A Happy New Year from the Editor to all our readers!

SANTAS BY THE DOZEN

Michelle Kirk, Resort Manager at Clowance Estate, sent us this amazing festive season picture - and the story behind it:

'I went to London just before Christmas to visit my daughter and imagine our surprise when we went for a walk in Greenwich Park and we were suddenly confronted by literally thousands of Santa's. Apparently they do the 10 kilometre run around Greenwich Park for charity - and as you can see, it's quite something to behold!'

A SCOTTISH SANTA
Meanwhile, back at Brunston Castle resort in Ayrshire, here we can see Santa and a few of his most important helpers, who took time out of their busy schedule to drop by for a visit so say hello to guests and staff.

With Father Christmas were his Driver Elf, his Balloon Elf and his little Workshop Elf. Assistant Manager Emma, along with Fiona and Andrew from Reception, gave guests mulled wine and mince pies, while Santa sat in his grotto handing out presents and balloons to all the visiting children and Rudolph and the rest of his reindeer friends waited patiently outside

In the picture (left to right) are: Fiona, Andrew, Santa (Alex Docherty), Workshop Elf Dylan (his grandson) and Grand Elf Andy (Dylan's dad)

NEW BRUNSTON GOLF CLUB LINK
Still in Scotland, the many Seasons members who enjoy visiting Seasons Ayrshire resort will be happy to know that Brunston Castle Golf Club has recently been taken over by new management, who are delighted to welcome our members to use their attractive bar and restaurant facilities.

Commenting on the situation, Golf Club General Manager Cheryl Steven said: 'We are all so pleased about the new relationship and we look forward to Seasons members using our dining facilities along with the golf course.  This is a new beginning for us all - I am sure it will be a great success and everybody is welcome. We have been busy decorating and changing menus and hopefully in the future, we will be introducing theme nights and other special occasions, along with the help of Seasons. Although we are open to the public, we know that in the past Seasons members enjoyed our facilities, so hopefully we will build on this again.'

Resort manager Norma Docherty (who members will be pleased to learn is back at work after her recent illness), said: 'Seasons and the Golf Club are working closely together to establish a positive working relationship that will benefit both companies.
For instance, we already give their menus, opening times and golfing prices to our members as part of their welcome pack and our staff will be happy to book a table for a meal or a golf game for our visitors.  I am pleased to say that the response has already been very positive, with several members enjoying the New Year's Eve party at the Golf Club, and all reporting that they had a great night out.

'Another thing we hope to reintroduce shortly at the Golf Club is our Scottish Nights, which always proved popular with guests in the past, while Guest Relations will also be reintroducing their 'Fun Nights' at the same venue.  In fact, this new relationship is a great start to the New Year for all the staff, both at Brunston and the Golf Course.'

Pictured (left to right) are Brunston Resort Manager Norma Docherty, Bar Supervisor Sharon Gray and General Manager of the Golf Club Cheryl Steven.

RICKY & BECKY'S NEW ROLES AT BURN PARK
Many of our members will remember with much pleasure the excellent entertainment provided over the last six years by the multi-talented Ricky Francis.  But now Ricky is branching out into yet another career, thanks to his new business partnership with another Seasons favourite entertainer, Rebecca Baines, who many of you will know as 'Mizz Becky', as the two have recently taken over the bar and restaurant  franchise at Burn Park.
 
Ricky explained: 'Becky was my assistant on the entertainment team for the last two years and has appeared at Whitbarrow Village, Club Tahiti, Forest Hills and Alpinus. When Seasons left Alpinus, we decided to become business partners and embark on a joint venture with a role reversal - because Becky is now in charge!
 
‰ ∏ÏAs regards 'The X Factor', I got down to the last seventy-five.  This included five days at boot camp, during which I managed to meet Simon Cowell on several occasions.  The judges' comments as to why I did not make it any further was that I was too 'West End' for the show.  However, all in all, it was a fantastic experience and I wouldn't have missed it for the world!'
 
With regard to the menus, Becky said: 'The whole food concept is being based on good homemade food and an enjoyable dining experience.  With this in mind, we are offering good 'pub grub' in the bar and top class food at sensible prices in the newly named Rebecca's Restaurant'.
 
Resort Manager Gill Kaye commented: 'This is a new venture for Ricky and Becky as franchisees, but needless to say, our entertainment includes Ricky and Mizz Becky, who are making fantastic 'mine hosts'!'
 
Our advice is to go along and enjoy the whole new dining and entertainment experience now on offer at Burn Park. Any table reservation for 'Rebecca's Restaurant' pre-booked before your arrival will receive a 10% food discount.  All you have to do is call Reservations on 01994 426000 and book your break. 

POPULAR IAIN RETIRES TO THE SUN
After six years at the resort, one of Brunston's best known maintenance staff, Iain Ross, is retiring to South Africa, following one visit there last year.

'Thanks to Seasons connections, I visited the country through Interval International in the summer, fell in love with it and decided that was where I was going to start my 'new life'. I stayed in two different places, which was a fantastic experience.  The hotels, staff and locations were first class and I would recommend them and their exceptionally helpful staff to everybody.  Several people have asked me 'why?' but most people said 'why not?'  You are never too old to try something new! I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Brunston and have many happy memories.  I made a lot of good friends along the way.'

Resort Manager Norma Docherty said: 'Iain will be sorely missed by myself and all the staff but also by our members. Many of them got to know Iain through coming back several times, when they always looked forward to having a chat with him. You sometimes heard him before you saw him, as he whistled all the time! He was a valued member of staff and we all wish him a fantastic retirement in the sun.'

Iain (centre) is pictured with Norma and several members of the Brunston staff.

£25 WINNING LETTER
OLD FRIENDS IN NEW LOCATIONS
It sounds as if Matthew and Bernadette Gill of Daventry, Northampton, have been very active visiting Seasons resorts over the festive season, and meeting lots of old and new friends!
 
'I just had to write to say what a fabulous Christmas I and my family (husband, daughter Christine, grandson Harry aged four and our son Stuart) have just had at Burn Park. We arrived on Saturday 20th December to a warm welcome from reception and were shown our accommodation.  To say that I was impressed was beyond words. We own a sleep six but were given a sleep eight, which was great, as no one had to have the sofa.
 
On the Sunday, we went to the welcome meeting and met all the staff (some old and new) and what a surprise to see Becky as manager of the clubhouse and restaurant, as the last time we saw her was in April 2008 when she was in Alpinus, where she took us on one of her walks into the mountains. 
 
My grandson had a great time with the other children, who were kept busy in the mornings by a young lady called Yasmin, who did a great job and catered for all their ages. Then on Christmas Eve, he was enthralled by the magician whose name was also Harry and he had my grandson up on stage, oh what fun he had! Then all too soon it was Saturday and time to head home.
 
My husband and I  however, were to be off again on the Monday 29th, only this time to Bath (our first time) for a midweek break in the new County Hotel -and what a welcome we received from Erin the manager and her team. The hotel is great and the location is spot on, we spent six splendid hours on the Tuesday going around the whole of Bath city centre.
 
As always, you meet up with staff from other places and sure as eggs is eggs, we met Charlotte, who we first met in 2006 when we went to Whitbarrow. She was then our guest relations representative and had only just started working for Seasons, but she remembered us and our daughter and grandson, who were with us at the time. Charlotte then went on to fill us in on all her news and one cannot forget Neil Thomas the Guest Relations Manager, who we had a great first night in the bar with, along with a few other guests. Neil also advised us as to where to go to eat and what things to see.

Unfortunately, on the morning of New Year's Eve, we had a phone call from home and had to cut short our stay. However, we hope to be able to return soon to Bath and finish our tour. We look forward to hear if any more city break hotels are coming up. Keep up the good work.'

Have YOU got a story about your Seasons holiday or short break that you would like to share? Simply email it to insight@seasonsholidays.com and you could win £25 if your entry is chosen as the winning letter in a future edition of Seasons eNews Update!  And remember that attaching a photograph will give you a much better chance of catching the Editor's eye!

A WARM WELCOME AT THE COUNTY HOTEL
Seasons new City Break destination - the County Hotel - is certainly attracting some very favourable comments from our members.  Here's what Jim and Glyn Coyle, of Newton Abbot, discovered:

'We were invited to take a short break last year at the County Hotel in Bath and booked for 26th to 29th December.  We arrived at around 3.00pm and were warmly greeted by the hotel manager Erin, who booked us in and then showed us to our room. The room was great, not big but clean and compact, but then it is a hotel, not an apartment. Later our guest relations representative Mark came to see us, a nice guy and very helpful and understanding. We eventually met most of the team, including Laura, who we had met before in Portugal. The dining room and the lounge are very comfortable and breakfast is well prepared and served by very efficient and helpful staff.

Bath is a very nice place to visit and well worth a short break to see it, with lots of history and shops and a host of eating places for all palates. It was very cold that weekend, but the warmth of the staff and the hotel more than made up for it. With drinks in the comfortable bar in the evenings, served by good bar staff, what more could you wish for at Christmas? Thank you Seasons and all the team at the County Hotel in Bath.'

HOSPICE PRESENTATION
Our readers will remember last year's epic motorcycle ride from Lands End to John O'Groats by Seasons owner Adrian Maleham - who lives near Clowance.  He was rasising funds on behalf of Children's Hospice South West and accommodation was organised at Seasons Resorts along the route.  Supporters were able to donate online, and resort manager Michelle Kirk held a weekly raffle at Clowance to raise the profile. 

As Michelle said: 'We were all so thrilled that a total of £1,800 was raised for the charity, which was incredible, as Adrian had originally only set out to raise £1,000!' 

Our picture shows (left to right)  Michelle with the £1,000 cheque the resort raised by raffling teddy bears, Adrian with his cheque for £800, his son Alex, older daughter Laura, Jane Murfin the representative of Children's Hospice South West - Precious Lives Appeal and far right of the stage is Paul McGahan, who hosted the presentation. 
 
WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST TIMESHARE SCAMS
Seasons members will be happy to learn that 2008 was the most successful to date for the OTE Enforcement Project in Spain, with a record number of closures and the strengthening of their co-operation with the Spanish authorities.
 
Over the past twelve months, a total of 13 Discount Travel Membership Club (DTMC) sales decks and 23 bogus resale and class action companies have closed as a result of the action of the Enforcement team. 
 
During 2008, the Enforcement team held a number of key meetings with senior police officers and politicians in the Canaries, Andalusia and Madrid, whose help has been crucial in the fight against fraudulent practices affecting timeshare owners.  The success of the OTE Enforcement Project has gained the recognition of institutions like the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

BAR/RESTAURANT COMMENT SHEET DRAW WINNERS
Below are the names of the December Seasons monthly draw winners for those who fill in the Bar and Restaurant Comment Sheets.  There is one winner for each of the following six Seasons resorts - so be sure to fill in a sheet on your next visit for the chance to win a £20 meal voucher for use in any of these Seasons Resorts!

Brunston - M. Archer, Northampton
Laugharne - Mair Kyte, Pntypridd
Club Tahiti - Joyce & Barry Swinbourne, Worcester
Whitbarrow - Mr & Mrs J Green, Alford
Burn Park - Pauline Rogers, Cardiff
Clowance - Mr Derek Peters, Penzance

January's winners will be published in next month's newsletter and the free draw will continue each month until further notice.  

 

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Many thanks - The Editor.

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