A big welcome to our new managers at York House Holiday Park, Tom Sowden and Becky Pepper.
Tom and Becky have a wealth of experience both in the holiday park industry and outside it. They join us from Northumberland, where they managed two holiday parks within a nationwide group, having previously run a park in Cumbria for the same organisation. Tom also worked as the area maintenance manager for all 12 of the group’s parks. He literally covered the length and breadth of the country, pretty much from Land’s End to John O’Groats!
Tom and Becky’s first taste of managing a holiday park was in Bedale, not far from Thirsk and York House. Before entering the industry, Tom had various roles in construction, garden maintenance and landscaping. Becky worked for councils and housing associations supporting people who were homeless.
Getting stuck in
In their new management role with us, Tom and Becky bring a range of skills and knowledge. Tom has practical energy and know-how, with a forte in park development, planning and day-to-day on-site operations. Becky, meanwhile, will be focusing on front of house, office management and sales. She’s not averse to getting her hands dirty, though, and enjoys getting outside, so she’ll be helping Tom with planting and painting around the parks too!
Tom and Becky joined us at the beginning of August and have been getting stuck in to all aspects of life and work on our holiday parks. Overseeing not just York House but also neighbouring Abbots Green luxury lodges and Monk Park Holiday Park, they have lots to learn and will be supported for a good few months by the outgoing manager John Reay.
So we’re not quite saying goodbye yet to John, who has been with us for an amazing 12 seasons. John has been a hugely valued member of York House Leisure and has made many friends along the way.
We are extremely grateful to John for his hard work and dedication, sometimes in extremely challenging circumstances. We are delighted that he will remain with us until at least the end of the year in order to carry out a full handover and smooth transition to Tom and Becky.
A fantastic opportunity
Becky said: “It’s so far, so good! It’s been great to have John around to support us – he’s been a godsend.
“Everyone has been really friendly, and we’ve been walking around the parks a lot, meeting the owners. We are looking forward getting to know them all over the coming weeks and at our Meet the Managers coffee morning on Sunday, August 18th.”
Becky said she and Tom had been looking for a holiday park role where they could stay for a long time, and they felt lucky to have found such a fantastic opportunity at York House.
She said: “The park itself is stunning and in a beautiful area. You’ve constantly got a smile on your face; it’s such a privilege to be here. Just the fact that John has been here as manager for over a decade speaks volumes.
“We had three weeks in the area before starting our role at York House, and spent a lot of time exploring Thirsk, Sutton Bank and North Yorkshire with our two dogs. It really helped us settle in but it’s also important for us to have that local knowledge so we can help people staying at our parks to get the most out of their holiday.”