

Plans for 

Luxury 

Glamping in 

Chapel-enle-Frith 

HIGH PEAK Retreat has 

submitted plans for a 

luxury seasonal glamping 

site in Chapel-en-le-Frith, 

Derbyshire, to include 

15 glamping units, five 

motorcaravan pitches and 

associated facilities including 

an activity yurt. 

The “high quality holiday 

retreat” will comprise 

glamping pods, safari tents, 

yurts, geodesic domes and 

shepherds huts and will offer 

on-site activities including 

yoga and fitness within a 

large yurt style structure. 


ISSUE 33 | January 2020 | www.openairbusiness.com 

ISSUE 35 | March 2020 | www.openairbusiness.com 

ISSUE 38 | October/November 2020 | www.openairbusiness.com 

ISSUE 39 | January 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com 

ISSUE 40 | February 2021 | www.openairbusiness.com 

BUSINESS 

BUSINESS 

BUSINESS 

BUSINESS 

BUSINESS 

Alfresco Dining 

STAYCATION 

INVESTMENT 

Customer 

First 

SUPPLIER 

SHOWCASE 


EVENTS 

> Legalities 

> Biophilic Design 

> Events Report 

> Seasonal USPs 

> Bespoke Structures 

> Changing Diets 

/ / 

> Wedding Insights 

> Professional Services 

> Marquees 

CASE STUDIES: HEATON HOUSE FARM • BROOK MEADOW • DOGFEST 

OAB Gathering 2020 – Don’t miss our very own conference this March! 


EVENTS 

› Promoting Events 

› Market Research › Testing Times 

/ / 

› Contingency Plans › Booking Channels › Necessary Change 

CASE STUDIES: 

SKIPBRIDGE COUNTRY WEDDINGS • TRECOMBE LAKES • WEEKEND AT THE ASYLUM 


› Venue Searches 

› Customer Excellence 

GLAMPSITES 

EVENTS 

› Tree Advice 

› Event Glamping 

/ / 

› Glamping Show › Coping with Covid 

CASE STUDIES: 

CHILLI BARN • MAD DOGS & VINTAGE VANS • HEVER CRAFT AND DESIGN FAIR 


EVENTS 

› Changing Habits › Casual Excellence › 2021 Predictions 

/ / 

› Industry Taskforce › Planning Exemptions › Marketing Post-Covid 

CASE STUDIES: 

THE ORCHARD AT MUNSLEY • HOLLY WATER HOLIDAYS • LANTERNS AT CHESTER ZOO 


EVENTS 

› Delegation 

› Instagram 1 

› Placemaking 

/ / 

› Start-up Venues › Small Space Design › Covid Insurance 

CASE STUDIES: 

HOUCHINS • THE PADDOCK RAMSBOTTOM • FRINGE BY THE SEA 

Spread the Word 

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PRODUCT 

From Marinas to Meadows 

PLASTIC PODS offers an innovative approach to the 

garden room and glamping market. Marina Boats, a boat 

manufacturer, ventured into a side project that has rapidly 

expanded during the past year. Plastic Pods has supplied over 

500 people with home offices, extra bedrooms and a place to 

escape to with multiple functions. 

Customers love the design, durability, eco-friendly 

credentials and low price. Pods are also proving very popular 

for glamping, providing a quick return on investment. All 

pods are made to order in the customer’s choice of colour 

and, unlike most wooden garden room competitors, they will 

not rot as they are produced from fibreglass. They are even 

eco-friendly due to the shell being manufactured from 90% 

recycled plastic. 

Based in Southampton, the company will deliver anywhere 

in the UK and has franchises developing across the country. 

07745 526320, plasticpods@gmail.com, 

www.plasticpods.co.uk 

Californian Grills 

CALIFORNIAN GRILLS is a UK-based company fabricating steel 

barbecues based upon the Santa Maria grill which originated 

in the Santa Maria Valley, California. Run by a husband and 

wife team, the couple had lived in the valley and saw how 

popular and practical the grills were so launched their own 

versatile version. 

The key feature of the Santa Maria Grill is that the grilling 

rack can be raised or lowered by a hand crank mechanism to 

control temperature whilst cooking. They are also modular, 

comprising the fire box, grilling rack, and stand/legs, giving 

you a variety of different ways to enjoy an outdoor fire. This 

versatility allows you to enjoy an open fire in the firebox or 

campfire, then cook by simply adding the grilling rack and, in 

the case of the campfire, the legs ready to experience a unique 

way of barbecuing. Once you’re done with cooking, remove the 

grilling rack and return to relaxing around the fire. 

The outdoor hospitality sector appreciates the ease of use 

of the Santa Maria grilling rack and because of this Californian 

Grills have been commissioned by chefs and outdoor catering 

establishments to make a variety of bespoke racks to fit 

into built-in kitchens or large standalone grills to cater for 

demanding requirements. 

01732 321242, info@californiangrills.com 

www.californiangrills.com 

Glamping Accessories 

from Marquee Floors 

by William Armes 

AFTER A successful year launching its glamping collection, Marquee Floors by 

William Armes is delighted to announce new products to its range of accessories 

for the market. With affordable luxury in mind, it has extended its range of 

luxury faux sheepskin rugs to include an on trend grey colour option as well as 

introducing new larger sizes (180x60cm) in white and brown colourways. 

Four new faux hide designs have also been added along with the Silk Road 

rug collection. With an oriental style, these statement rugs have a super soft pile 

with an antique silk appearance and are available in both rug and runner sizes. 

Cushions and throws are still available to purchase ensuring that your event 

or structure has that perfect finishing touch. 

01787 372988, info@marqueefloors.co.uk, www.marqueefloors.co.uk 


PRODUCT 

The Wash House 

INTRODUCING THE Wash House from 

Reworkshop. One of the largest outhouse 

units the company offers, it is designed 

to be fitted out in various configurations 

from a spacious compost loo or accessible 

facility to a full off-grid bathroom suite. 

As with Reworkshop’s other outhouses, 

the company wanted the Wash House to be 

budget friendly, simple to install, portable, 

strong and environmentally friendly. 

They've stuck with their tried and tested 

design which harks back to traditional 

outback or frontier outhouses and privies, 

but this is no shed! The sunroof design 

floods the unit with light, saving energy 

during daylight hours. The use of quality 

materials and timber exceeds current 

house building regulations and means 

the Wash House is built to last. Prices 

start from £2,499 and units are built to a 

customer’s requirements. 

Reworkshop is passionate about the 

environment and the use of sustainable 

and recycled materials. You won’t find 

any plywood or manufactured wood 

board here! Reworkshop are constantly 

striving to ensure all the materials are as 

environmentally friendly as possible while 

still being fit for purpose. They believe they 

offer the greenest composting toilet units 

on the market, not only because they save 

water and give back to the environment, 

but because of the effort that’s gone into 

sourcing the correct materials. 

07714 719441, reworkshopwales@gmail. 

com, www.reworkshopwales.co.uk 

Live Events make an 

Eco-Friendly Return 

GREEN GOBLET are honoured to be 

able to work with so many festivals 

and events, supplying them with 

reusable cups. It might be just a 

reusable cup to one person, but 

each of Green Goblet’s vessels stops 

one of the 500 billion single-use 

cups that are used around the world 

each year and then put into landfill. 

“Festivals and events are finally 

happening, unfortunately it is too 

late for some but for the those that 

have been able to take place this 

summer it has certainly been a 

welcome return – rain or sunshine, 

wellies or sun hats!” says Green 

Goblet’s sustainability manager 

Paula Hopkinson. 

“These events have allowed us 

to forget all our worries and the 

negative effects that the pandemic 

has had on our lives, and instead 

divert our attention to the positive 

side of life. It feels that everyone 

has been locked up for too long 

and people are understanding and 

embracing the need to socialise and 

are appreciating how lucky we are 

to have so many diverse events to 

attend. 

“Nothing brings people together 

more than a festival; it gives us a 

sense of community and national 

pride. From young children to the 

more mature person, everyone 

needs happiness in their lives and 

a chance to relieve our stress and 

balance our emotions. 

“At Green Goblet, we are so happy 

that events are now becoming 

more environmentally friendly. So 

let’s all work together to make the 

live event sector as green and as 

great as possible, celebrating post 

pandemic life”. #RefillNotLandfill 

01278 238390, info@green-goblet. 

com, www.green-goblet.com 

Smokeless Fire Pits 

THE SOLO Stove firepit, features a unique 360 airflow 

design to achieve an efficient burn and mesmerising 

flames without eye watering smoke. Strategically 

placed holes in the double-wall structure draw air in 

from the bottom and feed heated oxygen to the top, 

resulting in a spectacular secondary burn. This is the 

key to the minimal smoke and ash leftovers. 

Created in Texas, the original Solo Stove is 

a lightweight, compact, efficient, eco-friendly 

backpacking stove but the range has now expanded to 

include grills and fire pits from smaller backyard size 

through to the bigger group camping options. 

Solo Stoves are portable, log friendly and very 

durable. Constructed from stainless steel, each stove 

has a lifetime warranty and comes with a whole range 

of accessories allowing users to cook on them too. 

01539 624040, info@lyon.co.uk, www.lyon.co.uk 


CWC Advert (Open Air Magazine).pdf 1 23/02/2021 12:04:51 

Expert 

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• Whatever your vision 

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Specialist retailer showcasing all the hard 

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Modular Flooring 

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EverBlock® manufactures a complete 

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■ dance floors 

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■ exhibit flooring 

■ industrial access mats 

■ Online floor builder and pricing tool 


INDUSTRY UPDATE 

The Glamping 

Show 2021 

Can you afford not to be there? Exhibition manager Dan Wiseman 

explains why this year’s Glamping Show should not be missed 

➊ 

THE RECENT boom in domestic travel has 

seen a huge increase in business for glamping 

sites across the country. Are you maximising 

on the staycation opportunity? Can you afford 

to miss the latest information, products and 

solutions to diversify your assets? 

The next two seasons are going to be 

crucial for the glamping industry. Glamping 

entrepreneurs need to stay abreast of all 

new developments – products, planning, 

compliance and more – in order to establish 

themselves firmly and maximise on an 

unprecedented opportunity. 

The Glamping Show puts all of the latest 

products and services that the industry has to 

offer at your fingertips and takes out all of the 

hassle of finding trustworthy information by 

providing a panel of the most experienced and 

respected experts in the glamping sector to 

deliver the seminar programme. 

For anyone who has, or is considering, a 

glamping business, The Glamping Show is an 

essential three days that will shape the future 

of your business. Discover the latest products 

and services, listen to the most respected 

experts in the industry, learn strategies and 

tactics to start and grow your business and 

share the experience and knowledge of your 

peers. No matter what you’re looking for, 

you’ll find it at the Glamping Show! 

“The Glamping show was 

instrumental in the process of setting up 

our business,” says Suzi Drew, owner of 

Belan Bluebell Woods. “The quality and 

diversity of stands were both incredibly visual 

and inspiring! Equally important was the 

opportunity to discuss our plans with those 

producers. We then had the opportunity to 

listen to expert talks and even a coffee break 

became networking with people from all over 

the UK. To have an event with everything you 

need for wherever your business is at is really 

special.” 

The seminar programme will be led by 

industry experts who are willing to share their 

years of experience and knowledge. These 

invaluable talks will cover every aspect of 

running a glamping site, from the nitty gritty 

details of getting set up, to guides on how 

to offer world class customer service, and 

everything in between. 

“The Glamping Show seminars really 

helped open our eyes to areas of operating a 

glamping business we hadn’t even thought 

of,” says Sarah Orchard, owner of The Hudnalls 

Hideout. “It was vital in our business research 

and planning. At the show, we were able to 

meet great suppliers and learn from existing 

operators to avoid costly set-up mistakes.” 

The show team have made sure that every 

corner of the glamping sector is covered by the 

show. The event serves as a one-stop-shop for 

SEE YOU THERE! 

The Glamping Show takes place on 16–18 

September 2021 at NAEC Stoneleigh. For 

more information and free registration, 

visit www.theglampingshow.com 

all of your glamping needs. So, no matter 

what stage your glamping business is at, 

can you afford not to visit the Glamping 

Show? 

OAB’s Top Picks 

1 Californian Grills 


Stand OSA 322 

The range of Santa Maria barbecues 

from UK-based business Californian 

Grills feature a unique grilling grate 

that can be raised or lowered by a 

hand crank mechanism to control 

the temperature whilst cooking. The 

grills are also modular, giving users a 

variety of different ways to enjoy an 

outdoor fire. 

Bespoke racks and standalone 

grills can be made specifically for 

the catering and hospitality sector 

including outdoor built-in kitchens. 

2 The Qube Eco Tiny Homes 

www.thequbeecotinyhomes.co.uk 

Stand OSA 630 

The team of modular building experts 

at Northamptonshire-based The Qube 

have launched a range of stylish, 

sustainable and affordable holiday 

accommodation. Pairing contemporary 

design with robust build quality, these 

tiny homes are relocatable and make 

maximum use of minimal space. 

Friendly to the environment, 

tiny homes are also built to last 

and designed with heat and energy 

efficiency in mind, saving you 

outgoings in the long run. 

Whether used as extra 

accommodation for hotels, an 

alternative offering for park homes, or 

as part of a wider glamping offering, 

tiny homes may well be exactly 

what is required to help with your 

diversification. 


INDUSTRY UPDATE 

➌ 

➋ 

3 Glamptubs 

www.glamptubs.com 

Stand OSA 018 

The range of hot tubs from Glamptubs features super hygienic LDPE 

interior linings, durable and attractive Thermowood exteriors and 

the choice of an internal or external wood-fired heaters. The two 

sizes available seat four to six or six to eight people. 

Easy to clean and with minimal maintenance, these tubs are ideal 

for fast and hygienic turnovers between guests and offer a generous 

water depth and unhindered bathing space. 

➍ 

4 Plastic Pods 


Stand OSA 558 

An innovative approach to the garden room and 

glamping market, Plastic Pods are produced by boat 

manufacturer Marina Boats. The pod shells comprise 

90% recycled plastic and come in a huge array of 

colours. They are also very competitively priced, 

super low maintenance and durable. 

Based in Southampton, the company will deliver 

anywhere in the UK and has franchises developing 

across the country. 

5 ProSmoke BBQ 


Stand OSA 610 

Celebrating one of the oldest forms 

of cooking in the world ProSmoke 

BBQ supplies wood-fired offset 

smokers for great ambiance and 

delicious food with a light smoky 

flavour. 

➎ 

ProSmoke BBQ offers smokers 

of all sizes along with a team of 

specialists that can provide training 

prior to delivery. The Cactus Jack 

chuckwagon smokers have large 

cooking areas and can cater for small 

to very large groups of people with 

ease. They can be used for long, low 

and slow cooks or quick grilling. 


PEOPLE 

RIGHT: Adrian and 

Amber Lort-Phillips 

with Adrian’s parents, 

David and Virginia 

ENTREPRENEUR’S CHAT 

Amber 

We talk to Wales’ Business Woman of the Year 

winner, Amber Lort-Phillips, about developing 

new business ventures at Lawrenny Estate 

Working in the wellbeing industry for over 

three decades, Amber Lort-Phillips is a health 

and wellbeing entrepreneur at heart. She met 

her husband Adrian at an entrepreneurial 

leader’s course at Swansea University and 

the rest is history. 

“I actually used to be Adrian’s personal 

trainer many years ago and we met again 

on the course," says Amber. "I was running 

my own gym and health club in Narberth 

and Adrian, who had a media company, had 

moved back to his family’s Lawrenny Estate 

to help run the property side of the business.” 

The estate itself is an organic dairy farm in the heart 

of Pembrokeshire, in the UK's only coastal National 

Park. The main residence at the centre of the estate 

had been a large castle which was blown up in 1954. 

Adrian’s grandfather had returned from the war and 

decided the structure, which had been used by the 

army, was not viable as a family home. Adrian’s parents 

David and Virginia took over the family business at the 

end of the sixties, and the estate is now run by his older 

brother, Owen. 

Lawrenny Estate is now a thriving series of family 

enterprises. Owen, who is a founder director of the 

Calon Wen Dairy Cooperative, operates a high tech 

milking operation. “It’s amazing,” says Amber. “The 

cows are able to milk themselves, have food served 

up to them by a robot and get followed around by 

a robotic cleaner!” Amber’s sister in law, Liza, runs 

Cymbrogi Futures from the estate, a consultancy 

educating teachers on the new Welsh curriculum and 

principles of sustainability. 

When the farm moved out of the village, the old 

site was earmarked for housing. Adrian is heading 

up the development project, which will see nearly 

40 sustainable homes built in the community. “It is 

testament to my father-in-law, David’s vision that we 

live in a vibrant, working community,” says Amber. “It 

is a very small village and the estate business has been 

focused on keeping it alive and thriving. 

“One of the many things that makes Lawrenny 

unique is the village shop. Locals can access it 24/7, 

using a key fob system so it doesn’t need to be staffed 

all the time. The village also has a great pub, a very 

successful sports club, a busy church, village hall and 

its own hostel. That strong sense of community is one 

of the things that makes Lawrenny so magical." 

MAGICAL SPACE 

Thanks to Amber, the estate is now also home to the 

Little Retreat, which offers glamping and wellness 

workshops, and the Big Retreat festival. It also hosts 

corporate events and the occasional wedding. 

“Although we are very happy to limit weddings to 

four a year,” says Amber. “We are part of a very small 

community and weddings often mean a lot of noise. 

“As the farm has modernised, we have been able to 


PEOPLE 

make use of redundant assets and this, along with my 

father in law’s vision and the whole family’s support, 

has underpinned everything we have done. The site 

where our glamping accommodation now lies was 

once a Georgian walled garden, the new restaurant 

and retreat space was once occupied by Victorian glass 

houses and the festival itself is on the site of the old 

castle and the parkland around it.” 

The Lawrenny hospitality offering has come together 

from a holistic family vision. “My father in law had 

always wanted the castle site, where he spent his 

childhood before it was blown up, to be used as a place 

of gathering and inspiration. 

“My mother in law, Gini, was running a B&B and 

we paired up to create the first version of what is now 

the Little Retreat. Having run wellness courses from 

the site, the accommodation is an extension of that 

wellbeing retreat vision; people can come to stay for a 

wonderful experience all year round. It is a priority for 

the Welsh government to keep Wales open to visitors 

365 days of the year, so both the council and the 

National Park have been very supportive”. 

LITTLE RETREAT 

Today, the Little Retreat is a glamping/retreat business 

with onsite experiences including foraging and 

feasting, heritage walks, forest bathing and art lessons. 

Workshops are run by leading practitioners in the 

wellness industry including movement coach Richie 

Norton, yoga from the Nordic Sisters, wild swimming 

with Laura Owen Sanderson and cookery demos with 

Ryan Riley. The Little Retreat was a finalist in the itravel 

staycation award in 2020/21 and has a Green Key 

Award. 

“I really want people to come here to reconnect with 

the natural world around them,” says Amber. “I want 

them to discover new experiences such as foraging and 

feasting, wild swimming, nature walks and lots of other 

activities that enhance mental and physical wellbeing. 

“We have five all-year round geodomes (from 

F.Domes) with hot tubs, private bathrooms and 

kitchens. We also have five seasonal stargazer bell tents 

from Lotus Belle with outdoor bathtubs and private 

bathrooms and kitchens. We are licensed through the 

Woodlands Champions Club – Ben Carden there is an 

absolute font of knowledge and an amazing man”. 

“I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO 

COME HERE TO RECONNECT 

WITH THE NATURAL WORLD 

AROUND THEM,” 

BIG RETREAT FESTIVAL 

It was through a wellbeing class that Amber was 

running that she met Diana Hinde (who turned out to 

have been the marketing, branding and sales capability 

director for Diageo!) and the idea for the ‘Big Retreat– A 

Wellbeing and Adventure Festival’ was born. 

“We sat round the kitchen table and brainstormed an 

event that could bring the retreat experiences to more 

people. Our retreats had become so popular and often 

people would be crying, not wanting to leave. We had 

one lady who hadn’t slept properly for seven years and 

she managed to get a good night’s sleep at one of our 

events!” 


PEOPLE 

Launched in 2017, and voted one of the top five 

wellbeing festivals in the UK by the Guardian, The 

Big Retreat has a capacity of 3,000 for 2022 and will 

welcome headliners Reef and Toploader. Wild swimmer 

Laura Owen-Sanderson has come on board to help 

develop the brand. 

“Laura is now also our sustainability director as 

well as running wild swimming sessions at the Little 

Retreat, she also runs our own community interest 

company (CIC) We Swim Wild and I have just set up The 

Big Retreat CIC with her and Dale Barker (who curates 

some of the music at The Big Retreat)”. In recognition of 

their business prowess, Laura and Amber both won the 

top 2021 Welsh Women in Business award from media 

company Llais Cymru, supported by the Development 

Bank Wales – Laura in the nature category and Amber 

in tourism and hospitality. 

Amber now also works with Pablo Janczur and his 

team at Orchard Live, the company behind the events 

at Cardiff Castle, on the Big Retreat. Off the back of the 

festival, Lawrenny will play host to a four-day LGBTQ 

wellbeing festival later in the year. “It makes great 

sense as they take over the site and infrastructure after 

our event finishes, which cuts costs.” 

INVESTMENT AND GROWTH 

“We are going through a period of sustained 

investment and growth at the moment,” explains 

Amber. “The total investment in the business is around 

£800K – we have borrowed around a third of million, 

invested some ourselves and also received a grant 

from the Welsh Government Coastal Communities 

Fund to develop teaching spaces and fit out the kitchen 

and dining areas. The Welsh Government Coastal 

Communities Fund is funded by the Welsh Government 

and administered by The National Lottery Community 

Fund. 

“The expectation is that once the business has 

settled, our accommodation side should provide a 

strong return on investment. It is worth pointing out 

that the pressure of looking after people’s highest 

expectations can be quite mentally tasking so it’s not 

“WITH REGARD 

TO THE 

FESTIVAL, WE 

ARE RECOVERING 

FROM THE LOSS 

OF TWO YEARS’ 

TRADING DUE TO 

THE PANDEMIC. 

THE WELSH 

GOVERNMENT 

HAS BEEN 

EXTREMELY 

SUPPORTIVE OF 

EVENTS SUCH AS 

OURS AND HAS 

HELPED US 

STAY ALIVE” 

all plain sailing! Also, the physical workload can be 

immense. There is a lot of very hard graft when you 

start out, so aches and pains are definitely part of the 

package! 

“With regard to the festival, we are recovering from 

the loss of two years’ trading due to the pandemic. The 

Welsh Government has been extremely supportive of 

events such as ours and has helped us stay alive. We 

were fortunate to receive money from the Cultural 

Recovery Fund and are looking forward to coming back 

stronger in 2022. We cannot wait to see our Big Retreat 

family again!” 

EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS 

Looking forward, Amber has plans to expand on 

corporate retreats. “The festival has opened a lot 

of doors for us. We have made lots of contact with 

local businesses for sponsorship etc. and had lots of 

exposure through social media, which has had a great 

knock on effect for the Little Retreat. We get enquiries 

three to four times a week from corporates wanting a 

place with a sustainability and wellness ethos to host 

influencers they are working with”. 

One current development will cement Lawrenny 

as a true destination venue. Amber is overseeing 

the conversion of an old potting shed by the walled 

garden into a restaurant offering a foraging and dining 

experience. 

“The foraging dining experience with Michelin 

trained chef Matt Powell from Fishing and Foraging 

Wales is opening in about four weeks and features a 10 

course foraged meal. 

“Our plan is to continue to deliver on our foraging 

and feasting vision, to rebuild some of the glass 

houses and turn the gardeners' cottages into further 

accommodation and therapy rooms. We also want to 

create some inspirational outdoor teaching spaces and 

a walking ‘labyrinth’. 

“Laura and I are bringing out a book too – The Feel 

Good Guide to Pembrokeshire – combining wellbeing 

and the power of the great outdoors. Everything we do 

is about finding your feelgood!”. 


PEOPLE 

AN ABUNDANCE OF EXPERTISE 

With nearly 30 years’ experience in the industry, Amber 

is perfectly positioned to drive the retreat business. “I 

have an inherent understanding that wellbeing and 

nature are interconnected and this is a far cry from the 

more superficial fitness industry. We are lucky here in 

Wales to have some of the most beautiful spaces in the 

world and, as a nation, have decided that wellbeing is 

fundamental for us to be a thriving country. 

“Government policy and planning frameworks are 

very supportive of what we are doing and there is an 

abundance of expertise to be found, which we are 

continually learning from. Through social media we 

have created connections all round the world with 

others on this same frontier, which is pushing the 

industry in this direction”. 

Amber doesn’t fear competition. “Everyone who 

creates spaces and experiences here in Wales has 

something unique to offer and as a nation we are going 

out to the whole world saying Wales is very special in 

terms of wellbeing, discovery and experience. I don’t 

believe there is a limit to this market; my husband 

constantly (and boringly) keeps repeating that the best 

thing for a good restaurant is when another great one 

opens up next door!” 

DETAILS 

Lawrenny 

Pembrokeshire 

SA68 0PW 

www.littleretreats.co.uk 

www.thebigretreatfestival.com 

See us the 

Glamping 

Show - 

stand Stand 

OSA18 

• Super hygienic LDPE interior lining for quick handovers. 

• Durable and classic Thermowood 

exterior complements the glamping setting. 

• Choice of Internal or External wood fired heaters. 

• Two sizes available 4 person / 8 person. 

Snowford Hill, Southam CV47 9QE t 01926 504067 

e sales@glamptubs.com www.glamptubs.com 



CASE STUDY 

Thief Hall 

A ‘no rules’ farm wedding venue with 

accommodation for 60 guests 

When did you start your venue business 

and what is its history? 

Until the age of 21 I show jumped horses 

professionally from my yard in Essex where 

I lived with my sister and parents. Having 

followed my dream, I knew nothing else but 

the horses, having hardly attended school! 

In 2001, I was invited to train with the 

Barker family in Yorkshire for a few weeks 

to train with Paul Barker, an extremely 

successful show jumper. The short story is 

that I never went home! I gave up the horses, 

sending them back to Essex, and married the 

farmer of the family, Phillip. Our wedding was 

in June 2006 in a marquee on his parents’ 

farm. 

I soon missed the adrenaline of the show 

jumping and needed something to get my 

teeth into and put in planning permission 

to renovate Phillip’s farm buildings. When 

residential use was turned down we were 

devastated but we did get permission for four 

holiday cottages so we set about building 

them. Looking back, it was the best thing that 

could have happened. 

In October 2015 we went on to renovate 

the remaining farm buildings and Thief Hall 

grew from the four cottages to six cottages, 

six glamping pods and a wedding hall, giving 

us the opportunity to offer couples the 

chance to get married on site and sleep up to 

60 of their guests. 

Tell us about your location and site 

We are extremely lucky where we are based, 

with views of the Yorkshire Dales that can’t be 

beaten. We are also easily accessible, being 

one of the most central locations in the UK. 

Jessica Barker went north to 

train as a show jumper and 

never went home. Instead 

she married a farmer and 

created a destination wedding 

venue from redundant 

farm buildings. Sleeping 60 

guests in holiday cottages 

and Anthropod glamping 

pods, the family business is 

fully booked until 2024 – no 

surprise as couple’s get cart 

blanche with the facilities for 

a full three days! We talk to 

Jessica. 


What facilities for outdoor 

functions do you offer? 

We offer accommodation for 60 

plus guests and, as we are out of 

the way, can offer the luxury of a ‘no 

rules’ ethos with no finish times or 

restrictions throughout the wedding 

stay. We offer outdoor ceremonies 

in front of the spectacular view or 

can move indoors if the weather 

isn’t kind. 

What services do you offer? 

We are 100% there for our couples 

and their guests throughout, literally 

24/7. Nothing is ever too much 

trouble! As a blank canvas venue, 

the couple can bring in their own 

caterers and any suppliers they 

want for their big day. We have no 

restrictions at all. 

Describe how you researched and 

sourced your structures 

When the planning permission 

went in, we had to use the same 

footprints as the buildings already 

offered so were a little tied to what 

we could create however it has 

worked perfectly, which is a bit of 

luck. 

“WITH 20,000 

FOLLOWERS 

ON FACEBOOK 

AND OVER 

10,000 ON 

INSTAGRAM, 

IT REALLY 

HAS BEEN A 

LABOUR OF 

LOVE OVER 

THE YEARS, 

WHICH NOW 

SEEMS NO 

DIFFERENT TO 

BREATHING!” 

How do you publicise yourself? 

Our main source of advertising is 

now through Instagram and TikTok, 

we post at least 10 stories a day on 

Instagram and also capture each of 

our couples’ weddings as a bonus, 

saving them a story of their day at 

the top of our Instagram grid. With 

20,000 followers on Facebook and 

over 10,000 on Instagram, it really 

has been a labour of love over the 

years, which now seems no different 

to breathing! 

How would you describe your 

style or unique selling point? 

Other than our surroundings, views, 

no rules vibe and 100% support for 

our couples, I would say it is that 

our couples can create the exact 

wedding they are imagining without 

restrictions for three days. It is like 

them owning their own venue, with 

no one looking over their shoulders. 

They take the keys from us when 

they arrive and enjoy a wedding 

village for two nights for themselves 

with their 60 guests. 

What challenges have you faced 

historically? 

Finding the right team to follow our 

ethos and be able to step into the 

couples’ shoes and understand how 

they feel, while having fun. Staying 

one step ahead of every eventuality 

is always our biggest task so that as 

a family we are not always letting 

How do you work with your 

customers to make their event 

unique? 

There are never two weddings 

the same at Thief Hall, from floor 

layouts to décor and design. 

With the no rules ethos, couples 

really can create anything their 

imagination allows and we 

encourage them to do so – from 

woodland themes to formal or 

laid back, it really is their choice 

completely. 



this business take over our lives, 

which of course it does because 

we are so passionate about every 

wedding! 

How has Covid-19 impacted you? 

We have made the most of Covid 

and always try and stay positive 

where we can. We have used the 

time to extend our bar and lounge 

area, added decorations including 

a flower wall and love letters to our 

offering. We have also diversified 

to offer the most beautiful micro 

weddings for 15-30 guests, which 

can work perfectly when the whole 

party stay for the three days. It has 

however been lovely to get going 

again this summer with the 

full atmosphere and 

dancing to 

live bands 

again! 

How large is your team – any 

special people you’d like to 

mention? 

My husband Phillip has got to be 

the hero of this question; he is 

always behind the scenes fixing 

the drainage or sorting out the 

beer kegs, not to mention always 

having my back if I take on too much 

or have another crazy idea. His 

parents, Lynne and David, are also 

an amazing support to us and this 

business really wouldn’t thrive like it 

does without them, from childcare 

to gardening. 

We get so many comments on 

how amazing the gardens are 

around the venue and this is down 

to the hours Lynne puts in week 

in and week out! We have a super 

team of wedding coordinators and 

bar staff who are all as passionate 

about Thief Hall and what 

we strive to achieve as 

we are. We like 

to think the 

results of each wedding are enough 

of a thank you as each couple leaves 

on cloud nine! 

Have you worked with any 

industry bodies or consultants? 

We have learnt everything from our 

couples and weddings. We listen, 

watch and evaluate every wedding 

to make sure we learn something 

every week, no matter how 

small. It is the only way to 

improve and build on 

the reputation we have 

carefully created up to 

today.


What are your plans for next 

season? 

With the craziness Covid has created 

with the backlog of weddings we are 

now fully booked until 2024. We are 

just working through the postponed 

weddings to make sure every couple 

has the wedding of their dreams. 

Describe your average day midseason 

Oh wow! As every wedding is so 

different, so is every day which 

really is the beauty of this business! 

There is never a dull moment, but 

here goes… 

We wake up to the emails, which 

we strive to answer as quickly as 

we can. Next, we check and sort 

out the hot tubs then get changed 

and dressed for the wedding (our 

staff dress as wedding guests to 

fit in). We check everything for the 

wedding and take behind the scenes 

photos for the couple, then meet 

the registrar and join them in the 

“IMAGINE 

SPENDING 

EVERYDAY 

PLANNING, 

PREPARING 

AND JOINING 

COUPLES FOR 

THE BEST 

DAY OF THEIR 

LIVES!” 

couple’s pre meetings. Then we ride 

the wedding fun with the couple and 

their guests, making sure everything 

is perfect throughout until the sun 

comes up. 

What do you enjoy about the 

business and why? 

Imagine spending every day 

planning, preparing and joining 

couples for the best day of their 

lives! This is the most rewarding and 

addictive business that we don’t 

think of as a business but a love and 

passion. 

What other outdoor hospitality 

sectors do you operate in? 

We have six amazing luxury 

glamping pods from Anthropods, 

which have been a great addition 

adding sleeping spaces for the 

wedding guests. Each pod has a king 

size master bed and bunks, sleeping 

four guests each. 

What are you most proud of? 

By far our couples and the days they 

experience with us. Watching their 

journey from planning to the day 

itself, followed by the memories 

and pictures is just so magical you 

cannot put it into words! 

What advice could you give to 

someone coming into the industry? 

To listen to your guests and 

customers 24/7 and change as they 

offer advice. 

ADDRESS BOOK 

GLAMPING PODS 

Anthropods www.anthropods.co.uk 

DETAILS 

Thief Hall 

Thornton-le-Moor 

Northallerton 

North Yorkshire DL7 9EH 

www.thiefhall.co.uk 

The Glampagon 

A unique design for 

luxurious Staycations 

Use individually or in clusters of 5. 

JK Designer Builds 

www.jointkit.co.uk 

info@jointkit.co.uk | 07887 998 033 



Bad 

Reviews 

Handle customer feedback and avoid adverse 

reviews with advice from Caroline Cooper 

GETTY IMAGES 

IF YOU’VE ever had a damning review on 

social media, you know how it can really 

feel – as if someone has smacked you in the 

face. And you think “What?! Why the heck 

didn’t they say something?” or “What are 

they talking about? It wasn’t like that at all!” 

Even if there is some cause for criticism, it 

can feel depressing. You feel affronted by the 

comments, and now the whole world can 

see this. 

But if you’re old enough to remember the 

“United Airlines breaks guitars” video (which 

has had over 20 million views on YouTube) 

you know you need to take any feedback 

seriously. 

It’s easy to get defensive or take things 

personally when hearing negative feedback 

from customers, but without it, how do you 

identify what’s working and what’s not in 

your customers’ eyes? Customer feedback 

can give you actionable insights that help 

you make educated business decisions 

rather than taking a shot in the dark. Value 

this honest feedback from customers. 

The bad news is that most customers 

won’t give you a second chance if their first 

experience is bad. That’s why it is paramount 

to gather feedback at the first available 

opportunity, so you have a chance to put 

things right before it’s too late. 

Too many businesses rely on 

customers completing feedback forms or 

questionnaires. The trouble with these is 

that firstly people have better things to do 

than fill out a form, and if they’re going to 

say anything they’re far more likely to post a 

comment on social media, telling the whole 

world rather than just you. 

Secondly, if someone has taken the 

trouble to give feedback it’s usually too 

late to rectify things if there was anything 

they didn’t like. And there are bound to be 

occasions when you don’t understand what 

they’re referring to, and by now it’s difficult 

to ask questions to unravel the issue. 

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE 

Take stock of the most common themes of 

any complaints or aspects that have failed 

to live up to customers’ expectations. If you 

can pre-empt these you can either prevent 

them, or at least take steps to minimise the 

likelihood of them becoming an issue. An 

example would be being very specific or 

making it crystal clear the things you don’t 

provide or do. It’s easy for customers to 

make assumptions about what’s available 

by comparing you with similar venues unless 

you tell them otherwise, which can later 

lead to disappointment. Or when you know 

in advance you’re going to struggle to meet 

service expectations due to staff shortages 

or a key feature is out of action. Customers 

will be far more understanding if you let 

them know in advance so you or they can 

make some provision, rather than letting 

them down on the day. 

INVOLVE YOUR TEAM 

Involve your team in ‘hazard spotting’ and 

in looking for solutions to common issues 

that impact customers. Often they’ll foresee 

issues you’ve never considered and before 

they’ve become a problem. 

Rather than waiting for things to go 

wrong, create a culture where it’s accepted 

that mishaps happen from time to time 

and encourage your team to come forward 

with details of near misses. If they fear a 

reprimand or criticism they’ll never come 

clean if they were close to causing an issue. 

ENCOURAGE DIRECT FEEDBACK 

Feedback directly from your customers gives 

you the opportunity to capitalise on positive 

feedback and minimise the impact of any 

negatives. It gives you the chance to ask 

questions to really understand the specifics. 

When a customer has had a good 

experience, sharing this with you at the 

time helps reinforce those positives, whilst 

if it’s negative you have an opportunity to 

empathise, apologise and do something 

about it whilst there’s still time to remedy 

the situation. 

WELCOME COMPLAINTS 

Some customers feel awkward about giving 

direct feedback, but will still quite happily 

take to TripAdvisor or Facebook. Being 

visible in your business and making contact 

with your customers builds rapport and 

trust. Once you’ve gained this you’re in a far 

better position to gain valuable feedback 

first hand. 

Give your team the confidence to ask 

well-structured questions to get feedback 

on specifics; there’s a big difference 

between bland statements such as “I hope 

everything was OK” rather than asking 

about specifics such as “What did you think 

of the...?” 

Be observant and look out for clues 

that things are not as they should be. 

A customer’s body language, facial 

expressions, the tone of their voice or 

hesitation, or their behaviours might allow 

you to nip in the bud any potential problems 

brewing. 

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES 

If you don’t agree with negative feedback, 

rather than getting defensive find out 

(tactfully) what has led to the perception, as 

this may lead to the root of the problem. If 

you don’t know what disappoints customers 



Dealing with complaints 

Try my LEARN model for dealing with customer complaints, whether in person or online: 

Listen - Listen actively to the customer – they want to get it off their chest and you need 

to identify the problem. Park the emotion and focus on the facts. 

Empathise - Show you care and that you understand their concern and why they might 

be disappointed or feel angry, even if it’s not down to you. Apologise; this isn’t accepting 

responsibility, but apologising that they've been put out or let down. 

Agree action or alternatives - Admit responsibility if it’s down to you or the business. 

Offer alternatives so the customer feels they are in control of the situation. Even if the 

problem wasn't your fault, help lead them to a solution to the problem. 

Restore confidence - Keep your promise and deliver. Check that the customer is happy 

with the outcome. 

Never again - Learn from the feedback and take steps so you never have to deal with the 

same situation again. 

With the right approach, complaints can turn a negative into a positive. You can’t always 

get everything right, but when you don’t, make sure you fix it! 

or has led to a negative perception you 

can’t improve on it, so make sure you are 

prepared to listen to and take on board any 

thoughts on what lets you down, so you can 

learn from and address it. 

RECOVERY 

Even the best run businesses have 

problems, and when these affect customers 

it’s the recovery of the situation that gets 

remembered. 

A customer doesn’t care whose fault it 

is, all they are interested in is getting the 

problem resolved. Empower your team 

members to take whatever action is in the 

customer’s best interest. This may involve 

seeking information, support or action from 

a colleague, but the important point here 

is that they take ownership and see the 

problem through to its resolution. 

This is made easier when you have 

systems and processes in place for service 

recovery, and when everyone in the team 

has the same understanding of these. 

ONLINE REVIEWS 

Whether it’s TripAdvisor, Google, Booking. 

com or Facebook, there’s no getting away 

from the fact that online reviews – and the 

responses to them – are shared publicly 

and may be seen by hundreds or even 

thousands of prospective customers. 

The more positive reviews you have 

the less impact the occasional negative 

review will have. The most effective way 

to generate positive reviews is organically, 

by offering such a positive experience that 

customers feel compelled to tell others. 

Give people a reason to talk about you. 

People are more likely to write reviews 

when expectations are surpassed, and this 

is often found in the small details and the 

special care of customers. Do something 

exceptional, think of the things that are of 

high value to your guests but low cost to 

you so you can give added value. 

When you know the customer has had 

a positive experience don’t be pushy, but 

sometimes just giving them a little nudge to 

post a review can make all the difference. 

“I’m happy to hear you enjoyed your stay. 

It would mean a lot to us if you helped 

spread the word by posting a review on 

TripAdvisor.” 

RESPOND PROFESSIONALLY 

Accept that you will (hopefully only 

occasionally) get negative reviews. 

Whatever you do, don’t be drawn into 

defensive mode; research indicates that 

when customers see a business respond 

positively and professionally to a negative 

review, they are more than twice as likely to 

buy from that business than if they had not 

responded. It shows your customers that 

you care, and are willing to learn and adapt 

if relevant to meet their needs. 

It's important to respond promptly, and 

demonstrate empathy and that you care. 

An obviously copied and pasted standard 

response simply won’t do! 

OFFLINE 

If the review is asking for a response or 

needs more discussion before it can be 

resolved, take the discussion offline by 

asking reviewers to phone/email you 

directly. This provides an opportunity for 

you to get more detail and has a better 

chance of resolving the situation. 

Feedback that you feel is unjustified 

can be frustrating, but the way in which 

you handle this will reflect on your 

professionalism and reputation, so deal 

with it in a constructive way. What you 

need to ask is what led to this customer’s 

perception. If you get drawn into a debate 

or argument, just think how many of your 

potential (or existing) customers could 

see that response. By the same token, if 

you feel justified or compelled to make 

a refund, you’re in danger of setting a 

precedent if you make this public online. 

LISTEN AND LEARN 

Whatever the feedback you receive, listen 

and learn from it. Keep your objectivity 

and don’t take things personally. Use the 

feedback to identify your strengths so you 

can capitalise on these. And make sure 

you share these with your team then use 

the less positive feedback to identify root 

causes and what changes are needed. 

Remember to involve your team in the 

process. 

If you only do one thing, ensure you have 

systems and processes in place so that 

everyone understands. Gather and share 

customer feedback first-hand so you can 

learn from it and act it to make continuous 

improvements. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Caroline Cooper is the 

founder of Naturally Loyal 

and has over 30 years’ training 

and development experience 

in hospitality. 

Recognising that managers often 

get promoted into positions without 

much training, her key focus is on developing 

newly promoted and junior managers to lead 

and engage their teams effectively. 

Caroline has a number of free resources and 

guides you can access at www.naturallyloyal. 

com/free-resources 


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INDUSTRY COMMENT 

Business Events 

Fresh Air Thinking on 

Loyalty 

Andrew White says now is not the time to discount but to think 

about a rebate on total annual spend for business events 

THE MARKET is back, apparently. Without 

doubt it depends on who you talk to and the 

type of venue in question. 

City centres are struggling and London, 

particularly where the inbound tourist 

market is, is only just starting to open 

again. Fresh air is the hot ticket and it’s a 

key decider for corporates as they plan to 

restart their events. Unique and historic 

venues have always been favourites for the 

corporate – add in acres of space and it’s a 

double tick. 

However, as the UK reopens and Covid 

abates, cities will become more combative 

with their offers for corporate events. So 

how can countryside venues hold onto their 

current heightened demand? 

Having ‘demand’ implies that things 

will be less rate conscious. Rather like the 

housing market during the stamp duty 

holiday – why discount when demand is 

high? What you are far better to do is to look 

at clients’ total demand for events: 

• Where are the other events that clients are 

putting on? 

• Could your venue potentially host all of 

them or a proportion of them? 

• Ultimately, what is the total demand you 

could host? 

GETTY IMAGES 

Rather than hosting one or two of a client's 

events, work towards becoming a preferred 

event supplier. And at this point you could 

start thinking of a discount or a rebate on 

their total annual spend. It’s a win-win 

situation where you gain loyalty, and your 

client achieves a cost saving. 

WORKING WITH AN AGENT 

This tactic, that all the hotel and venue 

chains use, is particularly useful to bring 

into play with an agent who will be pushing 

for increased commission. Find out the 

agent’s total demand for your local area – 

understand the competitors they are working 

with and what business you could convert 

from these competitors. Agents regularly 

work to override agreements and it’s a surefire 

way of gaining more business. 

The one thing the pandemic taught us is 

the value of relationships and support. It’s 

important to show this with your clients, 

whether it’s through a regular newsletter, 

client events or a drop to their office to 

remind them you are there. People buy 

people and you will be astounded at the 

power of relationships in the events sector. 

Exclusive Collection, a group of independent 

countryside hotels, has created an exemplary 

network of event professionals. The network 

not only drives business to Exclusive, but 

it has also built relationships and business 

opportunities with each other, and the 

members share best practices between 

themselves meaning loyalty is at an all-time 

high. 

Offering a discount now will only lead 

to undermining your rates longer term. 

Countryside venues are at a huge advantage 

and should be spending time understanding 

and developing relationships with their 

current and past clients, as well as gleaning 

what their competitor set is up to. 

By building relationships, even shaking 

hands (who’d have thought it!), it will have 

an enormous impact on demand. Regularly 

remind potential clients of your location, 

history and surroundings and you’ll see 

business enquire, confirm and repay. 

Your biggest asset is your location and, let’s 

face it, what’s the cost of fresh air? 

BELOW: Pennyhill Park, one of Exclusive 

Collection’s independent countryside hotels 

where customer loyalty is at an all-time high 


Andrew White is MD of Triggerfish Communications, 

a specialist in helping heritage venues and leisure 

attractions build awareness and market share in the 

business of events. www.triggerfish.co.uk 



Open Water 

Opportunities 

Charlotte Winship investigates the demand for open water swimming venues 

COASTAL BAY, lake, reservoir or river – water 

vistas have been highly prized by property 

owners for centuries for their visual charm 

and the associated therapeutic wins of being 

near water. The appeal of water is growing 

as more and more people discover that the 

benefits of getting wet far outweigh those 

benefits of viewing water from afar. 

The health advantages of cold 

water swimming are significant with 

various studies 1 reporting benefits to 

immune system, mental, hormonal and 

cardiovascular health. In 2018 the British 

Medical Journal published a case report 2 

which found that a programme of regular 

cold water swimming had helped treat 

a woman suffering from depression 

and anxiety. Early research from the UK 

“I STARTED THIS PRACTICE 

FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH 

BECAUSE I REALISED THE 

‘FEEL GOOD’ ENDORPHINS 

HELP STABILISE ME WHEN 

OVERWHELM AND ANXIETY 

KICKS IN”. 

Dementia Research Institute Centre at the 

University of Cambridge also indicates 

that cold water swimming may slow the 

onset of neurodegenerative diseases such 

as Alzheimer’s and dementia by increasing 

levels of the protein RBM3 3 . 

Other testimonies and anecdotal evidence 

also support the theory that outdoor 

swimming can have a significant benefit 

to mental health. Open water swimming 

fan and yoga instructor Alix Coleby says: “I 

started this practice for my mental health 

because I realised the ‘feel good’ endorphins 

help stabilise me when overwhelm and 

anxiety kicks in”. 

RECENT GROWTH IN DEMAND 

With mental illness on the rise, and one in 

four adults experiencing a mental health 

condition 4 , this could explain the recent 

growth in open water swimming since 2020. 

Indoor swimming venues have also been 

forced to close due to the Covid pandemic 

and swimmers have had to become more 



inventive in finding safe places to get 

wet. This has led to increased numbers of 

people enjoying their local coastline and 

waterways, looking for new places to swim 

and discovering the benefits of outdoor 

swimming. 

According to a report by Outdoor 

Swimmer, the number of people regularly 

enjoying outdoor swimming in the UK 

increased threefold in summer 2020 

compared to 2019 and there are now more 

than 1 million people enjoying the sport. 

But with water comes risk and this 

dramatic increase in popularity has raised 

concern for people swimming unsupervised 

in potentially dangerous locations and 

conditions. This has given rise to a number 

of open water swimming clubs opening 

up across the UK seeking safe locations 

to operate supervised outdoor swimming 

sessions. These events offer safer access to 

water for both amateur leisure swimmers 

and more experienced and competitive 

athletes. 

Dave Knight from Do3 has been running 

open water swimming events at the 600m 

lake at Compton Verney in Warwickshire 

for the past year and regularly sees up to 

200 swimmers coming to each of the three 

sessions he hosts each week. The Compton 

Verney Estate provides a beautiful setting 

within the ‘Capability’ Brown parkland. The 

sessions run out of hours either first thing 

in the morning or early evening when the 

parkland is closed to regular visitors. 

Dave and his team are all experienced 

open water swimmers and triathletes who 

have put in place rigorous procedures to 

ensure the health and safety of swimmers 

and preserve the historic lake. These include 

regular water quality checks, lifeguards, first 

aiders, rescue kayaks, spotters, an online 

booking system, strict lake entry and exit 

points, swim competency tests, tow floats 

and the management of numbers to ensure 

social distancing. 

For Compton Verney, this relationship 

offers a small out-of-hours income for 

minimal effort on their part and the 

opportunity to reach a new audience and 

build public awareness of their art gallery 

and other events and venues. 

Larger financial rewards come from 

one-off large scale events. Compton Verney 

are planning their first Triathlon in 2021. 

The estate’s event coordinator, Anona Van 

Lawick, explains: “Health and safety risks 

are a huge consideration. Our CCTV and 

site security has been incredibly important 

to ensure swimmers only engage in the 

BELOW: Corinne Moss, coach with Do3 Coaching and the current double British Triathlon 

Champion, swims at open water swimming venue at Compton Verney, Warwickshire 

DAVID KNIGHT 

GETTY IMAGES 



activity safely and under the strict watch 

of Do3. Swimming is not permitted outside 

of swimming hours. There is also an 

environmental and ecological balance to 

watch”. 

A NEW REVENUE STREAM 

As demand for safe open water swimming 

continues to rise, this could be an 

opportunity for land and venue owners with 

access to a body of water. If you have a lake, 

moat, pond, reservoir or disused quarry 

that you are happy to share with members 

of the public then this could open up a 

new revenue stream, particularly during 

quieter, early morning weekdays. If you have 

on-site catering available then there may 

also be the opportunity to develop your 

morning trade by offering post-swim hot 

drinks and breakfasts. Health and wellbeing 

retreats are also becoming very popular; the 

opportunity for guests to experience open 

water swimming while also enjoying other 

therapeutic activities is a definite winner. 

However, before you don your wetsuit and 

dive into the world of open water swimming, 

consider the following: 

Work with an experienced, accredited 

1 and qualified local outdoor swimming 

organisation. 

Unless you are already experienced in the 

risks of outdoor swimming then I highly 

recommend you collaborate with someone 

who is. They will be able to help put in place 

all the necessary infrastructure, planning and 

procedures to ensure the safety of swimmers. 

Get in touch with your local club – social 

media is awash with clubs, associations 

and other organisations. If you cannot find 

one near you then the Outdoor Swimming 

Society, NOWCA or Swim England may be 

able to help. 

Check your water quality. 

2 Water contains microorganisms that 

can be harmful to humans. Purpose built 

swimming pools can manage these with the 

use of chemical treatments such as chlorine 

however more natural bodies of water are 

harder to manage. If you intend to open 

your water to the general public then you 

will be required to regularly test the health 

of your water under the UK Bathing Water 

Regulations 1991 and 2013. You will also 

need to check underneath the surface of the 

water for any hazards that could cause injury 

to swimmers. 

Public liability insurance. 

3 Make sure your public liability insurance 

covers you for open water swimming 

DAVID KNIGHT 

activities and make sure anyone you are 

collaborating with also has the appropriate 

insurances. 

Emergency plan. 

4 Be prepared. Put in place a procedure 

for everyone to follow in the case of an 

emergency. Make sure everyone knows what 

the procedure is and rehearse it. Qualified 

first aiders and lifeguards are essential. 

Manage your swimmers. 

5 An advanced booking system will help 

you manage numbers as well as selling timed 

tickets and helping to gather information 

about your swimmers in advance for health 

and safety. You will need to have a strict 

checking in and checking out process on the 

day to ensure you know who is in the water 

at any time. 

6 Communication. 

Make sure swimmers know what to 

expect when they arrive – where to park, 

any facilities available or not available, swim 

routes and any particular characteristics of 

the water. Keep an eye on weather conditions 

and give early notification if you need to 

cancel or postpone your event. Two-way 

radios for on-shore and off-shore lifeguards 

and spotters are also crucial in the event of 

an emergency. 

Open water swimming is seasonal. 

7 The optimum time of year is May to 

September when water temperature is at 

REFERENCES: 1. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730683. 2. casereports.bmj.com/ 

content/2018/bcr-2018-225007. 3. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54531075. 4. www.cqc.org. 

uk/sites/default/files/20201124_cmh20_statisticalrelease.pdf 

“KEEP AN EYE ON WEATHER CONDITIONS AND GIVE EARLY 

NOTIFICATION IF YOU NEED TO CANCEL OR POSTPONE 

YOUR EVENT. TWO-WAY RADIOS FOR ON-SHORE AND OFF- 

SHORE LIFEGUARDS AND SPOTTERS ARE ALSO CRUCIAL IN 

THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY” 

its best, though it rarely rises above 15 o C 

at any time of the year. Though some like 

to swim all year round, winter swimming is 

not advised for novice swimmers unused 

to the reaction of their body in cold water. 

Inexperienced cold water swimmers 

can quickly suffer shock and become 

incapacitated. This is another reason to work 

with experienced, professional swimmers 

and lifeguards who can quickly spot the signs 

of someone in trouble. 

MORE INFORMATION 

www.outdoorswimmer.com 

www.do3.co.uk 

www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com 

www.nowca.org 

www.swimming.org/openwater/openwater-swimming-venues 

www.comptonverney.org.uk 

www.corestoriesyoga.co.uk 


Charlotte Winship has 

over 20 years’ experience 

transforming good wedding 

and events venues into 

great ones. She is an expert 

in helping venues reach their 

ideal customers, maximise sales 

opportunities, increase profitability, 

establish effective teams and streamline 

venue operations. 07493 350303 / charlotte@ 

charlottewinship.com / 



10 & 11 NOV 21 

NEC, BIRMINGHAM 

RUNNING 

ALONGSIDE: 

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HARVEST YOUR REWARDS 

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PRODUCT IN FOCUS 

Outdoor Accommodation 

Kinmel Hall, North Wales 

Product: 16 Plastic Pods 

Supplier: Plastic Pods, 07745 526320, plasticpods@ 

gmail.com, www.plasticpods.co.uk 

Michael Caines’s Lympstone Manor, Devon 

Product: Six Blackdown Brace Huts 

Supplier: Blackdown Shepherd Huts, 01460 929774, info@ 

blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk, www.blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk 

Details: Michael Caines’s Lympstone Manor is a luxury five-star country 

house hotel with breathtaking views over the tranquil Exe estuary and 

vineyard. With 21 sumptuous guestrooms and suites, complemented 

by Michael Caines’s Michelin starred restaurant, the hotel provides the 

perfect retreat for discerning guests. 2021 saw the next stage of Michael’s 

vision with the arrival of six luxury Blackdown Brace Huts in a perfect spot 

just a stone’s throw from the Exe estuary. 

Handcrafted in Somerset by Blackdown Shepherd Huts, these huts 

offered Lympstone the opportunity to add a magical experience to its 

offering. The installation took just four days, with minimum disruption 

to existing guests, and 

included three bespoke 

plant rooms, two outdoor 

baths and four wood-fired 

Hikki hot tubs. Guests 

were able to enjoy the new 

accommodation within a 

week of delivery. 

Blackdown’s Brace Hut 

is the prevalent option 

in this sector due to its 

unique design comprising 

of two handcrafted huts, 

cleverly joined together 

with a glass walkway. Located in the middle of Lympstone Manor’s 

woodland area, the huts are capable of hosting a family of up to five and 

provide an exceptional connection to the nature immersed location. 

Customer feedback: Michael Caines MBE, chef owner, said: “I wanted 

to add something magical to the experience here at Lympstone Manor, 

somewhere that took you away from it all, immersed you into a fairytale 

of luxury and comfort in amongst the woodlands and at one with nature. 

The shepherd huts provide the perfect opportunity, with Blackdown 

Shepherd Huts creating an adventure of comfort and joy. It’s been a great 

project, professionally managed and executed to perfection by their 

team”. 

EMMA SOLLEY PHOTOGRAPHY 

EMMA SOLLEY PHOTOGRAPHY 

Details: After buying a derelict 

mansion, Kinmel Hall, close 

to the north coast of Wales, 

owner Chris had to find 

a way to help fund his 

vast restoration project. 

The 120 room mansion, 

with a staggering 365 

windows, required a 

significant and steady 

stream of funds for its 

restoration. After much 

consideration, he decided to 

buy a selection of Plastic Pods for 

glamping. 

Since all pods are built to order he had two for 

every colour of the rainbow. All pods were sited less 

than four weeks after the purchase and, due to the 

upgraded insulated fibreglass floors, no groundwork 

preparations were needed; they went straight down 

onto the grass. 

His investment plan was for visitors to rent the pods 

on site in a glamping set up and explore the historical 

grounds. The return on his investment was planned to 

provide funds to restore Kinmel Hall to its former glory 

and he is already considering his next bulk purchase of 

Plastic Pods. 

Feedback: Chris is very happy with his pods and 

would recommend the company to any respective 

customer as, he says, the whole service has been 

amazing from start to finish. 



PRODUCT 

SNAPSHOT 

BOUTIQUE ROOF TERRACE ESCAPE 

Outerspace Buildings 

01978 254150 

hello@outerspacegroup.com 

www.outerspacegroup.com 

Whether you're thinking of diversifying or extending your staycation 

offerings, it's undeniably a good time to do so. The pandemic has 

changed our need for nature, and whilst out exploring there's a desire 

to call somewhere 'home'. Personal space, somewhere to feel safe 

and cosy. Somewhere a little different with an added sense of luxury. 

Meet Outerspace Buildings, a manufacturer based in Wales that 

is passionate and motivated to help hotels, landowners and holiday 

destinations meet the ever changing needs of the UK staycation 

demand. 

Outerspace's buildings are created from a combination of unique 

vision and physical craftsmanship. At their heart is a team of 

passionate and motivated designers, engineers and craftsmen who 

understand entirely what customer experience is all about. 

Their unique and innovative building designs clearly challenge the 

status quo and focus on customer experience both inside and out. 

It's their attention to detail that makes their buildings so unique and 

special. 

QUICK AND EASY TO ASSEMBLE TIMBER FRAME 

ACCOMMODATION 


07887 998033 

info@jointkit.co.uk 


JK Designer Builds uses the innovative, patented JointKit 

system to create visually exciting and affordable timber 

framed buildings. Most clients specify full electrical 

installation, lining and a high level of insulation. 

This new building concept is based on CNC cut plywood 

pieces slotted together to form joints to which beams are 

attached. Frames can be assembled quickly and without 

building skills and qualify under the Caravan Act, avoiding 

complicated planning issues. Construction without concrete 

foundations is also possible as the lightweight units only need 

JK Designer Build’s ground support system. Eliminating the 

traditional concrete slab foundation is both environmentally 

and budget friendly. The ground support system also 

overcomes sloping site issues as the frame is supported by 

varying lengths of rot proof recycled plastic wood. 

The highly flexible system allows sizes from 1.2m sq to 

60m sq, with shapes ranging from squares and oblongs to 

pentagons and polygons. 

CUSTOMISABLE TINY HOMES – BOOK TO VIEW NOW 

The Qube Eco Tiny Homes 

01604 785786 

ecotinyhomes@theqube.co.uk 


Portable, affordable and energy efficient tiny homes are the perfect 

way to show your site is keeping up with the rising demand for ecofriendly 

holidays. 

When you place an order with The Qube Eco Tiny Homes, you are 

given the option to tweak the design of your structure to just the way 

you want it. Choices include internal wall and roof cladding colour, 

kitchen worktop and cupboard colour, Vinyl flooring colour, sofa fabric 

and colour, and the external cladding finishes (timber, composite 

panel, corrugated sheet and more). This means you can have your tiny 

home made just the way you know your guests will love it. 

The Qube’s new Northamptonshire factory is open to visit, giving 

you the chance to meet the team and see the build quality of its 

structures. 



GLAMPSITES 

CASE STUDY 

Hedgerow 

Luxury Glamping 

A child free, pet free retreat on a working farm 

With a large mortgage to 

pay, Mark and Hilary Berry 

juggle a working dairy farm 

with five (soon to be six) 

luxury glamping units. We 

talk to Hilary about their 

hectic working day and 

plans for expansion to meet 

demand post Covid. 

What’s your back story – your life 

before glamping? 

My husband Mark has been a farmer all 

his life after growing up on a dairy and 

sheep farm. He’s always had to help out 

with everything from milking to lambing. I 

grew up in an old railway station which my 

parents converted into a bed and breakfast. 

I helped make beds and waited on tables 

for breakfast and evening meals. I even had 

a little shop from which I sold cakes and 

pictures I had made for guests to buy. 

What made you decide to start offering 

glamping accommodation? 

After many years as a cake maker, then 

working for a local supplier travelling around 

cake shows, it was time to make my dream 

come true and get back into hospitality. 

Mark and I bought Mark’s family farm in 2018 

and now have 200 acres to look after and 

250 cows. With a huge mortgage we needed 

something to help support us and I was 

inspired to start a glamping site after seeing 

some pods at a local agricultural show. 

Our aim is for Mark to stop milking and to 

do glamping full time but we still have that 

huge mortgage to pay off. 

How did you research the business before 

entering it? 

Our children are grown up so I decided I 

would like a child free retreat – basically 

somewhere I would go glamping myself. I 

am allergic to animals (yes, a farmer’s wife, 

lol) so no pets are allowed so I can go into 

the pods without sneezing. I looked through 

so many places to visit and test out the 

glamping idea but I didn’t like 

any so I’ve still not been glamping yet! 

Tell us about your location 

and site 

We chose our location because of its 

amazing views over the hedge across to 

Inglebourgh and Pendle Hill. The site is 

south facing so we get all the sun and the 

most amazing sunsets – modern living in the 

heart of nature. It’s also in perfect reach of 

the Yorkshire Dales and the Ribble Valley as 

the field is on the boundary of Yorkshire and 

Lancashire. 

We now have a shop/firepit den that 

seats 15, hens (collect your own fresh 

eggs) and six alpacas on site. We also 

have two Highland cows (Honey and 

Marmalade – a few animals I am not 

allergic to) that Mark bought me for 

my 50th birthday, but all they do is 

escape back to the farm! 


GLAMPSITES 

How did you tackle getting 

planning? 

We decided to go for planning for 

six pods thinking we would only 

ever get three – number six pod is 

expected in September so I think it’s 

time we got planning on the next 

field! 

Planning went through in eight 

weeks with no complications in 

January 2019 and work started 

when the weather allowed us to start 

digging. 

We ordered two glamping pods 

for our new site with a deadline of 

December 2019 to open. With the 

excitement we decided to order 

another pod so we had three. Our 

first pod arrived in June then the 

next one two weeks later and the 

final one in August. We brought our 

opening date forward to 11 October 

after we had our council inspection. 

We now have four pods, a new 

shepherds hut and another pod on 

the way. 

How did you finance the project? 

To fund the site we used all our 

savings and borrowed from family 

and have done as much work as 

we could on our own. Our middle 

son, Russell, is an electrician so he 

sorted all the electrics on the site 

from laying cables to putting up 

lighting. Our youngest son, Austin, is 

an engineer and designed and made 

a BBQ and the firepit with a laser 

cutter. Our eldest son helped out 

with all the finishing touches from 

blinds to putting up TVs. 

With the field we had to get 


GLAMPSITES 

electric in and water, which blew a 

hole in our budget but what can you 

do when you need it? The electric 

cost £23,000 and the water £28,000 

– we had to put in a bore hole then 

a water system. It wasn’t easy as all 

the grants had finished. 

“OUR MAIN 

SELLING 

POINT IS 

LUXURY, HOT 

TUBS, NO 

CHILDREN 

AND NO PETS 

– WE OFFER A 

QUIET LUXURY 

RETREAT ALL 

YEAR ROUND” 

How would you describe your 

ethos and unique selling point? 

Our main selling point is luxury, hot 

tubs, no children and no pets – we 

offer a quiet luxury retreat all year 

round. 

I wanted to do something 

different; a quiet retreat 

in a romantic setting, 5* 

accommodation with lots of luxuries 

– all king size beds (the new one 

will have a super king size), four 

poster beds in some, all en-suite 

with rain showers, dishwashers, 

some with walk in wardrobes, 

underfloor heating, luxury bedding, 

fully kitted kitchens, Wi-Fi and smart 

TVs, private hot tubs/firepits and 

BBQs with complimentary treats of 

chocolates and gin. 

What occupancy levels and price 

per night do you achieve? 

All our accommodation is for two 

people. We have been full months 

in advance always – even before we 

opened. With a minimum stay of 

three nights (Friday to Monday or 

Monday to Thursday) or a one night 

stay on a Thursday night. Our winter 

months and warmer months pricing 

ranges from £260 per three days to 

£395. In the summer we are priced 

at £360 to £495. One night stays are 

£150. 

How did you work out your 

brand and how do you publicise 

yourself? 

The branding just went with the 

type of glamping I wanted – luxury. 

I designed the logo and the name 

just followed as the site is situated in 

front of a beautiful hedgerow. 

We use the booking system Bedful 

and have the site on Cool Camping. 

We use Facebook and Instagram 

and have a local lady who does my 

website. I wanted someone I could 

talk to as I am not good with website 

Build Your Own 

Shepherd Huts 

With Tithe Barn Shepherd Huts original parts. 

Call 01262 470475 or 

Visit www.shepherd-huts.com 

and click on the ‘self build’ page 


GLAMPSITES 

things; I know what I want but just 

don’t know what to do. 

How have you coped through 

Covid? 

Covid was hard as we had only 

been trading 28 weeks. It was such 

a shock but customers were great 

(other than one or two). We moved 

them all forward to chosen dates 

not knowing they would have to 

move again, which was good but it 

left us on a low when we reopened 

in April 2021 with few spaces for new 

guests. It was then that we decide 

on buying pod number four using 

our Bounce Back loan. Our new 

shepherds hut was purchased with 

our grants and council funding and 

a little help from our parents again. 

With pod six, we thought “sod it, 

let’s just get a loan!” 

We are still full but with more 

accommodation it will help more 

people wanting to get away for 

some quality time. 

What are your plans for next 

season? 

This year we will complete our little 

retreat with its accommodation, 

next year we’ll be landscaping areas 

of the site that need more attention. 

We will also start on plans for the 

next field and apply for planning. 

Describe your average day midseason 

Mark gets up at 4am to milk the 

cows. With around 30 calves to feed 

too, he’s done at about 7am. He 

scrapes up the buildings and comes 

in for breakfast at 8.30am. 

After breakfast we collect together 

clean filters, the welcome packs 

of milk, orange and crumpets and 

head over to the site. Changeover 

starts at 10am. 

With grass cutting and hot tubs 

to drop, clean and reheat, there is 

plenty for Mark to do while I head off 

and sort the laundry and cleaning 

– we have three part time cleaners 

now that we have five glamping 

units (soon to be six) and a part time 

gardener/handy man as Mark still 

has to work on the farm. 

By 3pm we are ready for new 

guests but we also have the hens 

to clean out and the alpacas to 

feed. Then we head home ready 

for milking time again. Milking is 

finished by 6pm and the calves fed 

by 6.30pm. Afterwards we head back 

over to the glamping site to check 

everything is OK and just have time 

to water the plants. 

At 8pm it’s time for tea then it’s off 

to bed ready for another busy day on 

the farm. 

Do you enjoy the business and 

why? 

We do enjoy the glamping business 

but it’s hard work balancing it with 

the farm and also expanding – the 

site takes so much time. I think if 

we didn’t have all the farm work we 

would enjoy it more but we have met 

so many fantastic people it makes it 

worthwhile. 

What advice could you give 

to someone coming into the 

industry? 

Our advice is to make sure you have 

plenty of time, lots of money and are 

willing to work hard. 

What are you most proud of? 

We are proud of our ‘little village’ 

we have created. It’s our little luxury 

sanctuary, our retreat. 

What other outdoor hospitality 

sectors do you operate in? 

So far we have had lots of marriage 

proposals and lots of honeymoons. 

We haven’t had any events yet but 

do have a few bookings for the full 

site for birthdays. Hopefully as we 

grow and develop the site we can 

venture into small luxury weddings 

– we certainly have the land to put 

marquees up. 

ADDRESS BOOK 

PODS 

Arch Leisure 

www.archleisure.co.uk 

Lune Valley Pods 

www.lunevalleypods.co.uk 

SHEPHERD HUT 

Black Sheep Shepherd Huts 

www.blacksheepshepherdhuts.co.uk 

HOT TUBS 

Naked flame Eco Tubs 

www.nakedtubs.com/hot-tubs 

Rotospa www.rotospa.co.uk 

BOOKINGS 

Bedful www.bedful.com 

INSURANCE 

Woodlands Insurance 

www.woodlandsinsurance.co.uk 

BBQ/FIRE HUT 

Arctic Cabins 

www.arcticcabins.co.uk 

FURNITURE 

Ashton & Coleman 

www.ashtonandcoleman.co.uk 

WOOD PACKS 

Certainly Wood 

www.certainlywood.co.uk 

WEBSITE 

SBC Marketing 

www.sbcmarketing.co.uk 

DETAILS 

Hedgerow Luxury Glamping 

Knot Lane, Clitheroe 

Lancashire BB7 4JF 

www.hedgerowluxuryglamping.com 


CALIFORNIAN GRILLS 

OUR RANGE OF SANTA MARIA BARBECUES 

The beauty of the Santa Maria 

Grill is that the grilling grate can 

be raised or lowered by a hand 

crank mechanism to control the 

temperature whilst cooking. 

These steel barbecues are modular, 

giving you a variety of different 

ways to enjoy an outdoor fire. 

Bespoke racks and standalone grills 

can be made specifically for the 

catering and hospitality sector 

including outdoor built-in kitchens. 

Visit our website 


Phone 01732 321242 

Distributed by Lyon Equipment Ltd 

Tel 01539624040 

info@lyon.co.uk 

WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 35 

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GLAMPSITES 

TRADE SECRETS 

Signage 

Graphic designer Andy Tuohy on redesigning Leafy 

Fields Glamping's logo and signage 

THE STARTING point for any design or 

redesign is consultation with the client. I 

talk with them about what they are trying 

to achieve by commissioning me then take 

a look at their offer with no preconceptions. 

This way I can see where the gaps might be 

in terms of their communication through 

design. 

With Leafy Fields Glamping, the starting 

point was a realisation that the brand 

needed an update. We were already in 

dialogue, as my family and I have been 

visitors in the past, but ordinarily I 

would be approached via email 

or phone. Owner Dani had done 

a great job with the original 

logo, but she isn’t a designer 

and needed help to pull things 

together for other elements 

including signage across the site. 

Often businesses reach the point 

where to help them develop and 

grow they need a professional 

design consultancy. 

THE BRIEF 

The client should be able to give an 

overview of what they need, and in this 

instance Dani and her husband Andrew 

wanted professional signage and a map 

that didn’t veer too far off the look and feel 

they had already established. It should be 

fun, ‘animally’, family-friendly, safe and 

accessible. The previous signs had been 

laminated photocopies and inconsistently 

designed. The symbols for the tents were 

also in places that would not be immediately 

visible if driving onto the site for the first 

time. 

It is key to understand the client’s 

business. This seems obvious but it is too 

easy to get carried away and fall in love with 

attractive designs to the point that what is 

needed isn’t being delivered. Design is about 

effective problem solving. 

Part of understanding the client’s business 

is knowing who their customers are and 

whether they’re trying to attract a new 

market or build on an established 

client base. In the case of Leafy Fields, 

families of autistic children are the 

primary market. 

At the start of any brief we ask 

questions and see for ourselves if 

these are born out in the design we’re being 

asked to look at (if a redesign) or need to 

incorporate if it’s a brand new design – how 

did the business start, what are the historical 

touch points and values of the brand? 

It is also important to look at the client’s 

competitors. There are many excellent 

glamping sites in Devon but none with the 

focus on families with disabilities, so that 

sets Leafy Fields apart. 

THE RESULT 

The challenge was to ensure that the original 

feel of the brand wasn’t lost in any way and 

built on subtly so that it was still totally 

recognisable. For the logo, we 

decided to simply tighten the 

design up with a similar but more 

sophisticated typeface that could be 

used throughout the site’s branding 

and a cleaner, simpler image of the fox 

head. 

We knew Leafy Fields as customers so had 

a ‘feel’ for the site and brand values already. 

Dani and Andrew were very clear on the 

elements we needed to use for accessibility 

so that was the starting point – clarity. 

The next stage was to create more 

consistency and uniformity within the 

on-site signage telling glampers about 

the animals and wildlife to be found. One 

of the key features, to make signs more 

accessible for all guests, was the inclusion 

of British Sign Language and using a pale 

yellow background, which is easier to read 

for those with dyslexia. It was fun to have 

pictures of Dani and Andrew’s children 

signing for all the animal signs and it added 

to the child friendly, informal family feel of 

the site. 


GLAMPSITES 

“THE SYMBOLS FOR EACH LODGE ARE ALSO USED TO IDENTIFY THE VARIOUS 

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS WHEN BROWSING AND BOOKING ONLINE” 

The last pieces in the jigsaw were signs 

for each lodge: Fox; Badger; Crivens (Dani 

and Andrew are big fans of Terry Pratchett); 

and the bell tent Clover. They provide a 

great focal point for the accommodation 

and clear wayfinding when entering the 

site for the first time. The symbols for each 

lodge are also used to identify the various 

accommodation options when browsing 

and booking online. These illustrations 

were also extremely useful for social media 

as they provided something that could 

look fun and engaging when families take 

photos and post about their experience 

on social media. They offer another way to 

generate interest and engagement beyond 

the site itself. 

The artwork was printed on an 

aluminium composite material, which 

is hard wearing and a good medium 

for bright, clean signage. Signs were 

positioned in front of each lodge and on 

the front gate. The map is being used 

online and in bookings packs. 

BUDGET 

How much to budget for design is a tricky 

question as it totally depends on the extent 

of the brief, the amount of amendments 

and the time taken to complete the work. 

I would advise any company to think 

carefully about what they want to get out 

of the piece of work and what that could 

be worth to them in terms of brand value, 

potential for PR, online content generation, 

improving their customer experience to 

ensure repeat business, wayfinding around 

a site and general customer satisfaction. 

We always try to give the best value for 

money to our clients and often small jobs 

can be worth much more than that in the 

long run for a small business. 


Andy is a designer and illustrator widely 

commissioned by institutions, publishers, 

festivals and museums from around the world 

including Tate Enterprises, Royal Shakespeare 

Company, Penguin US, Royal Mail Stamps and the 

British Film Institute. Andy has three illustrated 

books on film, writers and art on the Octopus 

Publishing imprint. Visitors to Tate Liverpool 

may be familiar with Andy's A-Z of Liverpool and 

Merseyside, a labour of love for Andy who studied 

graphic design in the city in the 1980s. 

Andy has his own studio on the south coast which 

he runs with his wife Olivia. www.andytuohy. 

co.uk / hello@andytuohy.co.uk / 01303 261386. 

ABOUT LEAFY FIELDS GLAMPING 

Leafy Fields Glamping is an autism friendly 

glamping site near the Blackdown Hills in Devon. 

It won gold in the Visit Devon 2020 tourism 

awards. 


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GLAMPSITES 

Finding Money 

Funding the 

development of rural 

leisure businesses can be 

a minefield. Here rural 

mortgage consultant Jim 

Richards shares his tips 

for securing finance 

GETTY IMAGES 

THERE ARE many reasons why you may 

think commercial lending by mainstream 

banks will be a non-starter for a rural 

business and, for an unprepared loanee, the 

banking landscape can be a minefield. 

Most banks operate in a very narrow 

range of parameters at the exclusion of 

many sound businesses. If you have a set 

of accounts that demonstrates that you 

can afford the debt historically then you’ll 

be ok, but how many start-up, fledgling or 

expanding businesses are in this position? 

Then there are the challenges banks 

present themselves, many of which don’t 

promote that they can fund an array of 

leisure enterprises. Add to that junior staff 

replacing ‘seasoned specialists’, decisions 

made by remote, risk averse underwriters, 

regular changes in lending policy and a 

restricted loan to value for new enterprises 

(the standard response is 50-60%, but in 

our experience 70% max is the norm), then 

the lending market can be a minefield for 

customers trying to seek funding on their 

own. 

There is also differing lending policy 

“IF YOU HAVE A SET 

OF ACCOUNTS THAT 

DEMONSTRATES THAT YOU 

CAN AFFORD THE DEBT 

HISTORICALLY THEN YOU’LL 

BE OK, BUT HOW MANY 

START-UP, FLEDGLING OR 

EXPANDING BUSINESSES 

ARE IN THIS POSITION?” 

depending on whether the enterprise 

is deemed to be agriculture/farm 

diversification or purely leisure/hospitality. 

This difference can determine the term of 

the loan from 15 (for leisure) or up to 25 

years (for agriculture/diversification). It 

can also determine the business surplus 

required to cover mortgage payments by 

x1.5 for agriculture or x3 for leisure. 

AVOIDING ‘COMPUTER SAYS NO’ 

So how to avoid the ‘computer says no’ 

scenario? Once a bank has formed an 

opinion on your proposal you are unlikely 

to get a second chance, so how to approach 

things at the outset? You could use a rural 

mortgage consultant, or if you want to go it 

alone, here are some top tips: 

› Prepare well in advance 

› Get your financial house in order 

› Establish your team – accountant etc. 

› Research and identify borrowing 

guidelines so that you know what the 

challenges are and what your business 

has to look like in order to attract funding 

› Establish your borrowing ability against 

your resources and business performance 

both now and in the future 

› Put in motion steps and a time frame in 

which to engineer your plans 

› If you have no experience in the sector it’s 

important that you consider how you can 

gain experience or how your skills can be 

applied. Banks weight this heavily and 

often to the negative if you don’t have 

experience. 

TOOLBOX FOR SUCCESS 

Getting your financial house in order 


GLAMPSITES 

is essential as this will determine the 

probability of the success of the funding 

request. Here are a few ways in which you 

can equip yourself: 

› Accounts carry a lot of weight. 

Unfortunately, they are rarely 

accompanied by any narrative as to what 

has happened. The story behind the 

accounts is important to set the business 

in context of the plans going forward 

› Up to date trading performance 

demonstrates that you are in control 

and that you know the position of your 

business at any point in time 

› A simple plan. Again, this demonstrates 

that you know where you are going and 

have a focus and objective 

› Cashflow forecasts explain your vision 

but in financial terms that lenders will 

understand – this is often the crux of the 

proposal 

› Adverse credit – this just adds an extra 

complexity that you can do without. Use 

your planning time frame to resolve any 

credit issues in good time 

› Pay attention to your bank conduct. 

Get timings right on credits and debits 

payments, arrange a higher overdraft if 

required, but avoid at all costs incurring 

returned items… it’s just not good! 

› Control personal expenditure; know 

what you need to live on a monthly basis 

and extract that to a separate account. 

Uncontrolled/unaccountable drawings is 

a big factor in undermining the argument 

for affordability based on historic 

accounts 

› If you have a property to sell or are 

raising funds from family, then prepare 

for this sale in good time and talk to the 

family member. Delays can be critical to 

success. 

ABOVE: This is a typical forecast spreadsheet – note the number ringed in red, 

the ‘net cashflow surplus’ 

FUNDING SUCCESS MAGIC NUMBER 

This is a bit of a trade secret but it’s the 

principle around which I build every lending 

case. 

The magic number is circled in red in 

the table above. It is what we call the ‘net 

cashflow surplus’ against which we test the 

mortgage costs. You’ll see that this number 

is £102K –remember this. Now, here's the 

whole story: 

› The test is predominantly based on 

forecasts 

› As mentioned the number is the net 

cashflow which is the income minus 

expenditure but before mortgage costs 

› By year 3, the forecasts should 

demonstrate that this net cashflow can 

cover the mortgage costs by x1.5 to x3 for 

agriculture or leisure respectively 

› The forecasts predict a net cashflow of 

£102K 

› This is a live case and the clients were 

requesting £220K and at a sensitised 

interest rate of 6% over 15 and 25 years. 

Mortgage costs would be £22K and £17K 

pa respectively 

› Factoring in the cover required of x1.5 

to x3, the business needed to generate a 

net cashflow of £33-£66K for 15 years or 

£26K-£51K 

› The business was forecast to generate a 

net cashflow of £102K, so it passed! 

› However, despite the clear ability, only two 

out of five of the main high street banks 

agreed a mortgage, with the others citing 

other factors for declining the application 

› We were delighted to have been able to 

provide the clients with a choice of lending 

options, but this just demonstrates the 

challenges of raising funding for this type 

of enterprise. 

IN SUMMARY 

› Funding is available to the tourism/ 

hospitality sector 

› Finding it can be an issue 

› Lending policy can vary and clearly a 

proposal will live or die on this 

› An understanding of lending guidelines is 

essential to navigate the minefield and a 

‘soft’ exercise early on in your plans would 

help you to hone your plans so that the 

final version fits bank criteria 

› Prepare well in advance with the right 

financial information and team around 

you 

› Identify potential obstacles and provide 

the supporting information – the benefit 

of underwriters is that they are humans 

and we can appeal to their rationale. If it 

makes sense they will ‘buy it’. 


Jim Richards is co-director 

of R&BS, a nationwide 

consultancy that 

specialises in mortgage 

funding for rural properties. 

Founded in 2004, R&BS was 

created to provide strategic 

finance expertise to existing rural business 

owners and those wishing to enter the 

rural property market, helping them access 

funding for purchase, expansion and 

diversification. www.ruralmortgages.co.uk 


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GLAMPSITES 

Social Media 

GETTY IMAGES 

Planning 

Lisa Bullen outlines how to save time by planning out 

your social media and suggests some easy wins 

KEEPING ON top of your social media can 

become a chore, which is why having a 

content planner (nothing grand or fancy) 

will save you both time and sanity. It will 

also mean that your social media output 

remains varied, interesting and relevant 

and doesn’t resort to numerous posts of 

the same thing. 

WHERE TO START 

I suggest that you start by looking at the 

metrics relating to your previous posts. Go 

to your profile on Instagram, click Insights 

and head to Content You Shared, then 

choose from the drop downs between 

Reach, Likes, Comments, Saves etc. You 

can pinpoint which posts have performed 

the best based on your own criteria. It 

makes sense to repeat the most successful 

“style” of post as this is resonating with 

your target audience. 

On Facebook you can view your metrics 

in a similar way. Choose Insights/Posts. 

There is a myriad of data here relating to 

your posts. It’s worth having a good look 

around. Interestingly you can view the 

most popular posts from pages that you 

follow too, which is useful for competitor 

analysis. 

CREATE A CONTENT PLAN 

There are a number of ways to do this, and 

it's very personal depending on what you 

want to post about. Split your year into 12 

monthly segments and fill in ideas that are 

immediately obvious: 

› January – New Year bookings, book 

for this year’s holidays while there’s 

availability etc. 

› February – Valentine’s Day, shortest 

month of the year (leap year?), half term 

› March – Easter holidays 

› April – Easter holidays 

› May – May half term 

› June – Summer Solstice 

› July – school holidays 

› Aug – school holidays 

› Sept – harvest time, schools go back, 

adults only camping 

› Oct – Halloween, pumpkins, scary fungus 

in the woods 

› Nov – autumn 

› Dec – Christmas/winter scenes, prices go 

up after 1 January etc. 

Then think three to six months at a 

time. What local events can you tie in 

with or collaborate? Speak with your local 


GLAMPSITES 

“DON'T WORRY IF YOU 

HAVEN'T GOT PHOTOS 

AVAILABLE JUST YET – THIS 

IS JUST A WALL PLANNER TO 

GIVE YOU SOME INSPIRATION” 

tourist office as they have all the 

listings some way in advance 

eg. near us we have numerous 

walking festivals in September. 

What is your local area or county 

known for eg. literary fairs, food 

fairs? Add them to your monthly 

segments. 

Social media awareness days 

are often irrelevant but there 

are some that may be helpful 

eg. Earth Day. Ensure that you 

use the hashtag around that 

particular awareness day, in 

this case #EarthDay, so that 

your social media post will 

have a greater reach. See 

www.awarenessdays.com for 

a complete listing. Again, add 

them to your monthly segments 

sheet. 

SEASONAL PHOTOGRAPHY 

What can you use from a wildlife/nature 

point of view? Instagram is always flooded 

with gorgeous images of bluebells and 

butterflies in the relevant seasons. Can 

you create some lovely posts utilising what 

you have in your fields or garden? The 

allure of nature and wildlife is very strong, 

particularly when many of your guests 

may come from more urban environments. 

Do you have lambs, ducklings etc? Again, 

incorporate these into your planner. Don't 

worry if you haven't got photos available 

just yet – this is just a wall planner to give 

you some inspiration. 

Forward planning can be a real time 

saver here too. Save and archive photos by 

category and add to them each season (eg. 

I have a great bank of butterfly pictures 

that I add to each season). 

CONTENT PILLARS 

Once you have mapped out an overall 

content planner by month you can start 

to plan your social media around it. I 

have a list of content pillars for one of my 

camping clients that includes: Campsite 

Cooking, Nature and 

Wildlife, Family Fun, and 

What’s On. 

From there I will broadly 

use the following types 

of posts: blog posts, 

promotional posts, user 

generated content (ie. you 

repost someone else's 

content on your feed with 

their permission) and 

events/newsy posts. 

Then I create the actual 

posts (captions and 

photos), normally about 

two weeks in advance. Blog posts tend 

to not be part of my “batch planning” as 

they require a different thinking head on. 

I totally recommend using a scheduler, 

either Facebook Business Suite or an 

external third-party scheduler like Planoly, 

Buffer or Later. 

So, there you have an overview of what 

a content calendar year may look like, 

the content pillars (topics to cover) and 

the actual style of posts that can be used. 

Happy posting! 


Lisa is a campsite owner 

and runs a social media 

consultancy. Her online 

course “How to make 

the most of social media 

for your site” is available 

to buy at £97 from www. 

socialmediasussex.com/courses 

Lisa is part of Pitch & Co (www. 

pitchandco.uk), a collective of glamping 

specialists offering business services to the 

glamping industry. 


GLAMPSITES 

PRODUCT IN FOCUS 

Infrastructure 

Waggoners Campsite at 

Hampton Estate, Surrey 

Supplier: Reworkshop Off Grid & Camping, 

07714 719441, reworkshopwales@gmail.com, 

www.reworkshopwales.co.uk 

Product: Composting toilets and firepits 

Details: A dose of nature 60 

minutes from the hustle and 

bustle of London, Waggoners 

Campsite is 100% 

environmentally friendly. 

Its owners have gone to 

every effort to make sure 

this campsite has zero 

environmental footprint, 

including specifying 

bespoke compostable toilets 

from Reworkshop. 

Reworkshops’ range of 

portable composting outhouses 

offer the perfect eco-friendly portable toilet 

solution for nearly every off-grid situation, 

from long drops to urinals and composting 

toilets. Handmade sustainably with care and 

attention to detail in Wales, the outhouses 

were perfect for this pop-up site, being 

easily movable. They were first delivered to a 

different part of the estate where they were 

utilised at an open farm event before being 

transported to the campsite. 

Reworkshop also supplied Frontier 

Fireplaces, which were initially designed for 

use in campsites, parks and public spaces to 

help prevent damage and grass fires caused 

by disposable BBQs and mis-managed 

campfires. Equally at home in a garden or 

outside space, they are designed and built 

to be virtually indestructible. Using thick 

gauge steel, these fireplaces/firepits will last 

many years and are pretty much vandal proof, 

especially when secured to a surface. 

The Frontier Fireplace can be securely 

fixed to any flat surface, or left freestanding, 

and is also available with carry 

handles. They can be rented to 

campers to make a return on 

your investment or installed 

on/offered with pitches to 

protect your site. Combined 

with firewood sales, a 

healthy additional income 

can be achieved. 

Customer feedback: 

Bridget Biddell, manager at 

Waggoners Campsite, said: “Finding 

Reworkshop Wales and Joe Scott 

has proved to be invaluable to Waggoners 

Campsite. The compost loos provided by 

Joe, with all the finishes, are very special and 

enjoyed and admired by all our campers. They 

work brilliantly and look so attractive, fitting 

in with the eco credentials of our campsite. 

“The fire pits are in huge demand and are 

very effective in creating an atmospheric 

campsite and are perfect for cooking Hampton 

burgers and Hampton herby sausages. 

It was a real pleasure to commission Joe 

who delivered everything as required and 

was amazingly helpful with advice on what 

Waggoners Campsite would require”. 


GLAMPSITES 

Fledgling Farm Campsite, 

Staffordshire 

Product: 750 gallon waste tank and Elsan 

Tipping Point 

Supplier: Glampsan / Plastic Solutions 

Aldridge, 01922 687545, jon@glampsan.com, 

www.glampsan.com 

Details: Ilexlignum Herd is a farming business 

owned by Anthony and Ruth Key in Eccleshall, 

Staffordshire. They breed and rear Boer goat 

and grow cereals such as wheat and oats. They 

have been successfully farming for several 

years and felt the time had come to diversify 

for a more secure future. They are located in a 

beautiful part of Staffordshire, where people 

like to visit, so they decided to use a pretty and 

secluded field for staycations. 

The field is off-grid and they needed 

to supply facilities for their camping and 

caravanning visitors including safe disposal 

facilities for chemical toilets and running water 

to clean the disposal facilities in order to gain 

certification by the Camping and Caravanning 

Club. 

They soon settled for Glampsan's 

combination of the Elsan Tipping Point and 

750-gallon flat tank, which was easy to use 

and simple to fit and keep clean. With the 

choice made, ordered and delivered, they set 

about creating a setting that was aesthetically 

pleasing and easy to access. They decided to 

build a picket fence around it and have since 

added a chain and a stand for the lid whilst the 

Elsan Tipping Point is in use. 

Feedback: Owners Antony and Ruth Key 

started their research at the Glamping Show 

where they met the Glampsan team who were 

exhibiting. The couple was not only impressed 

by the company’s range of products but also 

the knowledge and expertise of the friendly 

staff who were able to recommend a solution 

for their situation. 

New Campsite, Warwickshire 

Product: FuturEnergy Airforce1 1kw Wind 

Turbine System and 8-meter Guyed Tower 

Kit (Made in Britain Manufacturer) 

Supplier: FuturEnergy, 01789 450280, 

sales@futurenergy.co.uk, 

www.futurenergy.co.uk 

Details: Les and Steph Marsden live on 

eight acres of land by the edge of an 

airfield just outside of Stratford upon 

Avon in Warwickshire. They are presently 

awaiting certification for private camping 

as they wish to offer a secure and friendly 

place for ladies to camp. 

They have lived on the site since 2015 

and are totally off grid. In 2018 they 

installed a 900m water supply pipe along 

with a septic tank system. Their electricity 

was supplied by two generators, one of 

which failed miserably on their wedding 

anniversary. It was then they decided 

more back up power was required. They 

bought 10 x 380W solar panels, with a 

4.8kW Inverter kit with two US2000 lithium 

batteries from Pylontech in 2019. They 

would still use the gennies on cloudy days 

to top up the batteries. 

The winter months proved to Les and 

Steph they needed to utilise the wind 

power that was available at the airfield 

site during this time of the year. Their 

search led them to FuturEnergy who 

were practically down the road and 

subsequently manufactured and supplied 

their 48v 1kW Airforce1 wind turbine 

system and tower kit. The Airforce Control 

looks after the wind turbine and monitors 

the battery levels keeping the power 

supply topped up. The Airforce Control 

App can also be used to monitor the 

turbine. 

Les incorporated a winch system onto 

the FuturEnergy tower rigging pole 

system, so one man can drop the system 

for safety checks and potentially in very 

damaging windstorms. 

Previously, the Marsdens would isolate 

their mobile home when they went to bed 

to save energy so they could run a freezer 

24/7, lights, fridge, microwave, and TV etc. 

but now, with the power produced by the 

turbine and the purchase of two additional 

batteries to store the energy, they no 

longer need to do this and have surplus 

power for potential campers. 

They have now installed a water supply 

and a sluice in preparation for their 

camping permission. 

Customer feedback: Les Marsden said: 

“The Airforce1 Wind Turbine System is just 

the ticket. The technical support was first 

class and FuturEnergy very approachable”. 


GLAMPSITES 

Smokeless Solo Stove 

Lyon Equipment 

01539 624040 

outdoor.marketing@lyon.co.uk 

www.lyon.co.uk 

Tubs for Fast, Hygienic Handovers 

Glamptubs 

01926 504067 

sales@glamptubs.com 

www.glamptubs.com 

Glamptubs.com supplies robust LDPE plastic 

lined hot tubs specifically designed with the 

busy glamping site in mind. Easy to clean, and 

requiring minimal maintenance, these tubs 

are ideal for fast and hygienic handovers. 

Very popular with customers due to 

generous water depth and unhindered 

bathing space, Glamptubs perform 

fantastically in the challenging environment 

PRODUCT 

Lyon Equipment is proud to present the world’s most 

unique firepit, the Solo Stove. With minimal smoke 

and ash leftovers, guests can enjoy all the best bits 

about sitting around a campfire with family and 

friends. Made of stainless steel, and with its signature 360 Airflow Design, 

the Solo Stove achieves an efficient burn that give mesmerizing 

flames but without making your eyes water from the smoke! 

There are so many different sizes to choose from and each stove 

has a lifetime warranty. Solo Stoves also come with a whole 

range of accessories allowing you to cook on them as well. 

Branded Self-Catering Accommodation 

VRC Homes 

01223 459931 

mgp@vrcmodular.co.uk 


The SleepNeat Crofters Cabin is designed to 

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Following the lead so successfully delivered by Warner 

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guest. Affordable short stays are in high demand thoughout the year, giving operators a 

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same, giving guests assurance of familiarity with their surroundings. 

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encountered in the glamping/leisure 

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Marquee Floors by William Armes 

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DandyDura from Marquee Floors by William 

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: IMAGE COURTESY OF THE SNUG TEEPEE 


Photos above and below courtesy of The Bell Tent Shop Blackdown Shepherd Huts at Dimpsey - Ben Carpenter Photography Photo by thepartyphotos.net Photo courtesy of Charlton and Jenrick 

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EVENTS 

CASE STUDY 

The Forest Showcase 

Food Festival 

A foodie’s haven in the Forest 

of Dean offering a wide range of 

entertainment 

Describe your event and how 

many people it attracts 

The Forest Showcase Food Festival 

is held in the Speech House Hotel 

grounds on the first Sunday in 

October every year. We showcase 

creative producers from The Forest 

of Dean and surrounding areas, 

alongside invited traders who have 

something that ‘little bit different’ to 

bring to the festival. 

We are lucky to have a whole 

array of producers who join us, 

from cheese mongers, bakers, 

brewers and baristas! You can 

also find chocolatiers, butchers, 

winemakers and those that create 

delicious ice cream. Over 100 

top local and artisan producers, 

stunning hot food, real ale, gin and 

wine, interesting talks, parent and 

child cookery lessons and lots of 

children’s activities, top chef demos, 

excellent live music, arts and crafts; 

all together it makes a lovely foodie 

family day out. 

The annual Forest Showcase 

is now a major event in the local 

calendar, attracting approximately 

4,000 people per year. 

Explain a bit about your venue 

and its history 

The Speech House Hotel is a former 

17th century hunting lodge set in 

the heart of the idyllic Royal Forest 

of Dean. Nestled in the centre of a 

tranquil forest environment, the 

hotel is independently owned and 

offers the perfect combination of 

original charm and modern hotel 

and wedding venue facilities. 

The festival is held in a field 

adjacent to the hotel and is 

surrounded by woodland with space 

for onsite parking for both traders 

and visitors. 

What is the event’s history and 

what made you decide to run it? 

The ‘Forest Showcase’ food festival 

was started by the Forest of Dean 

District Council in 2001 to declare 

the area ‘open for business’ 

following the foot and mouth 

epidemic. The event was funded 

by the district council 

and various grant 

bodies until 2010 

when the council 

withdrew their 

support due 

to the credit 

crunch. 

Taking on the festival from 

the district council in 2010, 

Amanda Smith and Rachel 

Salway have worked hard to 

make it sustainable and now 

attract 100 traders and 4,000 

visitors with support from local 

sponsors and the community. 

We talk to Amanda. 


Having been actively involved in 

the event and contracted to run the 

festival from 2007 onwards, I took it 

on, along with coordinator Rachel 

Salway, believing that it was too 

good to lose. We struggled for quite 

a few years, just about covering 

costs and with a huge amount of 

goodwill and volunteer hours. 

Eventually we moved the festival 

from Beechenhurst picnic site to 

the Speech House Hotel field, which 

allowed it to grow and offer more 

free onsite car parking facilities and 

therefore become more sustainable. 

A new working partnership was 

made with The Speech House Hotel 

owners who are very keen to keep 

the event at its new site. 

We have previously attended 

many food festivals and organised 

various events so we understand 

festivals from the exhibitors’ point 

of view as well as the visitor. We 

attract good quality local producers 

who are passionate about their 

businesses. That means they tend to 

be extremely knowledgeable about 

their produce and that’s fabulous for 

the consumers. 

The other important factor is that 

this has always been, and remains, 

a community event, and therefore 

supported by both the residents 

and visitors equally. This is because 

we don’t rely on one major national 

sponsor, instead we have a number 

of smaller local companies who help 

support the festival. 

Also, the majority of our 

participants, who range from 

cheese, cider, ice cream, bread and 

delicious cake makers, are from the 

Forest of Dean or nearby – we accept 

a few from further afield but only 

if it is something we don’t already 

“ AS WELL AS 

BEING GREAT 

FUN, THE 

FESTIVAL IS 

A FANTASTIC 

SHOWCASE 

FOR THE 

FOREST OF 

DEAN” 

have in our area, so it supports local 

business. 

The festival includes a cookery 

theatre, which showcases some 

of the talented chefs we have in 

the area, and a talks stage where 

you can hear stories from local 

producers and taste some of their 

wares. As well as being great fun, 

the festival is a fantastic showcase 

for the Forest of Dean. 

How does the relationship work 

with your venue? 

The relationship works very well. We 

have a great working partnership 

with the owners of the Speech 

House Hotel and regular meetings 

running up to the event help. They 

participate by running a tea room 

on festival day and their fabulous 

chef also entertains the crowds in 

the Cookery Theatre, so the hotel 

receives a lot of publicity. 

How did you find applying for 

permission to run the event? 

We run the event on a premises 

licence from The Forest of Dean 

District Council. Last year’s event 

was cancelled due to Covid and 

we had planned to move it to a 

‘Spring Showcase’ but that had to 

be cancelled too. We have produced 

a detailed event plan demonstrating 

Covid-security and what we are 

planning for this year, which 

includes larger marquees, increased 

space between traders, physical 

distancing etc. 

How have you planned the layout 

of the event? 

The layout has evolved over the 

years and we now hire marquees 

for different elements of the festival 

plus have invested in gazebos, 

tables, seating, flags and site 

decorations. We have a large Food 


EVENTS 

Hall which contains around 60 local 

producers, one Cookery Theatre, 

a live music tent, Kid’s Cookery 

Space, plus various gazebos for kids’ 

activities. 

New to our last event was a 

Talks & Tastings tent, which was 

very successful in promoting new 

producers to potential customers. 

How did you research and source 

your infrastructure? 

We have an excellent relationship 

with many local companies who 

have supported the event over 

the last 20 years, but Covid-19 has 

affected what is available this year 

as it seems many structures are 

on long term hire in pub gardens! 

This year we have gone to market 

to source new suppliers and we are 

pleased to be working with Severn 

Events as well as Protech Events 

for our sound, lighting and cookery 

theatre PA. 

What entertainment do you offer? 

We have live music throughout the 

day, sometimes we might book a 

community choir or brass band as 

well. They are all sourced through 

our local community music festival, 

The Coleford Music Festival. 

One of the festival’s key features 

is the cookery theatre with 

individual demonstrations from 

chefs from around the area, all 

hosted and compèred by head chef 

Lawrence Jeffries from Cheltenham 

Racecourse. We also team up with a 

local award winning Deli, The Forest 

Deli, that runs the Talks & Tastings 

tent. 

How do you manage admissions 

and visitor safety? 

We sell tickets online and have a 

separate entrance for pre booked 

tickets. Most of our customers pay 

on the door, which can mean long 

queues. 

We have stewards and staff that 

make sure the marquees do not get 

too crowded and keep our visitors 

safe. 

Please detail the measures 

you have taken specifically for 

Covid-19 

We will have hand sanitisers 

throughout the festival on each 

entrance to marquees and the event 

itself. We will have larger marquees 

to allow more space around each 

stallholder and for the visitors to 

circulate freely, they will also be 

well ventilated. There will be extra 

cleaning of both toilets and the 

common dining areas, and stewards 

to help control crowd numbers in 

each marquee. The majority of the 

festival is outside which helps. 

What ground protection do you 

use for cars and footfall? 

The field is a hard flat surface, well 

grassed and dries out very quickly. 

We have not needed to provide 

any ground protection, but the wet 

weather does deter some visitors 

from visiting, and some from 

parking on the field. 

How do you publicise the event? 

We publicise the event in various 

ways, advertising in local free 

newspapers and ‘What’s On’ 

“WE ALSO 

TEAM UP 

WITH A LOCAL 

AWARD 

WINNING 

DELI, THE 

FOREST DELI, 

THAT RUNS 

THE TALKS 

& TASTINGS 

TENT” 

websites. We also promote the 

event across all our social media 

channels, including Facebook, 

Instagram, and Twitter, as well as 

our own website. One of the best 

ways for us to advertise is through 

our roadside boards, which are 

distributed widely, along with 

posters and flyers. 

We have a very loyal following and 

people return to the event regularly 

so we have a mailing list that 

receives updates and information 

running up to the festival. We 

also send out information to our 

exhibitors so they can promote the 

event through their channels too. 

What challenges have you faced? 

Apart from the weather (our site 


EVENTS 

is very exposed), the struggle 

has been to make the festival 

sustainable. The Forest of Dean is a 

rural area without a main centre of 

population and the various parts of 

the area have distinct and diverse 

characteristics. 

Public transport across the area 

is very poor; we do try to encourage 

people to take to the bicycle or use 

our local Dial-A-Ride service. 

How have you financed the event? 

The festival was originally financed 

by The Forest of Dean District 

Council. They provided a grant for 

one year when it ceased to be a 

council run event but since then we 

have strived to make the festival 

sustainable. 

We charge a pitch fee for 

our exhibitors and a ticket fee 

for visitors; the event is now 

sustainable, but we still worry if the 

weather is bad! 

“WE CHARGE 

A PITCH FEE 

FOR OUR 

EXHIBITORS 

AND A TICKET 

FEE FOR 

VISITORS; THE 

EVENT IS NOW 

SUSTAINABLE, 

BUT WE STILL 

WORRY IF THE 

WEATHER IS 

BAD!” 

What are your plans for 

next year? 

To put the Forest Showcase Food 

Festival firmly on Gloucestershire’s 

cultural map and in the festival 

calendar. To create a festival 

audience by involving more 

people and attracting visitors 

from throughout Gloucestershire, 

Herefordshire, Bristol, South 

Wales as well as the Forest of 

Dean. To develop marketing 

concepts and materials for 

promoting the festival into the 

future. To grow the capacity of 

local businesses and organisations 

to promote the festival. 

What advice could you give 

to someone coming into the 

outdoor event industry? 

Plan well and be organised, have 

all eventualities covered and hope 

for good weather! 

ADDRESS BOOK 

MARQUEES 

County Marquees 

www.countymarquees.co.uk 

Severn Events 

www.severncider.com 

STAGES 

Pro Tech Event 

www.protechevents.uk 

LIGHTING 

Pro Tech Events 

www.protechevents.uk 

TICKETING 

Ticket Source 

www.ticketsource.co.uk 

DETAILS 

The Forest Showcase 

Food Festival 

3 October 

Speech House Hotel 

Speech House Road 

Coleford 

Gloucestershire GL16 7EL 

www.forestshowcase.org 


EVENTS 

Be Specific on 

SAFETY 

Select 

the right event safety 

consultant, with advice from 

Steve Allen 

IMMANUEL KANT once said “Experience 

without theory is blind, but theory without 

experience is mere intellectual play”. 

Events, as we all know, differ in type, size, 

crowd profile, structure, demographics, 

complexity, structures and location. 

Your event may have media coverage, be 

recorded or have a live feed. Some events 

are indoors, some outside and others a 

combination of both. Some may have 

special effects, such as fireworks or lasers, 

others will have nearby neighbours who 

may be affected by noise, even more so 

depending on the way the wind blows. 

Other events may have animals, 

motorsports, fairgrounds, inflatables, hot air 

balloons or even aircraft. Maybe your event 

is on the water; one thing for sure is that 

each event will have people (we hope!). The 

paying public, free attendees, contractors, 

guests, artistes, traders, sponsors, the crew 

that keep the event running and safe, and 

the VIPs of course – let’s not forget them… 

I have had the benefit of experience of a 

wide range of events from local corporate 

events through to concert stadium world 

tours, major football fixtures, world title 

boxing, festivals, and water events, as well 

as conducting pre-event consultancy for 

the Olympics, F1 and motorsports, Red Bull 

events, the Sydney fireworks, theme parks, 

at Heathrow airport and at mainline train 

stations in London and Sydney. I have also 

represented some of the largest brands in 

the world. 

At Crowd Safety, we have managed 

safety at royal palace ice skating events at 

Christmas, and conducted security audits 

post the Manchester Arena bombing. 

We continue to be asked to provide fire 

risk assessments that consider human 

behaviour in emergencies based on our 

experience with a wide range of crowds and 

demographics. 

I have had the envious experience 

of working across every continent on 

the planet (not Antarctica though, yet), 

undertaking safety consultancy for a wide 

range of clients, spanning 30 years to include 

war zones. 

Over the past few years, we have been 

asked to send more and more subject matter 

consultants to the Middle East and United 

States. I emphasise the need for subject 

matter consultants because one size doesn’t 

fit all. A safety consultant who may have 

vast experience in an arena, and perhaps 

only worked on indoor arena events, will 

not have the necessary skill set for an 

outdoor event. Equally, someone who has 

no experience with fireworks, animals or 

motorsport, would not be aligned with an 

event with these attributes. 

We are regularly contacted by new event 

organisers after there has been a serious 

fallout at the post event debrief with the 

local authority. This only makes for an uphill 

struggle to rebuild trust and confidence with 

the local authority (council, police, fire, NHS 

ambulance, environmental health, H&S etc.) 

and the event organiser, as trust has been 

tarnished by previous episodes. Far better to 

start right in the first place. 

AN EVENT ORGANISER’S RESPONSIBILITY 

Event organisers have the legal 

responsibility to engage ‘competent’ safety 

consultants to assist them with their legal 

responsibilities in identifying the significant 

and foreseeable risks associated with their 

event, that may affect those in attendance 

and others. 

One thing I have learnt is that it pays to 

ensure you have the right people engaged 

from the outset. The cheapest is often more 

costly in the long run. 

Do they have the relevant experience 

for the type of event you are planning? 

Word of warning, no one is an expert in 

everything, despite what they may tell 


EVENTS 

you. My knowledge of lasers and noise, 

together with structures, is limited and I 

owe it to organisers to be clear on this from 

the outset. Stick to what you know best. I 

specialise in the provision of event safety 

management plans, pre-event meetings 

and incident management, but my specific 

areas of speciality are crowds, fire, event 

and personal security, and the overall safety 

management of the event along with critical 

decision making and front of stage barrier 

configurations. 

Event safety has so many areas that 

need specific attention, so make sure 

this is addressed from the outset. Check 

the consultant’s insurance, professional 

memberships and have them send you 

written confirmation of their experience and 

any relevant qualifications. This is key and 

serves to protect you and assist you with 

your choice of provider. 

CHOOSING WISELY 

Opt for a consultant with a professional 

H&S qualification (diploma or degree). This, 

combined with relevant experience of the 

type of event you are organising, provides 

you with justifiable satisfaction that you 

have chosen the right provider. It will also 

help in mitigation, for your defence, in the 

event someone gets badly injured, or worse 

dies, either in the build, event, or de-rig 

phases. 

Make sure that the provider is 

approachable, amicable and ask them to 

email you a list of the areas that they can 

cover along with those areas that they can’t 

(eg. those additional areas that they will 

need assistance on). This may be noise, 

crowds or fire risk assessing for example. 

If you have an event where a Safety 

Advisory Group (SAG) is involved, it is 

beneficial to you that your choice of 

consultant will get on with the SAG and 

inject them with confidence. Admittedly not 

vital, but I have seen both types, those that 

rub the SAG up the wrong way (and frustrate 

“AS THE STRESS LEVELS OF THE EVENT INCREASE, YOU NEED 

A CALM SAFETY CONSULTANT WHO CAN MANAGE A WIDE 

RANGE OF SITUATIONS. THIS CALLS FOR GOOD LEADERSHIP 

AND THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY SITUATIONS IN THEIR 

EMBRYONIC PHASE” 

everyone else with their belligerence) and 

those that get on with everyone, whilst 

communicating clearly. The latter is by 

far the better for you and works out a lot 

cheaper, and more productive, on all levels. 

Equally, when the amicable choice of 

safety consultant asks for assistance from 

your crew, they will often drop everything 

to help. The power-crazy choice of safety 

consultant, with an obnoxious attitude, 

strapped to their clipboard and Hi-Viz, will 

see a completely different response from 

those around them. This does absolutely 

nothing to benefit you, or your event. 

Remember, these people are ambassadors 

for you. 

As the stress levels of the event increase, 

you need a calm safety consultant who can 

manage a wide range of situations. This 

calls for good leadership and the ability to 

identify situations in their embryonic phase. 

If you engage the right people across the 

board, when these incidents arise, they are 

far easier to manage. Good crew are worth 

their weight in gold! 

However, you equally don’t want a 

situation whereby the safety consultant 

takes on the role of an ostrich, clams up and 

puts their head in the sand when incidents 

are incoming. I have witnessed this on 

numerous events with so called experts. 

They want the title but dither when they 

should be making decisions. 

At the other extreme are those that 

overreact to everything, shouting, stressing 

and generally making mountains out of 

molehills. Everyone talks a good talk but 

trust me, it’s all about delivery and how they 

are going to deal with a situation when the 

proverbial hits the fan. 

AVOIDING COSTLY MISTAKES 

I would always recommend engaging an 

event safety consultant at the earliest 

stage of your event planning. By taking 

this approach, you will avert costly 

consequences. The site design may look 

pretty, but it may have far reaching issues 

in relation to crowd management, capacity, 

evacuation to a place of safety, traders' 

access/egress and security numbers. 

Many organisers believe that a security 

ratio of circa 1:100 persons is the equation 

to work from. It doesn’t work like this. It 

is based on a number of factors and other 

considerations such as type of event, 

location, demographics, structures, capacity 

etc. The security management plan should 

be produced by a competent person. This 

document sets the benchmark for security 

companies to quote on and fulfil. Note, 

ensure any contractor contractually commits 

to providing the numbers of staff agreed 

in the plan. Further to this, every plan is 

dynamic, as in what’s agreed in January may 

actually change by the time your event has 

come around whereby you need more or 

less staff depending on what is happening. 

I have met a lot of so called crowd 

experts who can talk a good talk and make 

documents look substantial but they are 

giving organisers a false sense of security, 

trying to fill their own pockets and make hay. 

Beware of these people, as crowd related 


EVENTS 

incidents will certainly hit the mainstream 

media, let alone social media, imminently if 

and when it goes wrong. 

Event fire risk assessing is another area 

that needs careful consideration. A fire 

risk assessment is not a document that 

states smoking is a fire risk, don’t smoke, 

ooh, and have some fire extinguishers… A 

suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment 

will include elements such as the means of 

escape, occupant capacities, significant fire 

risks and control measures to reduce these 

risks to a tolerable level, amongst others. 

Control measures are key. They need to 

be proportionate to the risk. You ideally 

want someone who can advise you on 

proportionate and realistic measures. I have 

met H&S consultants that claim they can do 

fire safety. My advice is to satisfy yourself 

that they can and that they have a proven 

background in this area. 

An event has a wide range of fire safety 

concerns including LPG, various materials 

used, hot cooking oil, arson, electrics, 

smoking indoors (even though they 

shouldn’t), lightning, fuel (liquid and other 

combustible materials) smoke and the 

effects that smoke can cause. 

There is a famous line which is often 

used when giving a damning verdict. “I 

believe you sacrificed safety for the benefit 

of financial gain”. Don’t go for the cheapest 

advisor, those worth their salt know what 

they are worth and know what they can 

save you in the short, mid and long term. 

They take pride in their work and have built 

reputations over many years. 

VITAL DOCUMENTS 

Professional consultants will identify 

the event specific foreseeable risks, the 

reasonably practicable measures to reduce 

those risks and effectively communicate this 

without writing War and Peace. 

Ensure you contract your provider to 

update the documentation as required and 

during the event if need be. I use the word 

‘specific’ as some providers will simply copy 

and paste from a previous event, change the 

title and the event names and submit – not a 

good look for you when the local authority, 

or worse, expert witness for the prosecution, 

highlights this in their reports. 

My recommendation is that a safety 

consultant does the following for you: 

› Attends pre-event planning meetings/site 

meetings 

› Inputs on site design (if they have expertise 

in crowds, not if they haven’t!) 

› Attends SAGs (if applicable) 

› Assists you with contractor selection 

(this is key as your contractors’ safety 

approaches will impact your reputation 

as they will be picked up by the local 

authority, or worse, should something go 

wrong) 

“DON’T GO 

FOR THE CHEAPEST 

ADVISOR, THOSE WORTH 

THEIR SALT KNOW WHAT 

THEY ARE WORTH AND KNOW 

WHAT THEY CAN SAVE YOU IN 

THE SHORT, MID AND LONG 

TERM” 

› Produces the overall Event Risk 

Assessment 

› Consults with the contractors to provide 

advance notice of their requirements (eg. 

RAMs, structural/electrical completion 

certifications etc.) 

› Produces version 1 of the Event Safety 

Management Plan and subsequent 

versions 

› If competent, produces version 1 of the 

Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Safety 

Management Plan and subsequent 

versions 

› Produces the Crowd Management/ 

Security Management Plan (if qualified to 

do so) 

› Has access to suitable external 

consultants in the event they cannot fulfil 

certain key areas (crowds, fire, structural, 

fireworks/lasers, drones etc.) 

› Produces pre-event safety checklists 

› Conducts incident management 

› Conducts event safety monitoring 

› Attends the event debrief 

There is an abundance of guidance 

documents available for event organisers, 

the Purple Guide being the stand out. 

Managing Crowds Safely and various DCLG 

Fire Safety guides are also available for 

event organisers to reference. 

We are very fortunate in the UK that we 

have some world class safety professionals 

that are well versed in all manner of events 

and have the necessary skills. 

Remember, you cannot absolve 

responsibility for the event by merely having 

a safety consultant so make sure you have 

the correct representation that can provide 

pragmatic and proportionate advice based 

on a combination of extensive experience 

and underpinned by qualifications and 

professional memberships. 

My advice is this, picture yourselves 

standing in the dock at a corporate 

manslaughter case and ask yourself this: 

“Who would I want to be stood next to me 

when I am stating for the benefit of the court 

that he or she was my safety consultant 

selection and these were my reasons why”. 

Because they were the cheapest should not 

be your response… 


Founded by Steven Allen, 

a professional safety 

and security consultant 

with proven experience at 

national and international 

major events, Crowd Safety 

is a professional health and 

safety, event safety, fire safety and 

crowd management consultancy based in 

the UK. 

Crowd Safety provides clients with subject 

specific consultants, each with seasoned 

judgement and proven track records of 

national and international major events. The 

organisation offers a solution based, cost 

effective, pragmatic and balanced approach to 

the full spectrum of event projects worldwide. 

www.crowdsafety.org 


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EVENTS 

Tackling 

Travel 

ecolibrium’s communications manager Bethan Riach 

details the charity’s new Travel Carbon Calculator app 

ECOLIBRIUM IS a charity that helps event 

organisers, audiences, artists and suppliers 

tackle the impacts of travel at events. 

Since 2015 it has helped members, which 

include large festivals such as Boomtown 

Fair, Download and Reading, international 

artists such as Joss Stone and Novo Amor, 

event suppliers and many smaller events 

and theatre tours, balance the equivalent of 

13 million travel miles of carbon emissions 

with investment in renewable energy and 

ecosystem protection and regeneration. 

Although the live events industry is still 

in the midst of the Covid crisis, this pause in 

the headlong rush to create events has given 

many people the chance to reflect on how 

we can #BuildBackBetter and work towards 

a green recovery. With travel causing 80% 

of the average event’s carbon footprint, at 

ecolibrium we believe that finding ways 

to tackle travel is key to creating a more 

environmentally responsible live events 

industry. 

The latest of our tools and resources 

designed to help everyone in the live events 

industry understand, record, reduce and 

balance emissions from travel is our Travel 

Carbon Calculator app. 

There is no quick fix to the issue of travel, 

reliant as we are on the current transport 

infrastructure and future government 

targets for phasing out fossil fuel use 

in vehicles – but we’ve helped over 100 

members to find ways to reduce their 

carbon emissions. We provide tools to 

event organisers to measure and reduce 

carbon by working with their audiences, 

artists, staff and crew to engage in travel 

initiatives, promoting audience lift sharing, 

incentivising public transport and coach 

travel, and encouraging people to engage 

with understanding their travel footprint 

through our travel calculator tools. 

Travelling completely CO2 free to events 

that are hundreds of miles away is not 

usually feasible, although some hardy souls 

do cycle to events, companies offering 

festival bike tours have emerged and EV 

cars are on the increase. Despite these 

alternatives, petrol or diesel cars and 

live-in vehicles are still the go-to option for 

festivalgoers, suppliers need diesel-heavy 

vans and trucks for kit, international artists 

fly or bring a tour bus, and even the more 

sustainable options, such as trains or coach 

travel, cause carbon emissions. So, for 

unavoidable travel emissions, ecolibrium 

has the option to balance CO2 through one 

of its climate solutions programmes: Trees+ 

which supports tree planting, rainforest 


EVENTS 

“WE BELIEVE ARTISTS, MANAGERS, EVENT 

PROFESSIONALS AND FREELANCERS CAN 

USE THIS APP TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT 

DIFFERENCE TO THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF 

THEIR WORK ...” 

protection and ecosystem regeneration, 

and Energy Revolution, which invests in 

community-owned renewable energy 

projects. 

HOW IT WORKS 

Over the first lockdown we worked with 

software developer Digitwell Solutions 

to transform our online Travel Carbon 

Calculator and offline Travel Logging tools 

into an app, to make it even easier for people 

in the live events industry (and beyond) to 

calculate, record and balance their travel 

carbon emissions. 

We believe artists, managers, event 

professionals and freelancers can use this 

app to make a significant difference to the 

carbon footprint of their work and increase 

the industry’s shared understanding about 

the impacts of travel. It helps users analyse 

and understand the carbon emissions from 

different travel choices, models carbon 

lighter routes to reduce emissions and 

balances unavoidable CO2 through climate 

solutions. 

Free to download, the app helps keep 

track of travel associated with different jobs 

or for different events and clients. Users can 

also choose to share their carbon-balancing 

action with fans, audiences and clients to 

help positively frame the wider changes 

we need to see in our travel behaviour. It 

can be downloaded from GooglePlay or by 

searching ecolibrium in the App Store. 

SOCIAL SHIFTS THROUGH EVENTS 

In many ways we must see the 

environmental impact of events as a 

problem, but from another perspective they 

present opportunities. In the microcosm 

of an event we can trial new ways of doing 

things, powering stages with renewable 

energy, completely banning plastics and 

getting meticulous about recycling. In this 

sense, arguably the biggest opportunity 

for the live events industry is its capacity 

to influence audiences in terms of their 

attitudes to climate change and their part in 

taking positive action. 

With emissions from audience and fan 

travel adding so heavily to event carbon 

footprints, the scope to encourage audiences 

to understand the impact of their choices 

and change how they travel, both to events 

and in their daily life, offers event organisers 

the chance to be part of the societal shifts we 

need to make for a sustainable future. 

One of ecolibrium’s missions is to hasten 

this change – empowering audiences and 

everyone working in the live events industry 

to understand their emissions, choose 

lower carbon forms of transport, balance 

unavoidable emissions and share and 

celebrate their positive action to create a 

movement for change that ripples out wider 

than the industry. 


HEATER MARQUEE 

PACKAGES. 

AT ARCOTHERM WE OFFER A RANGE OF 

MARQUEE HEATER PACKAGES TO SUIT 

YOUR EVERY NEEDS.

CHOOSE FROM ONE 

OF OUR PACKAGES: 

GOLD SILVER BRONZE STANDARD 

01773 836 999 

sales@arcotherm.co.uk 

arcotherm.co.uk

EVENTS 

PRODUCT SNAPSHOT 

Professional Services 

Bespoke Funding for Outdoor Events 

Fit Outdoor Finance 

01494 422614 

mark@fitoutfinance.co.uk 

www.fitoutdoorfinance.co.uk 

It’s fair to say that the industry has had the toughest year 

on record, however, from any downturn there is always 

opportunity. Fit Outdoor Finance is here to help you make the 

most of that opportunity. 

As an offshoot of the established and respected Fit Out 

Finance, our team has over 30 years’ experience of helping 

businesses to access finance for a wide range of equipment – 

through good times and bad. 

As a small, independent brokerage we work closely with 

customers, suppliers and consultants to the events and 

hospitality sector to achieve the most viable and appropriate 

funding solution for your specific needs and circumstances. 

We are always happy to chat – give us a call! 

Getting Your Events off the Ground 

Charlotte Winship Consulting 

07493 350303 

charlotte@charlottewinship.com 


Do you have an 

idea for a public 

event and are not 

sure how to get 

it off the ground? 

Do you need 

help finding your 

audience? 

Charlotte 

Winship has over 

20 years’ event 

planning and 

coordination 

experience – 

everything from 

exhibitions, fayres, 

festivals, theatre 

productions, 

garden parties, 

weddings, 

wellbeing retreats, 

corporate events, 

product launches, fashion shows, workshops and conferences. 

Having worked as events manager for some of the world’s most 

prestigious venues, she also understands the unique nuances 

of a venue that work well for some events and how to capitalise 

on these assets. 

Charlotte is well versed in the operation and administrative 

processes required to deliver a successful event, understanding 

audiences and the promotion needed to help reach them. 

Give Charlotte a call for sensible advice, bags of enthusiasm 

and the determination to help you succeed. 

ALL YOU NEED FOR DRIVE-IN CINEMA 

Skylight Cinema 

01872 303737 

info@skylightcinema.co.uk 

www.skylightcinema.co.uk 

As one of the leading providers of drive-in cinema, Skylight 

supplied equipment for over 250 events last year alone. 

Providing everything needed to put on a hassle free drivein 

cinema event, turnkey packages include: a 10m wide 

inflatable screen, a powerful 10K projector, Bluetooth 

speakers for each vehicle (saving a lot of time and money!), 

a projectionist and technician, support and advice. The price 

for a mid-week event is £1,495, and £1,895 at weekends. 

You organise the event and sell the tickets, then Skylight 

turns up with the screen, projector, sound system and 

technician to operate everything. 


EVENTS 

Eco Branding for Event Organisers 

Harrison Creative 

01325 355433 

hello@weareharrisons.com 

www.harrisoncreative.co.uk 

Harrison Creative is keen to partner with companies that believe 

as strongly as it does in caring for the environment. Its eco 

branding range, Envirofamily, is the product of choice for event 

organisers that care about the planet. 

The company is continually working to reduce wastage and 

become more environmentally friendly and is committed to 

helping clients deliver more sustainable events and festivals with 

its range of eco-friendly branding and signage products. 

Working closely with leading fabric manufacturers, it has 

developed a range of materials that can be used as alternatives 

for a number of its most popular products. These include 

Enviroflag, an alternative to knitted polyester, Envirodisplay, 

made from 100 per cent recycled plastic waste, and 

Envirobanner, which is PVC free. 

Hire, Sales and Service of voice and data radio 

communication systems, bodycams and applications 

TWO-WAY RADIO HIRE, SALES AND SERVICE 

SPECIAL RATES FOR 2021/22. 

Book with confidence as we offer 

a no cost cancellation policy. 

Terms Apply. 

By Appointment to 

Her Majesty The Queen 

Supplier of Two-Way Radio 

Communications and Paging Systems 

Direct Communications Radio Services Ltd 

St Ives 

Selene Events 

Big Top Hire and Outdoor 

Event specialist 

A simple solution for those who need 

temporary communications. This solution 

has proven to be invaluable for such sectors 

as; event organisers, council teams, TV and 

film crews, security and parking to name 

but a few, with both short and long term 

contracts available. 

Organising any event or general on-site 

communication requires total dedicated 

support and at DCRS, there is always a 

team on-call or on-site ready to assist you. 

Call FREE: 0800 043 2688 

email: sales@dcrs.co.uk 

www.dcrs.co.uk 

WE BOAST A COMPLETE HIRE 

SERVICE INCLUDING: 

Bespoke radio solutions for large, 

wide area events 

Motorola digital and analogue radios, 

mobiles and repeaters 

Wide area Nationwide coverage 

WAVE and ICOM hand portables 

A full range of audio accessories, 

radio allocation systems and 

voice recording available 

Free radio licence or free programming 

to your own frequencies 

Delivery and collection to your 

specified addresses 

On-site support and out of hours 

call-out, 24/7 if required 

For all your bespoke marquee hire and outdoor event requirements 

contact 07778 765724 | seleneevents@gmail.com 

www.seleneevents.com 

DCRS Open Air Business Magazine Advert-90x132mm.indd 1 24/05/2021 18:05 


Spot light 

A roundup of products for the outdoor hospitality industry 

UNFORGETTABLE SILENT DISCOS 

Silent Noize Events 

0203 727 5382 

info@silentnoizeevents.com 

www.silentnoizeevents.com 

Silent Noize Events is the leading 

supplier of silent discos and 

wireless headset hire in the UK. We 

provide everything you need to 

create an unforgettable Silent Disco 

including a few new additions to 

help you keep guests safe. 

Our multi-channel headphones 

have a range of up-to 200m which 

provides equal audio quality 

across a large space, plus our 

revolutionary new mobile app 

allows you to stream sets straight 

to your audiences’ smart phones. 

From weddings and festivals to 

yoga retreats and cinema nights, 

our headsets provide an immersive 

and inclusive experience for any 

outdoor event. 

WORLD RENOWNED 

SHEPHERD HUTS 

Blackdown Shepherd Huts 

01460 929774 

info@blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk 

www.blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk 

Market leading shepherd hut 

makers Blackdown are recognised 

globally, however they design, 

craft, and display their high-end 

luxury living spaces in Somerset, 

exhibiting the high quality of build 

and interiors that Blackdown 

Shepherd Huts are renowned for. 

Duly inspired, many buyers add 

their own unique touches to their 

bespoke hut, delighting their guests 

and earning an excellent return on 

investment. 

This year at The Glamping Show, 

Blackdown will be showcasing new 

designs of their signature double 

shepherd hut, The Blackdown Brace 

Hut and their Turnkey Huts. With a 

few more surprises up their sleeves 

to come, you can see it all first at 

stand OSA 140. 

BEN CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHY 

LEAF GLAMPING PODS 

Logspan 

01389 887158 

info@logspan.com 

www.logspan.com 

Leaf glamping pods from Logspan 

offer a new style of plug-and-play 

guest accommodation with a 

unique shape. The range includes 

the Leaf Maxi, a 5.7x2.5m fully 

equipped family unit with kitchen 

and shower room, as well as the 

4.0x2.4m Standard Leaf and the 

5.2x2.5m Wheelchair 

Accessible Leaf. 

Built almost entirely from 58mm 

sustainably sourced Scandinavian 

spruce, the Leaf range has great 

environmental credentials. For 

extra manoeuvrability, add an 

optional steel trailer base with 

wheels. 

Call today to learn how Logspan’s 

INVEST system can help take the 

stress away from setting up your 

glamping site. 

EVENT EQUIPMENT HIRE 

GT Trax 

01487 823344 

info@gttrax.co.uk 

www.gttrax.co.uk or call 

Established in early 2005, GT Trax 

is one of the UK’s leading suppliers 

of temporary roadways, walkways, 

flooring, seating, fencing and 

structures. They offer a complete 

delivery, install, uplift and 

collection service, with fully trained 

and experienced site personnel. 

Their range encompasses heavy 

duty trackway and hardwearing 

non-slip walkways, alongside 

picket and Heras fencing. They 

also have a line-up of single and 

double Starshades, with seating 

provided by the unique Foldtable. 

So, for your next event, get in 

touch with the GT Trax hire desk 

and see how their equipment can 

enhance your visitor experience. 


PERFO GROUND 

REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM 

S2T Group 

01992 522797 

www.perfo.co.uk 

S2T Group’s PERFO range of 

ground protection products 

comprises a system of 

interlocking, self-anchoring 

permeable plastic tiles which 

are embedded into an existing 

surface, eg. a mature grass area 

or prepared base consisting of a 

layer of crushed stone chippings, 

depending on the application. 

A number of light to heavy duty 

solutions are available to suit 

varied ground conditions, traffic 

profiles and loading requirements. 

Unlike other geogrid systems, 

PERFO tiles are usually installed 

without the need for excavation, 

being compacted directly into 

the existing surface using rollers 

or compactor plates. Installation 

is therefore rapid and planning 

issues less problematic. 

ECO TINY HOMES AND MODULAR 

BUILDINGS 

The Qube Eco Tiny Homes 

01604 785786 

ecotinyhomes@theqube.co.uk 


Northamptonshire based modular 

building experts The Qube has 

launched a range of stylish, 

sustainable, and affordable holiday 

accommodation. Having supplied 

modular buildings to the education 

and leisure industry since 2007, 

The Qube has expanded its 

product and service offering to 

cater for the hospitality sector. 

Specialising in SIP (structural 

insulated panel) construction, 

it offers bespoke solutions for 

modular buildings and tiny 

homes. Whether you are looking 

for a tiny home as an alternative 

accommodation offering, or a 

modular building for a park home, 

office, or small apartment, The 

Qube covers all requirements. Get 

in touch to learn more! 

Classified Directory 

Finman 

Glamping 

Cabins and 

BBQ Huts 

From 

£4,992 

UNIQUE • QUALITY • CUSTOMISABLE 

01389 887205 www.logspan.com 

Call 01262 470475 or visit 

www.shepherd-huts.com 


Classified Directory 

Modular Flooring 

for all Applications 

02037 959090 

www.everblockflooring.co.uk 


01223 459931/ mgp@vrcmodular.co.uk 

The Glampagon 

A unique design for 

luxurious Staycations 

Use individually or 

in clusters of 5. 



info@jointkit.co.uk | 07887 998 033 

Bringing comfort 

and luxury to 

any type of 

landscape. 

outerspacegroup.com 

TWO-WAY RADIO 

SUPPORTING 

YOUR EVENTS 

Call FREE: 

0800 043 2688 

sales@dcrs.co.uk 

www.dcrs.co.uk 

DCRS Open Air Magazine Classified Advert.indd 1 06/12/2018 09:36 

01278 238390 


PEOPLE 

Behind the Scenes with… 

Deborah 

Collins 

Deborah Collins, account director for corporate, 

entertainment, media and sport at The Belfry Hotel & 

Resort, shares her experiences looking after VIP guests 

THERE IS no typical day in my role at 

the Belfry. It is a 24/7 job; my phone is 

always on and ready to receive texts and 

calls to ensure I meet the requirements of 

our guests and events held at the resort. 

My main role is to make our guests feel 

comfortable, safe and at home. 

Part of my job role is VIP guests. Behind 

the celebrity they are just lovely people who 

want to feel looked after. Our VIP guests are 

used to spending many nights in hotels, so I 

want to make sure we create a ‘home away 

from home’ experience for them, and that 

does often mean we receive lots of unusual 

and last-minute requests. Last week I had to 

source a grand piano for a guest – and I did 

manage to find one which was available for 

rent for 24 hours. Nothing is impossible! 

I’ve been working in the hotel industry for 

over 20 years and I’ve been at The Belfry for 

seven years. I love my job as no day is the 

same. One day I may spend the morning 

welcoming guests and responding to their 

requests or I may be meeting agents and 

security for site inspections ahead of a VIP's 

stay. Then I might spend the afternoon 

looking for new opportunities for the 

resort, this includes communicating with 

event organisers requiring accommodation 

for their artists, crew or sports teams, or 

looking for and gaining bid opportunities. 


PEOPLE 

A TALE TO TELL 

My role means that I have got a lot of 

interesting stories to tell – and some 

embarrassing ones too! Once I was in 

a lift with an American rock band who 

were asking me about the hotel’s three 

golf courses, including The Brabazon and 

The PGA National, which are recognised 

as world-class. The whole time I thought 

they were asking me about goths not golf, 

which meant we had a very confusing and 

awkward conversation. 

There was also the time I met Gary 

Barlow on arrival, and he said it was one of 

the best hotel welcomes he had ever had. 

I said thank you and without thinking I 

curtsied – it was the middle of the night, so 

I was tired! 

The highlight of my role has to be 

receiving glowing feedback from our 

clients. It is a great feeling knowing all of 

our hard work has paid off, especially when 

you hear that clients who visit us for the 

first time say that they will definitely be 

coming back to stay. 

THERE’S NO I IN TEAM 

Teamwork is key at The Belfry; we are like 

one big family. We all work together to 

ensure each guest’s visit is seamless from 

start to finish. Each team has adapted their 

procedures to ensure we can continue 

our usual exceptionally high standard of 

service in the new Covid safe environment. 

Weeks, even months, of planning go into 

winning new business. I am part of the 

incredible sales team, but the whole Belfry 

team are involved with every visit, from our 

health and safety manager, security team 

and front of house team. I also liaise with 

our fantastic operations team, who work 

their magic to help to arrange the logistics 

of our VIP visits, and our amazing awardwinning 

chefs to discuss menus. Every 

single client always comments on the food 

and service and how fabulous it is, which 

makes me so proud. 

When it comes to VIP guests, our 

relationship with the agents is crucial to 

ensure communication is right so that the 

process is seamless. There needs to be 

trust; we have a strict discretion policy and 

always respect the privacy of our guests 

so everyone can enjoy a relaxing stay. It is 

also vital that we get to know our guests, 

their likes and dislikes, so we spend a lot of 

time putting in the research to make sure 

they have a comfortable stay and so we can 

surprise them with treats throughout their 

visit. It’s the little touches that make them 

feel relaxed, thought of and welcomed. 

“OUR USUAL HIGH LEVELS OF SERVICE ALONG WITH OUR 

NEW PROTOCOLS HAVE ENSURED THEIR STAYS ARE SAFE 

AND COMFORTABLE AND, IMPORTANTLY, ENJOYABLE” 

The Belfry is renowned for its warm and 

welcoming hospitality; we take the time to 

get to know our guests to make sure that 

every visit to the resort is a special one. 

We were delighted when elite sports 

started last summer; we really appreciate 

having the teams stay with us. Our usual 

high levels of service along with our new 

protocols have ensured their stays are 

safe and comfortable and, importantly, 

enjoyable. Our staff and guests have had 

access to daily rapid testing since the 

summer to ensure a safe environment for 

everyone on site. The health and safety 

of our guests and teams has always been 

a priority at The Belfry and we will do 

anything to ensure everyone feels safe with 

us and that business can continue for our 

clients. We are also very fortunate to have 

550 acres of outdoor space surrounding 

the resort, which provides our guests with 

plenty of space to get out to get some fresh 

air and also physically distance. 

Now we are out of lockdown, we are 

excited about welcoming more of our 

guests back to The Belfry. We missed 

having our VIP entertainment guests with 

us and we can’t wait to welcome everyone 

back once shows, tours and festivals can 

ABOUT THE BELFRY 

The Belfry Hotel & Resort is an award-winning 

hotel situated in the heart of the country in 

Royal Sutton Coldfield, North Warwickshire, 

and is home to 319 bedrooms and suites, 

several restaurants and bars, events and 

meetings spaces, a leisure club, and The Belfry 

Spa. The hotel’s three golf courses, including 

The Brabazon and The PGA National, are 

recognised as world-class, having previously 

hosted The Ryder Cup four times – more than 

any other venue in the world. 

The Belfry’s extensive outdoor space 

also plays host to mini festivals, outdoor TV 

screenings and teambuilding activities. 

www.thebelfry.com 

66 66 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM

Photo Credit: Rachel Bragg Photography 

& Matt Sweeting Photography 

Blackdown, discerning makers 

of inspired spaces ... 

blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk 

info@blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk | 01460 929774 

Shrubbery Farm | Catherine Wheel | Ilminster | Somerset | 

Huts for home | Huts for business | Huts to build yourself

August 2021

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