> News: PGL Centre Developments - What's New?

PGL Centre Developments - What's New?

We are always listening to what our customers tell us and using feedback to help us identify where and how we can improve PGL centres.

We asked PGL Operations Director, Richard Sanders to explain what's happening this year.

There are exciting developments at Little Canada and Osmington Bay at the moment, what's happening behind the hoardings?

"Exciting projects are underway at both centres to provide new and improved facilities to ensure we can accommodate more guests on their preferred dates.

Over the last five years at Osmington Bay we've upgraded all the existing rooms and we are now delighted to be building brand new accommodation too.

All the new rooms will be en suite for 4-6 guests, with plenty of storage. There will also be lounges on each floor for teachers and adults which should make supervision even easier and as with the existing rooms, plenty of these new rooms will be in an incredible position with fantastic sea views!

Further along the coast, at Little Canada on the isle of Wight, more improvement is afoot. We are completely re-building all the Saskatchewan ('Sask') cabins to provide four-bedded rooms with en suite shower rooms and purpose-built storage. There will also be a couple of two-bedded rooms with accessible showers. The refurbishment of the St Lawrence cabins is now complete and work has started on the transformation of many of the teacher cabins across the centre.

Both Osmington Bay and Little Canada also have some new classroom spaces which will be great for study and revision courses."

What about all PGL's other sites - are there plans for refurbishment there too?

"Yes! We continually refurbish, repair and redecorate in order to ensure guests enjoy a high standard of accommodation when staying at our centres. This can mean anything from new furniture and a coat of paint to new carpet and upgraded bathrooms. After a busy day's activities, we want our guests to enjoy a good night's sleep, so this winter we will replace more than 2000 pillows, duvets and sheets!

Our centre are all set in stunning natural environments and it's important to us that we do our bit to keep them this way. That's why we continue to invest in energy-saving measures such as better insulation, more efficient boilers and new windows. Then there's the investment we make in things that guests don't usually see, like catering equipment to keep our kitchens running smoothly and producing the many thousands of meals needed each day to keep our guests well fed."

What about activities?

"Activities are at the very heart of what we do. Each year we review which ones our guests have told us they enjoy the most and then we build more of them, so that more guests can benefit.

At Little Canada we're building two new zip wires, a giant swing, an extra climbing wall and digging two new tunnel trails, we're also adding even more rooms to the matrix and another aeroball.

At Osmington Bay we're building new ropes courses, a new double climbing wall, digging another tunnel trail and hoisting up a staggering total of six new zip wires and three giant swings!

In terms of our other centres, we have already dug and opened another watersports lake at Liddington and will also be adding an extra giant swing at Caythorpe Court.

Then there's the equipment. In the last year we have purchased 29.5 miles of rope, more than 400 buoyancy aids and 500 kayak and canoe paddles. Our guests have taken aim at over 1000 archery and 126,000 rifle targets as well as clipping holes in more than 40,000 orienteering cards!"

What practicalities do you have to take into account when undertaking a big development at a PGL centre?

"In order to make the new facilities available to our guests as quickly as possible we have decided to carry out some of the development work at Little Canada and Osmington Bay while the centres are open. However, the safety and wellbeing of all our guests and staff is paramount and any work has to be carried out with this in mind.

Over the years we have developed relationships with some very experienced contractors who understand where our priorities lie and who are expert at minimising disruption and getting the job done efficiently and well. Scheduling deliveries of materials carefully, ensuring that the builders don't start work too early in the morning and keeping noise to a minimum means that often guests are not even aware that there is work going on."

When will guests be able to enjoy the results of all this hard work?

"We plan to have the new accommodation at Little Canada and Osmington Bay open in May 2017 for guests to enjoy, as well as the new activity bases and other facilities.

We always welcome feedback from guests on how we can improve further, and will continue to invest in areas that our customers value."

By Richard Sanders, PGL Operations Director.