insideKENT Magazine Issue 81 - December 2018 | Page 153

NEWS
STAYSURE PGA SENIORS
CHAMPIONSHIP TO RETURN TO
LONDON GOLF CLUB IN 2019
The Staysure Tour is delighted
to announce that the Staysure
PGA Seniors Championship
will return to London Golf
Club for the second
consecutive year from August
1-4, 2019.
The inaugural edition of the
Staysure PGA Seniors
Championship took place in
August 2018 with the support
of the Tour’s new umbrella
sponsor Staysure, the UK’s number one for travel insurance,
allowing the long-running event to return to the over-50’s circuit
for the first time since 2015.
CARE HOME ENTREPRENEUR
WINS TOP AWARD
Local care home owner, Adam Hutchison,
managing director of the New Romney-based
Belmont Healthcare Group, was bestowed
with the Outstanding Contribution to
Care award at the Great South East British Care
Awards.
Adam entered the sector in 2011 taking over two care homes in Kent
which quickly expanded to four, and more recently the purchase of
Edendale Lodge, formerly Green Hill Care Home, in Crowhurst, East
Sussex and Haslington Lodge in Dartford, Kent.
Commenting on the recent award, Adam said: “Entering the private
social care sector is the best thing I ever did. I do have to pass on thanks
to my amazing team and family who all believe caring has to come
from the heart whilst proactively raising standards and making positive
changes. It has become my mission to create a thriving care business
where warm home-from-home principles are at the core of all we do.”
London Golf Club, the first European Tour Destination and part
of European Tour Properties’ international network, hosted the
tournament for the first time in 2018 and it proved to be a great
success, with a strong field teeing it up for one of the few four
round events of the year, including former Ryder Cup Captains
Colin Montgomerie and Paul McGinley. The Great South East Care Awards are part of the Great British Care
Awards, a series of nine regional awards celebrating excellence across
the care sector. The purpose of the awards is to promote best practice
within both home care and care homes sectors, and pay tribute to those
individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within
their field of work.
England’s Philip Golding claimed his fifth Staysure Tour title with
victory at London Golf Club, ultimately overcoming Magnus P
Atlevi with a dramatic two shot victory. The event was played in
the popular Alliance format over the first 36 holes, where amateur
players tee it up alongside the professionals in tournament play. Winners of the Great South East Care Awards will go through to the
national final at Birmingham’s ICC on the 8th March 2019.
SOUTHEASTERN SETS TARGET TO RECRUIT
MORE FEMALE TRAIN DRIVERS
Southeastern has launched an
initiative to encourage more
women to opt for a career in
rail, an industry which can
offer an exciting, fulfilling
range of skills and
opportunities.
In order to boost the number
of women in front-line roles,
the company has set a target
of raising the number of female applicants for train driver roles to
40% by 2021.
At present, only 4.5% of Southeastern’s drivers are female – a figure
in line with national statistics. Southeastern is determined to break
the perception of driving trains as a male-dominated occupation.
Across the entire rail industry, just 16% of employees are female.
Uniquely on the national rail network, Southeastern has gender
balance on its eight-strong executive committee, with an even
split of male and female executives.
Ellie Burrows, Southeastern’s train services director, said: “Driving
a train brings responsibility, pride and achievement. It’s high time
we broke the perception of the railways as a male-dominated
industry. There are thousands of talented women out there who
could have a rewarding career working in roles ranging from
engineering to driving, on-board supervising or sales.
Over the coming months, Southeastern will be running a series
of recruitment campaigns encouraging women and men from a
wide range of backgrounds to apply for roles as drivers.
BRANDSHATCH PLACE HOTEL & SPA UNVEILS
REFURBISHED EVENTS SPACE
Brandshatch Place Hotel & Spa
near Dartford in Kent, part of the
independently owned Hand
Picked Hotels group, has unveiled
its newly refurbished Terrace Suite
following a complete floor-to-
ceiling renovation.
The Terrace Suite, the 4-star
Georgian mansion’s principal
events space for meetings and conferences, has been completely
transformed as part of a wider ground-floor investment project, revealing
a light and contemporary palette on the walls along with new carpets,
new LED lighting, new furniture and renovated woodwork on the walls,
windows and doors. The pre-function space, ideal for registrations or
reception drinks, completes the Terrace Suite’s new offering as premium
multi-purpose events space in Kent for corporate meetings, conferences
and private events for up to 160 delegates.
Scott McDonald, general manager of Brandshatch Place commented:
“I am delighted with the investment in our Terrace Suite which has
absolutely transformed the room into a bright, light, welcoming space
for any type of corporate event from team building to conferences and
meetings. Its access straight onto the patio has always been a key part
of the Terrace Suite’s appeal for corporate delegations in need of some
breakout time in the fresh air, but opening up the suite with a dedicated
access from the hotel drive as well as providing all-new pre-function
space connected with the suite has opened us up to a new audience
for whom self-contained space and direct access for technical
equipment and supporting kit for their event, is critical.”
For residential conferences, Brandshatch Place offers 38 bedrooms
including feature rooms and suites, along with a 2 AA Rosette restaurant,
an award-winning health club and spa, complimentary onsite parking
and free hi-speed Wi-Fi.
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