Published February 8th, 2016
A Cornish farmstay holiday business has capped a record year in 2015 by winning gold at the South West Tourism Awards.
The Hawkey family, owners of The Olde House in Chapel Amble, north Cornwall, have invested over £350,000 in improvements to their 30 cottages in the past two years.
Since then, occupancy at The Olde House has grown by over 40%, with turnover increasing by 19% in 2015. The average length of stay also increased, from 5.2 to 7.1 nights.
The Olde House is on the 550 acre Penpont Farm, which has been in the Hawkey family for four generations. Shaun Hawkey commented: “It’s been a busy 24 months at The Olde House, but it goes to show that listening to customers and working hard to deliver over and beyond what they expect of us produces great results.
“2016 looks set to be busier still, as we look to continually improve our offering. More work will be taking place to improve our cottages further, and in the autumn we will be entirely redeveloping our indoor swimming pool.”
Recent improvement work has included the renovation of barns to create two larger properties, each sleeping ten people, in response to increasing demand for multi-generational holidays.
The farm has also seen the construction of a bird hide overlooking the newly-created wetlands, and the purchase of a purpose-built trailer to take visitors on the popular farm tours to experience farming in the fields first-hand.
The Olde House has extended its commitment to renewable energy, investing in electric car charging points, a biomass boiler, and 250KW of solar photovoltaic panels, meeting the energy needs for the entire business.
Shaun Hawkey said: “We had an amazing year in 2015 with record bookings, a party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the farm, and picking up gold in the Cornwall Tourism Awards. Success in the South West Tourism Awards has got the year off to a fantastic start, and we’re looking forward to what 2016 will bring.”
Examples of cottages available in March:
Bryony (sleeps 2) – £410 for seven nights, from Saturday 12 March.
Primrose (sleeps 4) – £500 for seven nights, from Friday 11 March.
For more information visit www.theoldehouse.co.uk.
