Thorness Bay Holiday Park is celebrating the hard work and service of Maintenance Manager, Gordon Hayles, who is retiring after 42 years at the holiday park near Cowes.
69-year-old Gordon started his career at Thorness Bay with a summer job as a grass cutter and has been working at the park ever since. He became the park’s Maintenance Manager and as a qualified gas engineer, oversees the planning and delivering of maintenance and repair jobs, managing budgets, and communicating with guests and owners to resolve queries.
Gordon plans to enjoy his retirement playing golf at Newport Golf Club, spending more time with his five grandchildren, and walking with his labrador and two spaniels named Aggy, Bella and Woody. Gordon will leave Thorness Bay, owned by Parkdean Resorts, at the end of the month with years of experience, lifelong friends, and endless fond memories.
When asked about his 42 years of service, Gordon said: “It’s been an incredible 42 years at Thorness Bay. So much has changed over the years, particularly the accommodation which has been upscaled and expanded – back in the day, I remember converting wardrobes in 24-by-10 metre caravans into shower cubicles!
“Every day is different, but it’s wonderful to always see guests have great holidays in such a beautiful environment surrounded by stunning views and wildlife. Parkdean Resorts is a fantastic place to work and meet people, and although I’ll miss my colleagues, I know I’ve made lifelong friends.”
Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s leading holiday park operator with four parks on the Isle of Wight – Thorness Bay, Landguard, Lower Hyde and Nodes Point. The results of the company’s 2023 staff engagement survey, completed by more than 5,500 full-time employees, revealed favourable engagement standing at 81% - up 3 points on 2022’s results, and a massive 16 points higher than the industry average for the hospitality sector.
Across the company, 94% of all employees agreed with the statement, “I know what I need to do to be successful in my role”, 92% agreed that “My manager genuinely cares about my wellbeing”, and 91% of team members across the company agreed “I feel I am part of a team”.
