Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2009 | Page 127

LOCAL BUSINESS

Whitecliff Bay
gets better
VISITORS to Whitecliff Bay
Holiday Park in Bembridge
are in for a treat this year.
New facilities, improved
accommodation and
traditional entertainment with
a 21st century twist will be
ready and waiting with the new
season.
“Whitecliff Bay has got a
unique feel which we wanted
to preserve for our loyal
customers,” said Greg Lashley,
Operations Director of
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park.
For years Whitecliff has been
privately owned, and Greg and
his partners at Away Resorts,
while anxious to keep the
special feel of the resort that
brings holiday makers back
year after year, have invested
almost £1million in updating
the place. Whether you stay in
a static caravan or chalet, or
pitch your own tent, caravan
or motorhome in the adjacent
site – which has brand new
shower facilities – you can
benefit from the indoor and
outdoor pools, an excellent
restaurant and bar, as well
as the 700 seat entertainment
venue, not to mention the very
special private beach.
The majority of holiday
makers come from the
Mainland of course, but, Greg

says, there are a number of
very special Islanders who
want the feeling of being away
without the hassle of travelling
– particularly if they have
children.
“Even the children’s mascot
has enjoyed a face lift!” says
Greg. We have employed a
puppet and costume specialist
from the United States to add
a little bit of magic to our
children’s entertainment and I
think I can confidently say the
outcome is simply stunning!”
Ever mindful of the Island’s
goal to be an Eco Island,
Whitecliff has introduced
Woodland Safaris, where
thanks to magnifying tubes,
the bugs kids find take on new
and delightful proportions.
They can do a bit of Eco
Gardening too. An update on
the traditional talent show,
‘Whitecliff Bay’s Got Talent’
is open to all, not just the
children.
But if you just want to relax,
go down to the resort’s private
beach where you’ll certainly
find Whitecliff Bay’s Got
Beauty.
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park,
Hillway Road, Bembridge
PO35 5PL. Tel: [phone].
www.whitecliff-bay.com

The Island's most loved magazine

life

When a house
becomes a home
YOU deserve to relax at the
end of a long working week.
You pack up, drive to the ferry
and arrive at your Island home
– where you’ve got to make the
beds, warm the place up and
scratch around for something
to eat. Then you find the bulb
has blown in the children’s
bedroom. Sometimes your
weekend retreat doesn’t feel so
luxurious.
‘Our house on the Island is a
place the whole family comes
to have fun. And cleaning
isn’t part of that!” says Kerry
Betsworth. She discovered Mrs
Brown’s housekeeping service,
run by Nicola Williams, and
hasn’t looked back. “She is
brilliant – she puts you at your
ease and is so flexible.”
Kerry’s house is used by
different members of the
family all week, but since she’s
been a client of Mrs Brown’s,
she no longer worries about
the detritus of the last visitors.
“I prepare the house in
whatever way the client
wishes,” says Nicola Williams.
“During the summer, when
they’re in the house, I will
do the cleaning and the
laundry, and whatever else
they need. While they’re away
I can arrange for plumbers,
electricians or decorators, so

the place is ready whenever
they turn up.”
It is, she says, a completely
customised service and
depends entirely on the
individual client’s needs. Some
will want a bit of food put in
the fridge and for others she
will have a hot meal prepared.
“One client brought some
special silver cleaner so the
teapots and candlesticks could
be gleaming.”
In preparing for a client’s
arrival, Nicola likes to use
Island produce, and producers
which have on-line ordering
services give clients the chance
to select Island delights. “I
have clients in Canada, and
email some local food ideas
over, which are there ready for
when they come.”
The sheer hard work involved
is belied by Nicola’s simple
objective: to make her client’s
homes look special whenever
they come over. “What she
does for us is make it a
holiday,