2021: A Year in Review at Newlands

The turn of the year gives us an opportunity to reflect on events of the months gone by and also look to the future. 2021 was definitely another interesting year with changing restrictions for everyone to navigate, but a very positive one for Newlands Holiday Park.

During the year we introduced some significant upgrades to the park. These included the launch of our brand new outside patio area and the completion of our indoor swimming pool and leisure centre. We also welcomed a very special guest to the park. Read on to find out who enjoyed a stay with us in 2021...

January to March 2021

With the country in its third national lockdown in the first part of the year until March, it certainly wasn't the easiest start to the year for everyone. We kept optimistic at Newlands and used some of the time to continue with or park maintenance. We improved our yellow and blue field electricity connections and carried out building work.

Sustainability is something we're very committed to at our Dorset holiday park. During the first few months of the year we planted new trees, developed our rainwater collection system and improved our recycling processes at the park.

Thankfully by March 2021 the roadmap out of lockdown had begun and we counted down the days until it was safe to reopen holiday parks and campsites on April 12th. We couldn't wait to welcome guests back to Newlands for a bumper season of staycations.

Tow Bar & Restaurant patio

The timing of the launch of our new outside dining space couldn't have been better. Providing an open-air area for guests to feel safe during mealtimes, as well as a perfect space to enjoy the sunny summer afternoons and dreamy sunsets with a drink or two. Part of the roadmap to reopening meant that we weren't able to open our indoor restaurant until May, so the ability to dine al fresco was crucial for us until then.

The Tow Bar & Restaurant was equipped with a marque for days when the weather wasn't so kind, plus options for takeaway ordering. The area came to life over the May Bank Holiday with a variety of gins, beers and ciders flowing, and our tasty dishes were all well received by locals and on-site guests.

Indoor swimming pool and leisure centre

During Winter 2019 we started work on our indoor swimming pool and leisure centre. Some guests were lucky enough to be able to see and make use of the new design and features at the beginning of the year before the first lockdown.

Work continued on the rest of the changing rooms and leisure centre and we were very excited to unveil the completed facilities in July 2021 for all to see the hard work we have put in.

The leisure centre launch was an exceptionally proud moment for all at Newlands. To see so many guests throughout the year enjoying the facilities and remarking how impressed they are was very rewarding. Thank you everyone for the feedback so far!

Fun for all the family

Our priority throughout the year was the safety of our guests and staff. Despite the various guidelines and precautions in place we still managed to make sure our family activities continued. Our fun quiz and bingo went down a storm as usual as did our annual Easter and Halloween activities. Social distancing was always in mind and ensured the safety for all involved.

A very special park guest

None other than TV celebrity Bear Grylls enjoyed a stay at Newlands in April 2021. Bear was filming in the local area and we had the unexpected pleasure of welcoming him to the park. A true gentleman, Bear took time to speak to members of the team who all found him very friendly. He commentated "What a lovely spot you have here" about the views from the park and that he "slept really well".

Plans for the future

It gives us great pleasure to say that Newlands Holidays has been our family business for the last 24 years. We have just replaced the very last of the previous owners holiday units - so we can now claim that everything on the site has been put there by us.

We don't like to stand still however and have more improvements in development for our outdoor swimming pool which we plan to launch this year. We look forward to another great year of holidays at Newlands in 2022 and hope to see you sometime soon!