Park Holidays UK has invited more than 600 Thomas Cook staff and their families to enjoy a weekend by the seaside so that they can say “a proper goodbye”.
The holiday park group will pick up the tab for their accommodation in fully-equipped holiday homes for up to three nights, and will lay on free entertainment. Scene of the huge reunion party will be Broadland Sands Holiday Park near Lowestoft which the group is opening up especially for the event on 8-11 November.
Park Holidays UK marketing director Geoff Barnes said it would be a chance for staff to swap memories and let their hair down
after Thomas Cook suddenly went into liquidation in September:
“The immediacy of the announcement meant that there was little time for many staff at Thomas Cooks’ Peterborough headquarters to say a final farewell,” said Geoff.
“As members of the holiday industry ourselves, we were also deeply saddened by the news and wanted to reach out to try and soften the blow in some way.
“We thought the best way to help would be to open one of our most popular parks, Broadland Sands, for a long weekend and to offer free stays to staff and their partners and children.
“Within one day of making the opportunity known to Thomas Cook staff, we were delighted to have taken bookings for all of the park’s 150-plus holiday homes.
“It means that we’ll be welcoming over 600 guests in total for between two and three nights, and we hope it will create a truly memorable experience for everyone.
“I’m sure there will be some nostalgic moments, but overall we simply want all the Thomas Cook team, and especially the children, to share a very happy time,” added Geoff.
As well as the free accommodation, guests will have use of all of Broadland Sand’s leisure facilities, including a recently opened £1.6 million swimming pool complex. Charges will also be waived on some other activities usually paid for by holiday guests, such as the climbing wall, adventure golf course and Segway Scooters. In addition, Park Holidays UK will be laying on a full no-cost entertainments programme in the park’s clubhouse featuring professional family-friendly acts.
Broadland Sands will be offering a subsidised food and snack menu to Thomas Cook guests throughout the weekend, and a range of drinks will also be discounted. It’s hoped that other businesses will also rally to support the weekend with donations of competition prizes or by providing free activities or pampering sessions such as nail treatments or massages.
Any local firms interested in contributing prizes or services to the event are invited to contact Geoff Barnes at Park Holidays UK on gbarnes@parkholidays.com
Established almost 30 years ago, Park Holidays UK is one of Britain’s largest and fastest-growing holiday park groups with 31 holiday centres across Southern England.
