Blue Anchor Leisure celebrates 50 years of ‘making memories’

The Blue Anchor Leisure brand is marking the milestone with a series of 50 events for its loyal customers and staff at the 16 parks it runs along the coast – one for every year of its existence.

Joyce Priestley, 81, was one of the first owners of a caravan on Towervans Holiday Park in Mablethorpe – the original site opened by company founder John Woodward OBE after buying the land from Billy Butlin.

Over the years she and her 80-year-old husband, Alan, have owned a total of four vans on the park and remember their first one as being something ‘really special’.

They bought it when their youngest son was two and oldest seven for £950, when ground rent was £48.62 a year. The average caravan at that time was 22ft but they purchased a 28ft and they had to pay £1 per extra foot they had.

"It was one of 50 built for the Continent when Blue Anchor International had its own factory,” recalled Joyce from Doncaster. “It was a beautiful – tortoiseshell inside. There was no electricity and we had to go to taps on site to fetch our water, but we thought we were really posh because we had a foot pump.

"We’ve always upgraded and now have a three-bed that is luxury in comparison.

"Our children grew up here in the summer – I worked at a school and so we came down for the whole of the holidays and my husband, who was a train driver, joined us at weekends.

"We keep asking our children if we should give it up but they come and bring their kids and say it keeps us young.

"We love it and because everyone owns their vans here you get to know people and it’s a real community. We love holding events and everyone getting together.”

The multi-million pound company has continued to evolve since John Woodward first bought that seven-acre piece of land for £7,000.

With innovative holiday home design, the Blue Anchor name became renowned on holiday parks throughout Europe and in 1974 and 1975 the company won the Queen’s Award for Export.

In the 1990s Blue Anchor Leisure began a programme of Investment on the Lincolnshire coast, completely restructuring the famous Eastgate Holiday Centre into Fantasy Island, the UK’s first Indoor Theme Park Resort incorporating Europe’s largest open air, seven-day Market. Raffles Nightclub also hit the headlines as the first in the UK to have a laser show.

Further investment in 2000 saw the purchase of the then Robin Hood Leisure Park in Chapel St Leonards, which has now been rebranded as the Golden Palm Resort which incorporates its own leisure facilities, dining experience and is home to The Club Tropicana, seating up to 2000 guests.

Sadly, Mr Woodward passed away suddenly in 2010 but his legacy lives on in many who worked alongside him and those who are taking the company forward. Former contracts manager Ray Chapman MBE, who was in charge of the construction of the Fantasy Island pyramid, says he owes his retirement in Spain to the opportunities Mr Woodward gave him.

"He was quite a character who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to fight for it,” he said. “I went in as a subcontractor doing brickwork to oversee the building of the pyramid and was asked to stay on for six months after it opened in case there were any issues with it.

"Then one day John came up to me and asked, ‘do you have a suit? I want you to start on Monday as general manager’.

"That was the kind of man he was – when he wanted something to happen it was ‘bang’ and it did.

"But if it hadn’t been for him I might still be a brickie and not enjoying my retirement in Spain.”

Mr Woodward sold Fantasy Island resort in 2006 and bought 1,000 acres of land in South Yorkshire as he moved the company in a new direction.

Following his death at the age of 67, the company remained in the family with his wife, Sally-Ann Woodward, and brother-in-law, Jonathon Moses, appointed directors.

Mr Moses says he likes to think the firm still has family values and puts the company’s success down to knowing when it’s time to act and when to move on.

"John was a true entrepreneur and I think knowing when to move on is what makes them successful,” he said. "Ingoldmells would not exist as a tourist destination and be the vibrant and busy place it is without John. "But even though the company is moving in a different direction and focusing on its caravan parks and property and land development it employs 300 people and over the years has paid a lot of mortgages and put meals on a lot of people’s tables.

"It also continues to raise thousands annually for the company’s chosen charity – something John started and which a lot of people don’t realise because he didn’t shout about his charity work. I’m just a caretaker and part of the company’s journey and think that’s great. That is what this year is about – a celebration of the journey and sharing the success with our staff and customers. The focus now is to modernise the company ready for the next generation.”