TLH Leisure Resort, Torquay

We suddenly realised that half term was approaching rapidly and we hadn’t made any plans. Picture our dilemma - a lively 6 year-old and a typical teenager (13 going on 30 something!) - both off school for a week and about as much alike as chalk and cheese in what they do and don’t like doing. In the nick of time we went onto the TLH Leisure Resort website, saw their last minute special offers for the half term week and managed to get in to a couple of the last remaining rooms for this mid-week.  Our 6 year old is sharing with us and - oh joy - our 13 year old has brought a mate away with him and they’re sharing a separate twin room next door for only £25 each a night including dinner. Not only does it mean that his inborn untidiness won’t be constantly buggin me, but he can keep his smelly trainers to himself too.

We arrived a couple of hours ago and already Milly has made a new best-friend-for-life in the KidZone and they’re plotting what they want to wear for the fancy dress tonight. Tom and his mate Brett have gone down to Arena Games to play in the TeenZone pool tournament. And hubby and I are sat here in the Aztec Bistro with a well-deserved glass of wine and the daily papers.

For the rest of this week there’s a great variety of activities and entertainment here on the complex and the girl behind the bar has told us that the weather’s going to be good this week, so we’ll make the most of getting out and about around the area. Thankfully we all love tramping along the beach, although no doubt the lads will do so under a disguise of indifference. And if the weather’s not so good, then there’s always the indoor pools and Arena Games - which will keep them all amused for hours. And maybe I’ll just sneak off for a couple of hours and chill out with a massge in the Aztec Spa.

I really do recommend this place for families as it has absolutely everything to suit everyone, and you can make some great savings in the school holidays. Mind you - don’t leave it too late to book. We were lucky enough to get a cancellation this time, but we’re already going to put our names down for the February half term - on the 4 night mid-week break Milly’s not going to cost us a penny as kids under 10 are free when they share with Mum and Dad, and Tom can share a twin with his cousin as teenagers 11-15 are £25 a night in their own room.

 

Like many married couples, my husband and I were caught up in the round of endless shopping, cooking, cleaning and childcare, not to mention working! We were fast becoming ‘ships that pass in the night’ so decided it was high time we had a weekend break. I wanted some pampering and after some persuading, I convinced him that he would benefit from some too.

 

If you’re looking for a weekend getaway, I can thoroughly recommend TLH Leisure Resort’s Carlton Hotel and an All About You Spa Break. This 1 or 2 night break includes a special menu of spa treatments to help you relax, refresh and revive.

 

The 2 night All About You weekend break at the Carlton Hotel was fabulously indulgent. There is one package for ‘her’ and another for ‘him’ so you can both enjoy the wonderfully relaxing benefits at the same time. Luckily for us the Spa managed to book all our treatments together, although I gather this isn’t always the case, so best to book early.

 

I enjoyed a soothing Elemis Exotic Coconut & Milk Ritual Wrap which almost sent me off to sleep. My other half experienced his first ever facial, designed specifically for male skin. He claimed the Urban Cleanse Facial worked wonders and even I had to admit he was looking more like George Clooney at the end of it (or maybe that was just wishful thinking)! He went on to have a more traditional Swedish back, neck and shoulder massage whilst I had my neglected hand and nails well and truly restored with a Juicie Minicure. I was so impressed with the Elemis range in fact, that I bought several of the products to keep up the good work at home. We also relaxed on one of the therapeutic massage beds – absolute bliss!

 

Besides all the pampering, of course you get dinner, bed and breakfast included at the 3 star Carlton Hotel and with that comes use of the truly stunning leisure facilities, including the 25 metre indoor pool, sauna, steam and Jacuzzi plus lunch in the Aztec Bistro on the day of your treatments. We were so impressed and  made the most of all that was on offer- who knows when we’ll get chance to get away again! All this was excellent value at only £199.00 per person. I notice that the Carlton also offer a one night package from just £119.00 and day packages from £79 per person. What a great way to recharge your batteries!

 

I picked up details about the other Spa breaks that TLH offer as I can see this could be a regular thing. Next time maybe with some girlfriends. Gift vouchers are available and I’ve already added them to my Christmas list!

 

TLH Short Mat Festival 3 – 10^th October 2008

 

Once again we have welcomed more than 350 incredibly keen Short Mat bowlers to the TLH Bowling Arena for the Autumn Short Mat Festival.  This was a real celebratory event as this is the 10^th year of the festival and bowlers come from far and wide gathered to take part in Singles, Pairs Triples and Fours trophy and plate competitions – a real extravanganza!  After a welcome drink and a hearty dinner the ‘spoons’ competition and roll-ups started, ready for the main event in the morning - with several stalwarts even spending the weekend at TLH ‘practicing’ in the Weekend comp to give them an advantage (?!) in the Mid –week competitions.

 

We were particularly pleased to see Terry Batt and his crew finally arrive on Friday night as their car had blown up near Telegraph Hill on their way down from South Wales! The TLH minibus was duly despatched to collect them to make sure they wouldn’t lose valuable playing time, and then on Monday we dropped them off again ready for the AA to take them home – but only after they had collected medals and a their cash prize as Runners Up in the Pairs competition! Terry usually brings a much larger group with him but this year 10 of the regulars are playing in the Short Mat International Series in Northern Ireland in November so they couldn’t spare the time to come down to the English Riviera! We wish them luck and hope to see them in March.

 

So having generally agreed that a ‘Good time was had by all’ and judging by the number of re-bookings for next March as well as October, we can look forward to another great year in the world of Short Mat Bowls at TLH.  See you soon!

 

 

Over the week of 20^th to 25^th September the National Wheelchair Championships were taking place on the bowling arena of Stoke Mandeville Hospital. I was delighted to be invited by National Secretary Ian Blackmore and as there were a couple of lads from Devon playing in the Pairs and Singles (Howard Dare and Roger Wilton of Plymouth IBC) it would be an interesting trip.

 

Again, this event was well supported and with the camaraderie between the bowlers both on and off the green, it was a very pleasurable 3 days for me. Penny Tyler (GB Coach for the BWBA) organised the games and Peter Eykyn also a Coach, umpired the whole event. I again had the honour of marking the singles competitions and indeed was able to mark the final, which was a very close game.

The results: Winner: Kevin Woolmore (Frith BC – North Wales)

                     Runner up: Paul brown (Bristol City and County BC)

                      3^rd             Percy Powell (Who was 70 on Wednesday 24^th)

                     4^th              Brenda Penny (Frith BC)

 

But what I would like to tell you all is, that I wouldn’t have liked to play any of the bowlers whom I saw play during my stay at Stoke Mandeville. The quality of bowling was superb, the drawing ability a pleasure to watch.

 

TLH Leisure Resort holds a special weekend for disabled bowlers in April every year. This is a fun event and is also well supported – all are welcome.

 

Well that’s about all for now folks - Dru Close (alive and well and safely back in South Devon).

 

 

What can I say about the TLH National Top Club?   Excellent weekend. The finalists being the top 8 clubs from around the country come to Torquay to play in the finals on the weekend of 13^th and 14^th September and I was honoured to be asked to mark some singles over the weekend. 

The teams play 3 games to determine places from the winners, through to 8^th place and everyone, yes everyone gets a prize.

With the four disciplines of singles, pairs, triples and rinks all playing at the same time it can be nail bitingly close, and the Competition was closely fought. 

TLH presents beautiful glassware for each team, a memorial TLH/Bowls England badge and each player and every team takes prize money home to their clubs.

It’s a grand occasion with the Executive of Bowls England organising the whole event.

This years results:-

The Winners were Oxford City and County BC with International player, Catherine Hawes on the side. Brilliant bowling all across the team.

2^nd  Sutton BC (Surrey)

3^rd Blackwell BC (Derbyshire) no strangers to this event and with International Jean Baker on the team were winners in 2004 and 2005,

4^th Consett BC (Durham) who were winners in 2006

5^th Box BC (Wiltshire)

6^th Portishead Royal British Legion BC

7^th Saffron Ladies BC (Essex)

8^th Whittlsey Manor BC

 

bet you thought it would never happen to you…………

Just imagine… you are a newly qualified marker and you have been asked to mark the singles at the TLH National Women’s Top Club. What an honour, to be part of the big game, the march on, and the finale.

You are understandably nervous as this is the first major competition you have marked, and to make matters worse, the Chairman of the English Woman’s Umpires Association (everyone knows Mavis Wellington) is the official umpire on the very green on which you are marking.

It’s the usual questions about who is holding shot and how far are they from the jack etc, you are and making a neat job of the score card, keeping the score board up to date and generally being a great marker, full of pride in a job being well done when…….

a great big golden Labrador lumbers on the rink and makes a bee line for the jack. Noooooooooooo!!!  You are standing 2 meters behind the head and you have never moved so fast in you life. Leaping forward to keep anything in the head from being moved, you place one hand on the jack and the other on the shot bowl. No mean feat seeing as they are a couple of feet apart. On one leg you balance, whilst trying to push the dog away with the other foot. Talk about a contortionist. Then things take a turn for the worse…… can it get worse you say.  The owner of the dog totters on to the green in stiletto heels, Noooooooooo!!!, she grabs the dog and starts to drag it off the green. You are now trying to see what is happening to the rest of the bowls, but the dog does not want to leave and tries even harder to prise the jack from your grasp.  The players are looking on in horror; you are mentally wondering what rules will apply to the ‘end’ if anything gets moved. Suddenly the dog realises that he’s on a loser and retreats with the lady. You look nervously about, thankfully nothing has moved and you chance to glance at the umpire to see if she may, by some chance, have been looking in the other direction during this circus. But no, you are not that lucky. Actually she is bending over, holding her knees, howling with laughter, tears running down her cheeks, she says “Kennard, you are the fastest thing I’ve ever seen over 2 meters ” and starts to howl with laughter again. The players ask if everything is OK and you say it is. Shaky isn’t the word, however the players complete the end – only 3 bowls left to play in the game. Normality seems to be restored but you are a broken marker.

That’s what happened in 2007 when I was marking …

I am happy to report that no such traumas were experienced this year by any of the Markers.

Hi - Dru Close here - every time I venture onto, or near a bowling green this season I get wet, but it seems that the sun only shines on the righteous, because on the day of the TLH Leisure Resort sponsored Men’s National Top Club, the weather was superb.

 

Picture this, it’s Sunday 10^th August at Beach House Park in Worthing and the semi finals of the Men’s National Top Club are underway with the last 4 clubs in the country battling to win this prestigious trophy. They are the finalists from an entry of 788 clubs. The sun is shining, there is a cool breeze blowing in from the sea, a church bell is ringing, the bowling promises to be brilliant and the company auspicious. It’s ideal, what could be better?

 

Backworth WelfareBC from Northumberland v the Essex boys from Romford BC

on one green with  Aldershot Traction Athletic BC, Hampshire v Garston BC Hertfordshire next door.

 

You know, watching men play bowls is always an education, the enthusiasm of the players and the noise generated by the spectators is something to behold. There are some nail biting moments as the game progresses but the finalists are eventually decided. I’s going to be my Essex boys (‘cause I’m an Essex Girl) from Romford V Aldershot Traction Athletic from Hampshire, but before the finals start I am treated to the lunch of a lifetime.

 

As a representative from TLH Leisure Resort, the sponsors of this competition, I have been invited to have lunch with the England Executive. I join Cliff Waterman the England President, Tony Alcock the Chief Executive and other Officers of Bowls England, Geoff Day the IBA President and a gentleman who has inspired more people than you can shake a stick at, David Bryant.  His bowling record is second to none and his after-lunch speech a joy to listen to. All lunches should be this pleasant.

 

2.00pm and the Final is underway. Romford lose the 2 wood singles but win the 4 wood singles. The Essex boys are down in the Pairs but its close in the Rinks and Triples. With 10 ends to go across the board things are starting to get tense. The Romford pair are staging a come back, taking some shots from Aldershot on consecutive ends, but its short lived and eventually they lose 20 11.

 

The Romford  rink are well up with a 5 shot difference and it all going to hang on the triples. 17 ends and the triples are all square at 12 shots each. It’s the last end and it will be the deciding end of the match. The Romford lead nails the jack and and sits 2” short. The Hampshire lead makes a great reply but the jack looks secure. None of the other players shift the shot bowl or the jack as the head builds but it is a great end to watch. The Romford bowls stay on that jack as if glued to the spot. Remember it’s this end that will decide the game. Can you feel the tension?

 

The Aldershot skip, David Dunford,  plays his first two bowls just narrowly missing the shot bowl but the bowl of the Championships is just about to be played. With the precision of a brain surgeon David plays his last bowl, the course is good, the pace is good and we hold our breath as the bowl approaches the head, the players are all yelling at the bowl (it won’t help the bowl but it does make you feel better) Yes you’ve guessed it, he draws round the shot bowl, gently lifts the jack and Romford go 2 down on the game.

 

Shouts of delight mix with groans of disappointment. The Romford 4’s who are winning don’t need to play their last bowls as Hampshire have won 3 disciplines to two which gives them the Trophy. Its mayhem on the green, much back slapping, jumping up and down, punching the air, and high 5’s.

 

Then the presentations, each competitor is presented with a National TLH Top Club lapel badge, newly struck by TLH Leisure Resort. There is also a beautiful cut glass trophy that each club takes home with them as a souvenir of the event and of course the National Trophy, which is big enough to hold several bottles of celebratory Champagne!

 

Its been a great day and I have rubbed shoulders with the rich and the famous. The weather held and there was a great crowd of spectators.

 

I now look forward to the National Women’s TLH  Top Club which takes place on home ground in Torquay . That’s over the weekend of 13th and 14th September and promises to be a great tournament, real party atmosphere.  I’ll be doing a bit of marking at that one, but that will be another story.

 

For anyone wanting to come along to watch some great competetitive bowling for the weekend, it’s not too late to book to stay for the weekend at T

 

Signing off

Dru Close

 

 

 

 

Have you heard about our “Pick of the Crop” themed breaks? Last May Bank Holiday we launched this new break on our calendar, designed for guests who wanted to sample good quality food, sourced and produced locally in the West Country. Not only did they get to enjoy some really tasty menus, but there was the opportunity to see and learn more about where our local food and wines come from.

The weekend included a visit to Occombe organic farm, set in a picturesque valley on the outskirts of Torquay, a trip to Old Walls Vineyard near Teignmouth, which included a full ‘vine to wine’ guided tour and a chance to taste the wines! We also held a Sheppy’s Cider and Sharpham’s Cheese tasting in the hotel, featuring Chef’s homemade Onion Marmalade and Fudge, as well as a traditional Devonshire Cream tea. 

The weekend was a roaring success, with some excellent feedback from our guests. So much so we are now going to be running the same break at the Toorak Hotel in October (10^th –12^th). This time the break links in with us hosting our second Farmer’s Market and Craft Fair on Sunday 12th as well as the food and drink tastings. So forget your diet for a weekend and come enjoy a real treat. There seems to be no doubt that this is set to become a regular and very popular holiday in our short breaks calendar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few years ago I was sitting in the Victoria Hotel Bar waiting to greet a coach operator from Wales and started chatting to a guest. Always one with a snappy opening line I asked ‘Have you just arrived?’ ‘Yes’ he said ‘have you?’ Amused (and vowing to look into L’Oreal products as a priority)I responded ‘No, actually I work here – I’m the Sales Manager’

‘Oh are you – well you’ve got an easy job then, haven’t you!’

A little non-plussed I asked ’Well, sometimes! But why do you say that?’

‘Well’ he said,’ people only have to come here once to know that you can’t find anywhere better in the South West !’

How lovely! And Yes, I have got a great job, but easy ? Not so sure!!

For a start, how do you make sure that everyone knows that there really is something for everyone here at TLH. Firstly there’s the amazing Arena for bowlers – whether they come in a group or as a couple or even as individuals to make new friends . Then there’s the nationally-renowned dance floors for keen dancers as well as those Strictly fans who want to take to the floor!
And all the family facilities, whether staying in the hotels or the self catering apartments, need to be seen to be believed. Aztec Falls, the Toby Club, Teenzone, Arena Games as well as all the entertainment in the evenings – the list is endless.

Our local Mayor once described us as a ‘cruise ship that doesn’t move’ – but then why move on when we are ‘moored’ in Torquay, the heart of the English Riviera, with palm trees, beaches, moors and heritage all on our doorstep!

On days like today I can look out of my office window and see children having their face painted, playing tennis or just hurling themselves in to the pool, whilst their parents plan their next Spa treatment and celebrate the fact there is washing up to be done and no eternal cry of ‘I’m bored’ Talking to the guests is actually one of my favourite pastimes as teenagers and grandparents alike all sing the praises of TLH – and I am always amazed to hear that so many of them have been coming for years and years.

Re-unions are a really big thing at TLH with whole families and large groups of friends getting together in the summer or pre-Christmas to just have a catch-up without any stress and we love seeing the old faces returning year after year. One guest called the other day to say that they are coming back after a 10 year enforced year gap – and sent photos of the old days showing at least 10 members of staff who are still here – some since the seventies!

So – it’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it, and there are few places I would rather be on such a glorious day. And before long we’ll be putting up the decorations for the Turkey and Tinsel and Winter Wonderland themed breaks, and rocking and rolling once more with our Rock Bottoms regulars. It’s a great life if you don’t weaken, as my Grannie used to say! See you soon!