Family’s Scottish Border parks glitter in tourism awards
STAFF and the family owners of two Dumfries and Galloway holiday parks are celebrating as they start the new holiday year with a pair of prestigious tourism awards.
Westlands Country Park near Annan and Mouswald Lodge Park near Dumfries both went under the spotlight at the annual gala awards of UK holiday giant Hoseasons.
Based on votes cast by customers booking through Hoseasons, Westlands Country Park was crowned as Scotland’s top destination for people taking lodge holidays.
Judges said that feedback from couples and families at Westlands had been “simply outstanding”.
Also honoured at the glittering ceremony was Mouswald Lodge Park which took the award for the Best Small Relax and Explore destination in Scotland for the third successive year.
Three additional hot-tub lodges have recently been developed at Mousewald in response to demand.
Both parks are owned by the long-established family business of Border Caravans whose founder Brian Wetherley said the accolades had come as “absolutely fantastic news”.
They coincide, said Brian, with the start of the next phase of a £4.5 million investment programme at Westlands Country Park which will create additional facilities and extra jobs.
Last year saw the completion of a new development of luxury lodges in its 100-acre grounds.
Popular with country sports fans, Westlands boasts Olympic-standard clay pigeon shooting facilities with a 140-foot clay launching tower – the highest in Scotland – plus fishing lakes.
Current new development work at the park is focussed on the creation of a new guest complex which will include a restaurant and bar, reception, offices, and corporate team-building facility.
It will also house a major retail centre stocking leading brands of outdoor clothing as well as a large gun room, ammunition store, and shooting and fishing equipment and accessories.
Brian Wetherley hopes that the Hoseasons’ awards will help other tourism businesses in the area by publicising Dumfries and Galloway as a perfect holiday destination:
“Many jobs and smaller family businesses in this beautiful region depend on visitor spending, and it’s time it was revealed as Scotland’s best-kept holiday secret,” he said.
“Virtually all staff at our parks are recruited locally, and we provide training and opportunities which will enable them to make a career in the tourism and leisure industries.
“Our team played a big part in securing our Hoseasons’ awards which are based entirely on visitor satisfaction, and they deserve the lion’s share of the credit for our success,” added Brian.
There is more information about Westlands and Mouswald holiday parks, as well as the other members of the group, on the company’s website at www.bordercaravans.co.uk
