Center Parcs UK and Ireland facts for kids
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Formerly
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Center Parcs UK |
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| Private limited company | |
| Industry | Hospitality and Leisure |
| Founded | 1987 (first UK village) 2001 (separation from Center Parcs in continental Europe) |
| Headquarters | New Ollerton, , |
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Number of locations
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6 villages |
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Area served
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United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland |
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Key people
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Martin Dalby (CEO) |
| Services |
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| Parent | Brookfield Properties |
Center Parcs UK and Ireland locations |
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Center Parcs UK and Ireland is a company that offers short family holidays. They have six holiday villages in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Each village is huge, covering about 400 acres (1.6 km²) of woodland.
The very first Center Parcs village in the UK opened in 1987 at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. The newest one, called Longford Forest, opened in Ireland in 2019.
There's another company called Center Parcs that runs similar holiday villages in Europe. However, these two companies have been owned separately since 2001. Center Parcs UK celebrated its 30th birthday in 2017!
Contents
History of Center Parcs
Center Parcs started in 1968 when a Dutch businessman named Piet Derksen bought some woodland. He wanted a place for his sports store staff and customers to relax in tents. This idea became very popular, and soon the tents were replaced with comfy bungalows.
In July 1987, the first Center Parcs opened in the UK at Sherwood Forest. Back then, it was all one big company that owned villages in both the UK and Europe. In 1989, a second UK village opened at Elveden Forest. Later that year, a company called Scottish & Newcastle bought Center Parcs.
Becoming Separate Companies
In 2001, Scottish & Newcastle decided to focus on their main business. So, they sold the UK part of Center Parcs to a group called Deutsche Bank Capital Partners. This is when Center Parcs UK became its own separate company. The other Center Parcs villages in Europe became known as Center Parcs Europe. Even though they have similar names and logos, they are now run by different companies.
Over the years, Center Parcs UK has been bought and sold by different investment groups. In 2015, a Canadian company called Brookfield Properties Corporation bought Center Parcs UK for a lot of money. At that time, Center Parcs UK had about 7,500 employees and welcomed around 2 million guests each year!
Center Parcs Locations
Center Parcs has five holiday villages in the UK and one in Ireland. Each village is about 400 acres (1.6 km²) of woodland and has lots of fun facilities. Almost all the lodges are full every year!
A cool rule at Center Parcs is that you can't drive your personal car around the village. You can only use it when you arrive and when you leave. This makes the villages safer and more peaceful.
| Country | Resort | Nearest city or town | County | Year opened | Notes |
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 United Kingdom |
Center Parcs Sherwood Forest | Mansfield and Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 1987 | This was the first Center Parcs outside of Europe. |
| Center Parcs Elveden Forest | Elveden, Thetford and Brandon | Suffolk | 1989 | It closed for a while in 2002-2003 after a big fire. | |
| Center Parcs Longleat Forest | Warminster | Wiltshire | 1994 | This is the only village with special tram trains to help you get around. | |
| Center Parcs Whinfell Forest | Penrith | Cumbria | 1997 (joined Center Parcs in 2001) | It used to be called Oasis Lakeland Holiday Village. | |
| Center Parcs Woburn Forest | Bedford and Luton | Bedfordshire | 2014 | This village was built to be near other big cities. | |
 Ireland |
Center Parcs Longford Forest | Ballymahon | County Longford | 2019 | This is the first Center Parcs village in Ireland. |
Sherwood Forest
The first UK Center Parcs opened in July 1987. It's in 400 acres (1.6 km²) of woodland near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire. This spot was chosen because it was central in the UK and had lots of mature trees.
By 2012, about 400,000 people visited Sherwood Forest each year. It can have around 4,000 guests at one time! For its first 30 years, it was almost always full.
The Aqua Sana spa got a big update in 2017. The amazing Subtropical Swimming Paradise also started a £15 million update in 2017. This village employs 1,500 people.
Sherwood Forest started with 609 lodges and now has 900. They have different types of lodges, from one to four bedrooms. In 2010, three luxury Treehouses opened, each with four bedrooms. A new six-bedroom lodge also opened in 2017.
Here are some of the cool activity areas:
- Village Square: This is the main hub!
- Subtropical Swimming Paradise: An indoor water park with wave pools, slides, and flumes. It opened in 1987 and has been updated many times.
- Other fun: Falconry, Leisure Bowl (bowling), Pottery Painting Studio.
- Shops: Parc Market (supermarket), Aquatique (swimwear), JustKids (toys), The Store Room (gifts), Treats (sweets).
- Food: Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Dexter's Kitchen, Dining In (takeaway), Huck's American Bar and Grill, Rajinda Pradesh, Starbucks, The Canopy Café.
- Jardin des Sports: This is for sports! It has a gym, courts for different games, and a bowling green. There's also a Sports Café and shops.
- The Country Club: Here you'll find Forrester's Inn and the Nature Centre.
- The Beach and The Boathouse: You can play adventure golf and visit The Pancake House. There's a sandy beach and you can rent boats for the lake.
- Aqua Sana Spa: A relaxing spa with 25 different experiences, like a Treetop Sauna 10 meters (33 ft) high!
- Action Challenge: Try Abseiling, climbing walls, and a high-rope course.
- Outdoor Activity Centre: Fun outdoor activities like quad biking, archery, and paintball.
- Cycle Centre: You can rent bicycles here, plus helmets and trailers. They have over 3,000 bikes!
There's a big lake near the Village Square where you can use boats rented from the Boathouse.
Elveden Forest
Two years later, in 1989, a second village opened at Elveden Forest. It's in Suffolk, England, near the town of Brandon.
On April 4, 2002, a huge fire destroyed the main Plaza and sports center at Elveden Forest. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. The fire also ruined restaurants, shops, and a bowling alley.
Elveden Forest reopened in July 2003 after a big redesign. They rebuilt the village square with an open-air, sunny theme. The swimming paradise survived the fire and reopened too. They also added a new Sports Plaza and updated the whole village.
Elveden Forest has 866 places to stay, from 'Woodland' lodges to fancy villas. It can host up to 4,216 guests.
Longleat Forest
The third village opened in 1994. It's in Wiltshire, England, very close to Longleat Safari Park. This village has fewer lodges than Sherwood and Elveden because the land is quite hilly.
Whinfell Forest
In 1997, another company opened a similar holiday village called Oasis Lakeland Holiday Village in Whinfell Forest near Penrith, Cumbria. Center Parcs UK bought it in 2001 and changed its name.
Whinfell Forest is a bit different. Its lodges are more like two-story Scandinavian-style homes, and the main village center is all indoors. It's the largest of the UK villages, with space for 4,668 people in 861 lodges.
Woburn Forest
Center Parcs Woburn Forest opened in July 2014. It's located near Flitwick and Ampthill in Bedfordshire.
The CEO, Martin Dalby, said that Woburn would be the last new village in the UK for a while. The project cost about £230 million to build.
Even though the land was a "greenbelt" (protected land), Center Parcs got special permission to build there. The government decided that the jobs and other benefits of the project were important enough.
The Woburn Forest site is a bit smaller than the others, at 375 acres (1.5 km²). It includes:
- 625 lodges
- A 75-room hotel
- A big 17,000 m² (180,000 sq ft) lake
- The Aqua Sana spa
- Two main centers with restaurants, shops, and the subtropical swimming area
- A large car park
Longford Forest
In 2015, Center Parcs UK announced they would build a new village in County Longford, Ireland. This village, named Longford Forest, opened in July 2019.
Village Facilities
Accommodation
Each Center Parcs village has different types of lodges. They range from one to four bedrooms and can sleep up to 8 people. Sherwood Forest even has new 6-bedroom lodges for 12 people! Some bigger lodges have their own games room and hot tub. The lodges are usually grouped together, giving you privacy while still being close to everything.
All the beds in the lodges were replaced in 2008. Since 2011, Center Parcs has been updating all its lodges with new furniture and brighter interiors.
Amenities
Guests can book and enjoy many different activities at the villages.
- Arrivals lodge: This is where you check in when you arrive.
- Security lodge: There's security staff 24/7 to help with traffic and make sure everyone is safe.
- Subtropical Swimming Paradise: This is the main swimming complex! It has a wave pool, slides, an outdoor slide called the Wild Water Rapids, outdoor pools, a 'lazy river', and places to eat.
- Village Square/Plaza: This is the main area with restaurants, shops, and the medical center.
- Sports Plaza/Jardin Des Sports: Here you'll find most of the indoor sports facilities like squash courts, badminton courts, pool tables, a gym, and a climbing wall. There's also a restaurant and sports shops.
- Boathouse: This is for all the fun water activities on the lake, like canoeing, fishing, and pedalos.
- Aqua Sana: The village spa has different themed rooms and hot tubs for relaxing.
- Activity Den: This is the village crèche for younger kids.
- Leisure Bowl and House of Games: A ten-pin bowling alley and arcade games.
- Country Club: Some villages have this with extra restaurants and leisure facilities.
- Shops/Retail: You'll find a supermarket called "ParcMarket," toy shops like "Just Kids," gift shops, sweet shops, and swimwear shops. Starbucks cafés were added to all villages in 2008.
Food and Drink
Center Parcs has many places to eat and drink. Some are well-known chains, and others are their own special restaurants.
External Chains
- Café Rouge: French food, found at all Center Parcs UK villages.
- Bella Italia: Italian food, available at most villages.
- Las Iguanas: Brazilian, Mexican, and Latin American food and cocktails. Found at Woburn Forest and Longleat Forest.
- Strada: Italian restaurant, available at Woburn Forest.
- Starbucks: Hot and cold drinks and snacks, at all villages.
- Leon: Fast food with a Mediterranean style, at Woburn Forest.
Internal Brands
- Huck's American Bar and Grill: American and Mexican meals, at all villages.
- Rajinda Pradesh: Modern Eastern-inspired food, at all villages.
- Sports Café: Meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, showing live sports. At all villages.
- The Pancake House: Pancakes, Belgian-style waffles, and omelettes. At all villages.
- Foresters' Inn: A pub-style restaurant, at some villages.
- The Lakeside Inn: A modern pub with local food, only at Whinfell Forest.
- Dining In: Takeaway food delivered to your lodge. At all villages.
- Dexters Kitchen: Burgers, salads, coffee, and ice creams. At some villages.
- Canopy Café: Inside the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. At some villages.
- Leisure Bowl: A bar next to the bowling alley. At all villages.
- Monty's: A poolside restaurant with snacks and treats, only at Woburn Forest.
- Vitalé Café Bar: Inside the Aqua Sana Spa, with drinks and healthy meals. At all villages.
- ParcMarket: A small supermarket with a bakery. At all villages.
- The Coffee House: Coffee and light meals, only at Longford Forest.
- Cara's Kitchen and Bar: An all-day family restaurant, only at Longford Forest.
Awards
Center Parcs has won many awards! Here are a few:
- Good Spa Guide Awards - Best Destination Spa. November 2019
- Better Society Awards - Best Scheme to Encourage Staff Fundraising. May 2019
- Menu Innovation and Development Awards (MIDAS) - Best Menu in Leisure & Travel. March 2019
- Good Spa Guide Awards - Best Spa in the East Midlands and East. November 2018
- Tommy's Awards - Best Family Friendly UK Holiday Provider. April 2018
- Good Spa Guide Awards - Best for Design. November 2017
- MadeForMums Awards 2017 - Gold Award for Family Holiday. April 2017
- Tommy's Awards - Best Family Friendly UK Holiday Provider. April 2017
- Tommy's Awards - Best UK holiday provider. March 2016
- Professional Beauty Awards - Residential Spa of the Year: 11 Rooms or More. March 2016
