After 1½ years of following the sun in Australia, NZ, and SE Asia, I finally returned home 2 weeks ago.  I popped up to Deeside Activity Park for a nosy, and was so excited with all the new developments that I’ve barely left since.  So many things have changed but the essence of the centre remains the same.  It’s become more professional, with improved facilities, greater variety of activities, better trained and experienced staff, and yet still it’s the same fun and honest centre that we worked so hard to create in the past.

First of all, I can’t get over how busy it is.  We’re welcoming more visitors to the centre than ever before.  Lots of new guests, in addition to our many regulars who have supported us over the years.  To cope with demand we’ve got more staff and new positions.  Fiona has risen from waitress to catering manager and Kristian from instructor to chief instructor, Christina is back making delicious home bakes, and Fraser has returned as a favourite instructor.  The new faces include Steph as administrator, Jack, Andrew & Luke as instructors, and so many new waiting staff that I don’t know where to start.

The Petrolhead Pavilion not only looks fantastic but serves a purpose that was sorely required.  Gone are the days of frozen karts and quad bikes on a winter morning.  No longer do our overalls and helmets take days to dry, and we’ve finally got rid of those awful stopwatches.  With a large, heated indoor space to store all our gear, and a new fancy electronic timing system, there’s no doubt that it’s a fantastic facility which greatly improves the experience for both guests and staff.

We’ve also got new activities.  Axe throwing is proving to be a popular option for our multi activity packages and the power-boat navigation is an event I can’t wait to see in action.  Of course, we still offer all the usual favourites - quad bike trekking, kart racing, 4x4 off road driving, clay shooting and archery to name but a few.

I’ve been offered the newly created position of Sales and Marketing manager, so that makes it my job to ensure that all our clients from past, present and future hear about all our developments.  I’ll be re-vamping our website, issuing regular newsletters (sign up on our enquiries page), regularly updating this news page and creating innovative ways to remind you that we’re here everyday all year round!

Most importantly, I’m looking forward to meeting and greeting all new guests as well as seeing all the old faces.  Come up for a coffee, a blast on the karts, or just to say hello!

See you soon!  Jenny