Padstow holiday park owner Patrick Langmaid has handed a £600k buying contract to a UK holiday caravan manufacturer – because it believes in paying its staff a living wage.
Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park will be taking delivery of 25 luxury holiday homes from the firm, ABI, which recently became an accredited member of the Living Wage Foundation charity.
The deal was finalised at the Royal Cornwall Show last week (June 6) when ABI’s chairman Mel Copper travelled down from the company’s HQ in Beverley, near Hull.
The celebrations at the Wadebridge show were two-fold, as the previous day in London, Langmaid was awarded a Living Wage Champions Award 2019 for his work to promote the principles of ethical employment and the Living Wage.
In January 2015, Mother Ivey’s became the first holiday park in Britain to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, and Langmaid has since campaigned for other businesses to join him.
ABI, which employs around 550 staff, is one of the latest firms to win accreditation from the charity – and Langmaid said that this was a major factor influencing his purchasing decision:
“We regularly update our holiday homes at Mother Ivey’s with the latest models so that guests can enjoy the very best standards of accommodation on offer,” he said.
“In Britain we have a world-class holiday caravan and lodge manufacturing industry, and there are a number of other excellent suppliers we could have opted for.
“However, ABI is the only firm accredited with Living Wage status in this sector and holds the same beliefs as us about the value of paying a real living wage.
“Like us, I’m sure they will find many long-term benefits in terms of retaining staff, building their enthusiasm and loyalty, and widening the number of satisfied customers as a result.
“We are not anticipating placing future orders with any company other than ABI.”
