Devon park in women’s business Oscars finals

The family owners of a long-established East Devon holiday park, Ladram Bay, are celebrating this week after they were revealed as finalists in the 2016 Devon Venus Awards.

Described by Channel Four as “the working women’s Oscars”, the Venus Awards recognise, reward and celebrate local working women in business.

The announcement of Ladram Bay’s success in securing a place in the final three was made early in October at a special ceremony at Saunton Sands Hotel

Competition was fierce this year with almost 2000 nominations and applications received in one or more of the different categories of the awards.

Ladram Bay holiday park, near Budleigh Salterton, emerged as a finalist in the keenly contested Company of the Year category.

Now the Carter family, owners of the business for over 70 years, must wait until next month to see if they have won the overall first place in the Venus Awards.

The winner will be announced at a glittering ceremony and dinner on 18 November at the Great Hall at the University of Exeter.

The Venus Awards were set up in Dorset in 2009 to recognise the hard work, effort and skill it takes women to successfully juggle business with other commitments.

Ladram Bay was originally founded by Devon farmer Frank Carter, and today his four siblings are responsible for driving the successful business forward.

From a small camping site, it has grown to become one of the region’s most popular holiday parks which attract tens of thousands of visitors each year.

The park’s high standards have been recognised with a raft of awards, including a top five-star accolade from VisitEngland and the 2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Ladram Bay provides a wide range of holiday homes to rent or own, brand new glamping pods, and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.

Director Zoe House said that she and her park-owning family were delighted to be named as one of the top three Devon firms in the Company of the Year category:

“We feel genuinely humbled that Ladram Bay was nominated in these awards, and has now reached competition finals,” she said.

“Our business has always believed in providing equal career opportunities for both women and men, and helps employees achieve their goals with support and training.

“We’re now greatly looking forward to the main awards ceremony, and whatever the outcome we would like to thank all those who helped us get this far,” added Zoe.

Ladram Bay’s general manager, Claire Williams, said the company’s success has always been the result of a collective team effort:

“We are very fortunate to have behind us a hard-working and loyal workforce comprising both women and men who share our vision for the business.

“It’s their efforts which help to create a truly memorable experience for our guests, and they deserve great credit for the all the awards and recognitions we receive,” said Claire.

Also competing in the Company of the Year category in Devon are agricultural suppliers Mole Valley Farmers of South Molton, and business clothing supplier PenCarrie of Willand.

There is more information about Ladram Bay Holiday Park at www.ladrambay.co.uk