Gossip Corner
How it all started...to present times!
Kathryn's Blog, Spa Dates 1999 to 2013
In 1999 Kathryn Colligon took the opportunity to boldly go where no self-respecting City businesswoman should have gone, when she decided to leave a highly successful career in recruitment to join forces with her husband and develop a fledgling activity holiday and leisure break company. Working from home out of the spare bedroom, with one young daughter and another on the way it was a highly risky decision. The blog below (starting at the bottom) highlights some of the memorable events over the past fourteen years...
2013
- Watch This Space!
2013 is going to be a fantastic year with many interesting and exciting developments coming soon!
- Spabreak Direct Undress For Comic Relief - 15/03/13
For Red Nose Day we all dressed in Onesies and Pyjamas to raise money for Comic Relief.
This is what we looked like, so have a laugh at our expense and make it all worthwhile!
2012
- World's Biggest Coffee Morning
We took part and had our own coffee morning in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. A huge thank you must go to Emily’s Granny and Dawn's Mum for the lovely homemade cakes and to the rest of you lovely people for your donations.
Apparently some of you ate far too much cake and so now need to go on a spa break to help lose those extra pounds! Anyone know anywhere good?
Class of 2012
- Spabreak Direct Class of 2012!
Due to popular demand, here is the first ever published image of Spabreak Direct's class of 2012. (click the image to zoom, if you dare!)
Back row (left to right)
Dawn, Sandee, Andy, Kathryn, Ian, Jayne, Laura, Vicki
Front row (left to right)
Cassandra, Sky, Emily, Georgina, Alex, Natasha, Amanda, Melissa
Apologies for absence
Claire, Katie
- Spabreak Direct Launch “for Android” App!
Spabreak Direct increase mobile presence with a “for Android” App!
We now have a Spabreak Direct for Android App to accompany our existing iPhone App, so you can keep up to date with the special offers in your area and the latest spa news from your phone wherever you are.
Best of all it's still FREE!
Use the button below to download it from the Android Market.
- The Olympic Games
One word of warning, due to the Olympics this year, some spa hotels in the south of England are not offering spa breaks for the duration of the games. This is the 27th July to the 12th August inclusive, when you will only be able to stay on a BB or DBB basis, probably at highly inflated prices!
This might change nearer the time if they have not managed to fill their bedrooms, watch this space as we will let you know if this happens.
OK here we go, another year is upon us and I wonder what it has in store!
2011
- Spabreak Direct Support Children in Need
Spabreak Direct supported this year's Children in Need appeal by giving £1 from every booking made between Monday 14th and Friday 18th November 2011.
- Spabreak Direct Sponsor Local Charity Pram Race
The Oxted Pram Race has been run since 1977. The ultimate objective of the Pram Race is to raise money for local causes, but having fun in the process. Spabreak Direct have for the fifth year in succession, arranged for a fantastic band to play live in Old Oxted High Street which really adds to the atmosphere of this great local street party.
- Best Spa Booking Agent 2011
Nominated as Best Spa Booking Agent by the The SPA Traveller Awards 2011.
- Spabreak Direct Goes Mobile!
Spabreak Direct breaks the mould again!
We now have a Spabreak Direct iphone App so you can keep up to date with the special offers in your area and the latest spa news from your phone wherever you are.
Best of all it's FREE!
Use the button below to download it from the iTunes App Store.
Spabreak Direct's MD, Kathryn Colligon, has acted as a panellist for The Independent's recent article entitled "The 50 best spas". So if Fleet Street comes to us when they want to find the best places to chill out in 2011, you are obviously in the right place!
2010
New Spa Venues
We are continually adding new venues to our portfolio to give our visitors the best possible choice of spa breaks across the UK. The following spa hotels have all joined Spabreak Direct in 2010 and offer great value residential spa breaks and spa days.
Use the button below to see details of the spa breaks at these new spa hotels
Spabreak Direct Sponsor Charity Bike Ride
- Spabreak Direct have sponsored Phil Swanston's efforts to cycle 5000 miles around the mainland coastline of Britain in aid of the Alzheimer's Society. Kathryn and Ian Colligon, the principals in Spabreak say, "The whole workforce at Spabreak Direct wish Phil every success in his efforts, we know he can do it!"
- The Barceló Torquay Imperial kindly offered Phil well needed accommodation on the West Country leg of his unsupported cycle ride around the coastline of Britain. Phil will be stayed at the hotel on Wednesday 9th June 2010, so many thanks to all at the hotel who gave him bed and board and helped him on his way!
- The Park Royal in Cheshire kindly provided Phil Swanston with well needed dinner, bed and breakfast on the North West leg of his unsupported cycle ride around the coastline of Britain. Phil stayed at the hotel on Monday 19th July 2010 and was looked after royally as you would expect! Many thanks to Jacquie Hanson and all at the hotel who gave Phil such a warm reception and saw him on his way suitably rested and refreshed.
- Phil is doing this epic bike ride in aid of Alzheimers and unfortunately his mother died of the disease whilst Phil was part way through his journey. Phil marked the spot he had reached and went home for the funeral, but has now returned to the exact location and has continued on his amazing journey.
- Our new website BookaSpaNow.com has just been launched! Initially this will give our customers the opportunity to book spa breaks and day spa packages online at their own convenience. This site will develop to provide further services to enhance our customers spa booking experience. Keep an eye on its progress below;
- What a start to the new decade! The snow made it difficult for all our staff to get in to work, but enough of us managed it to keep the office open. One even walked 4 miles through the snow, what dedication to the cause! It seems that many of our customers who couldn't get to work and had to stay at home didn't waste their time and instead spent it online looking for spa breaks as we have had our busiest start to the year ever! Thank you and we are doing our best to answer all your enquiries as quickly as possible.
- Christmas was fantastic and thanks to all of you who bought Spabreak Direct gift vouchers for your friends and family. Spabreak Direct gift vouchers also make great presents for Valentine's & Mother's Day.
- I don't know what it is about the festive period, but it seems that a lot of you get engaged at this time judging by the number of hen parties we are currently arranging for you. The summer seems like a long way off at the moment, but our venues are rapidly filling up for weekend dates in June, July and August, so if you are planning a hen do, please contact us quickly to make sure you get the perfect spa break for your group. Lots of venues are doing great deals for hen weekends this year, so book early to avoid disappointment.
2009
- We have had an incredibly busy year and so firstly a big thank you to all our customers. This has meant that we have been able to take on more staff which in turn has led to us moving to larger premises. We have left our old converted mill and settled in to the Cart Shed a converted barn on the Squerryes Estate near Westerham in Kent. We have taken our phone number with us so it is still 01883 724843.
- On Saturday the 21st November the team embarked on another familiarisation trip, this time to the Welcombe Spa, near Stratford in Warwickshire. The Welcombe Spa offers a combination of old and new styles...
- On Saturday 24th October we were invited to Ardencote Manor in Warwickshire on a familiarisation trip to experience first hand the facilities, ambience and of course the treatments...
- We have dived headlong into the social networking phenomena and can now be found on Facebook and Twitter, why not join our social network or follow our tweets!
- Kathryn visited a superb Italian hotel and spa, L'Albergo della Regina Isabella on the island of Ischia, the largest of Parthenopean islands in the Gulf of Naples. European spa breaks look to be on the way soon!
- Booked FC Barcelona into Danesfield House Hotel & Spa and Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre for their pre-season training camp.
- Very busy year so far, spa breaks are definitely the way to de-stress in these difficult times, many spa hotels are offering fantastic credit crunch beating deals. Check out the special offers on the homepage.
2008
- December 2008 rebranded to Spabreak Direct and launched new website still using the original web address www.spabreak.co.uk
2007
- Had trademark and legal issues with a new company who began trading with an almost identical name.
2006
- Booked business to the value of over £3m
- Working with Condé Nast (Vogue – Russia) to feature Grayshott Spa (Spabreak UK was featured in their January 06 edition)
- Provided interviews and promoted Spabreak UK through various women’s magazines through our PR company
2005
- Tesco Instore Promotion for Alpro Soya health drinks and products – provided prizes and vouchers
- Worked with The Daily Telegraph on their “Spa Day Readership Offer” scheme
- Doubled our turnover from previous year’s figures
- Worked on a number of Shell Helix projects, providing prizes for a number of both company and customer schemes
2004
- Kathryn Colligon offered fellowship of RSA (Royal Society of Arts and Commerce)
- Supermarket instore promotions working with Lever Bros (Unilever)
- Converted an old mill building into an office and finally moved out of the spare room!
2003
- Spabreak UK began promoting selected spa hotels in the UK
- Kathryn Colligon on BBC Southern Live Radio Show as resident spa expert, dealing with calls and speaking generally of the benefits associated with spa breaks
2002
- Worked with US TV production company “Awesome Adventures”, sourced their content and arranged visits to UK
- Featured in “Men’s Health” Magazine and took team of journalists bob-sleighing!
- Worked with the Sunday Times providing a huge amount of content for various articles
- Spabreak UK launched as stand alone website from Sportbreak and became official commercial agents for health farms and spas in UK
2001
- Worked for over 2 years with Charley Ottley, a journalist for The Daily Express (Weekender Column) sending him on various sporting and activity weekends across the UK.
2000
- Ian Colligon (Director, Sportbreak Ltd) invited to be resident Sports/Leisure Expert on Talk Sport Live Radio with Derek Hatton appearing weekly for 6 weeks
1999
- Sportbreak Ltd website www.sportbreak.co.uk awarded Number 1 Sports & Leisure Website Award in Internet Monthly Magazine
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