New era for Cotswold Conference Centre

Cotswold Conference Centre near Broadway is getting a new name after 12 years of award-winning business.  

The meeting, training and teambuilding venue, which is located on the stunning 400-acre Farncombe Estate between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon, will be renamed Farncombe Conference Centre from 25 June.

It is part of leading hospitality brand Farncombe, which also includes Farncombe Courses, Farncombe Events and the luxury hotel Dormy House. The move brings all the Farncombe Estate `family` together.

CEO Andrew Grahame said: “We felt that after 12 years it was time to bring all our businesses under a single Farncombe banner. As our businesses grow in strength, we believe the Farncombe brand will become synonymous with the best of hospitality, in the best of locations.

“We are continuing to invest heavily as we look forward to an exciting future ahead. For example, we have expanded our dining room and are planning an upgrade to our training rooms.  Dormy House is currently undergoing a £10m refurbishment, while next year a prestigious new spa will open its doors to hotel guests, spa members and day visitors.” 

Farncombe Conference Centre has 11 flexible meeting and training rooms ¬- in addition to separate syndicate rooms and coffee lounges – arranged village-style around the private estate.  The largest meeting room holds up to 120 people and there are 89 en-suite bedrooms available for staying delegates.

Last year it unveiled a new £250,000 conservatory-style dining room, named the Willersey Room, to increase dining capacity.  Early in 2014, there will be an upgrade of facilities in the Coach House building, which features three flexible training rooms and a west-facing terrace with views over the Vale of Evesham. 

The venue has a long string of awards, including twice winning the VisitEngland national title for Business Tourism and a VenueVerdict Gold award from customers every year since the standard was launched in 2009.

For more details call us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Teambuilding Special Offer at Cotswold Conference Centre

For new events booked to take place in May or June Cotswold Conference Centre are offering free use of the Rabbit Run teambuilding activity. This activity has been specially designed for use as a business team building and executive training exercise. It operates on the principle of business simulation. The 26 control course is spread over the 320 acre estate.

Cotswold Conference Centre

40 miles from Birmingham, set in 300 acres of breathtaking scenery overlooking the Cotswold Vale – this really is a conference venue in Worcestershire with a difference. Cotswold Conference Centre has been built and developed by training people, the incredible attention to detail and investment in facilities means you’ll love using this stunning centre. This is the only Conference Centres of Excellence venue in the Cotswolds, with more businesses than ever recognising that the calm Cotswold environment is the perfect place for training. 

For more information call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Farncombe Maintains Gold Standard for Fourth Year

A leading UK conference centre, near Broadway, has achieved a top nationwide customer service accreditation for the fourth year running. 

Cotswold Conference Centre secured VenueVerdict Gold for 2012 and maintains its record of gaining the accreditation every year since the industry standard was launched in 2009. It is one of just four UK venues to have achieved Gold every year.

VenueVerdict is based on feedback from customers and only 26 conference venues and hotels – around seven per cent of those who participated – achieved the standard last year.

Richard Howdle, operations manager at Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “It’s an amazing achievement and shows the dedication of all our staff to the very highest levels of customer service. 

“It’s especially satisfying to gain an accreditation based purely on customer feedback. We are dedicated to conferences, training and teambuilding and I think people really appreciate the efforts we make on their behalf.”

Market research agency BDRC Continental operates VenueVerdict, an independent customer feedback benchmarking programme for meetings and events. Its quarterly accreditation framework is based on responses from more than 20,000 customer surveys across UK venues. Conference centres and hotels are assessed over rolling 12 month periods and must record ‘consistently excellent’ results to secure Gold.

James Bland from VenueVerdict said: “Congratulations to everyone who achieved the prestigious Gold Standard and especially to those, like Cotswold Conference Centre, who have done so every year since 2009.

“Maintaining this standard requires excellent service delivery, hard work and real customer satisfaction so it’s a great stamp of approval for the venue.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is part of leading hospitality business Farncombe, which also includes the luxury Dormy House Hotel and popular residential learning centre Farncombe Courses.

Farncombe is located in 320 acres of picturesque parkland in the Cotswolds. 

Book your half-term fun at Cotswold Conference Centre

Schools Out! It’s classroom chaos at Cotswold Conference Centre…

Bring your away day or conference to Cotswold Conference Centre during February half term and we’ll throw in a nostalgic traditional school meal (no cabbage we promise) and bring you milkshake at break time!

Our Schools Out theme can be used as part of your teambuilding or training. If your delegates agree to dress up in school uniform one evening, we’ll throw in a school disco night for free!

So if you long for the days of jam roly poly, plaits and long white socks, come and have some half-term fun at Cotswold Conference Centre. For our purposes, Half Term covers the weeks from 11th to 22nd February. The bell’s ringing, so get moving!

Cotswold Conference Centre

40 miles from Birmingham, set in 300 acres of breathtaking scenery overlooking the Cotswold Vale – this really is a conference venue in Worcestershire with a difference. 

Cotswold Conference Centre has been built and developed by training people, the incredible attention to detail and investment in facilities means you’ll love using this stunning centre. 

This is the only Conference Centres of Excellence venue in the Cotswolds, with more businesses than ever recognising that the calm Cotswold environment is the perfect place for training. 

To plan your half-term event, call our sales team on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk.

*Offer applies to new residential bookings only.

Cotswold Conference Centre Claims Tourism Awards

Cotswold Conference Centre continued its amazing year of awards after winning one category and being highly commended in a second at the Worcestershire Welcome Awards.

The ceremony, held on Thursday night at Sixways Stadium, saw the best businesses from across Worcestershire come together to celebrate the county’s visitor attractions and tourism industry.

Cotswold Conference Centre – part of the Farncombe group of businesses, near Broadway – won the Business Tourism Award for the second year in a row and was also highly commended in the Sustainable Tourism category.

The event was organised by Destination Worcestershire and each finalist was selected on the basis of customer nominations. 

Nick Vincent, Chief Executive at the Three Counties Showground, judged the Business Tourism category.

He said: “I was particularly impressed with the website, facilities, policy of supporting and promoting local suppliers and the external methods of obtaining customer feedback. I had no idea Cotswold Conference Centre also won this award last year.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern meeting, training and teambuilding venue. It holds dozens of conferences each year and also plays host to Farncombe Courses, which offers a wide range of leisure and activity weekends. 

Richard Howdle, operations manager at Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “It’s been an incredible year for us, winning numerous awards at local, regional and national levels.

Lesley Stretch, Rachael Buttery and Debbie Sarjant collecting their awards

“The staff are rightly very proud of these accolades. As well as a morale boost, entering these categories is one of the ways that we constantly strive to maintain and drive up our performance by looking to improve each year.” 

Cotswold Conference Centre has won four other prestigious awards in 2012, including the Visit England Award for Excellence, which recognised it as the best business tourism venue in the UK.

The three other titles were the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) highlighting the centre’s commitment to sustainability, the Cotswold Tourism award venue of the year and the VenueVerdict Gold Standard for outstanding customer service.

The business is situated on the 320-acre Farncombe Estate between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. 

For more information visit http://www.cceonline.co.uk/our_venues/our-venues/Cotswold_Conference_Centre or call us on 0845 230 1416

Mix Business and Pleasure this Christmas at Cotswold Conference Centre

Perhaps you are planning a works’ Christmas party and would like to combine it with a brainstorm session, teambuild or mini-conference? Or do you have an important meeting to organise in December? Let us help you mix business with pleasure at the versatile Cotswold Conference Centre.

We have lots of great meeting spaces and we know how to put on a party here at Farncombe, between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. 

Cotswold Conference Centre at Farncombe:

 Let us take care of your Christmas party or event

Talk to us about planning a 24-hour package that might include a training room, energising / teambuilding activities and an evening’s food and entertainment. We can arrange all sorts of themes, from cocktail mixology to a disco, tribute or cover band. And we’ll throw in a free Christmas meal upgrade to keep things festive.

We are easy to reach from the M5 and M40 motorways, and we’re only 1.5 hours from London Paddington. If you stay overnight, we’ll arrange free transfers for your delegates from Moreton-in-Marsh Station.

Call the hotline 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk to find out more.

Cotswold Conference Centre now offer Sushi team building

 Contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 for more details on this offer from Cotswold Conference Centre

Eco-building short-listed for excellence award

A sustainably-built and managed Cotswold building is in the running for a Building Excellence award just six months after it was opened. 

Maudslay Court, on the 320-acre Farncombe Estate between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon, was opened in November 2011 and is now in the running for the Best Commercial Building accolade in the West of England LABC Awards. 

The 32-bedroom courtyard is part of the award-winning Cotswold Conference Centre. It increases capacity for business delegates who meet for conferences, training and teambuilding – and for customers on leisure courses at weekends. 

Featuring a tower built from Cotswold stone, Maudslay Court looks over the panoramic landscape of the Vale of Evesham. It cost £3.5m to build and was designed with a host of renewable energy features and a monitoring system to track eco-efficiency. Eight bedrooms are certified allergy-free – a unique provision for any conference centre in Europe. 

The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Awards recognise the very best in building design and construction and Maudslay Court is one of eight venues short-listed in the category. Others in the running include The Roman Baths in Bath, Warminster Civic Centre, Batswood Arboretum Visitor Centre near Moreton-in-Marsh and the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath. 

Richard Howdle, Operations Manager of Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “The building was named in honour of Dam Busters hero Henry Maudslay, whose family lived on Farncombe Estate during World War II. “Maudslay Court was officially opened at the end of 2011 by Victoria Trevelyan, the niece of Henry Maudslay, and we are proud both of the historical link and the quality of the unique venue. “To be short-listed in a category as competitive as the Best Commercial Building is fantastic.” 

The awards ceremony is being held on Thursday 21 June at the Bristol Marriott Hotel. 

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern, award-winning venue based on the 320-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Conference Centre named best in the country

(left to right): Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, Chairman of VisitEngland, with the team from Cotswold Conference Centre: Rachael Buttery, Mandy Morrison, Debbie Sarjant and Lesley Stretch. Far right: James Berresford, Chief Executive, VisitEngland. 

Cotswold Conference Centre has been named as the country’s best business tourism venue by industry experts VisitEngland. 

The conference, training and teambuilding centre, on the Farncombe Estate near Broadway, won Gold in the Business Tourism category of the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2012. The national awards celebrate the best tourism venues, businesses and visitor attractions in the country and this year saw a record 392 applications. Winners were selected for their use of best practice, quality and innovation throughout the business and for helping raise standards across the industry. 

Cotswold Conference Centre topped a Business Tourism Award short-list which included Ribby Hall Business & Conference Suite in Preston, Manchester’s Lowry Hotel and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The awards ceremony was held at the Athena in Leicester on Tuesday and the success marks the fourth Gold award that Cotswold Conference Centre has won so far in 2012. 

Richard Howdle, Operations Manager of Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “We’ve won regional awards, customer service awards and environmental business awards this year but there’s no doubt that this national recognition tops it all. “It isn’t just that we were short-listed alongside some great venues which makes winning so special, but also the fact that it comes from VisitEngland makes it very satisfying. “To have an organisation that works with so many great venues across the country choose us as the winner is a fantastic reflection of our performance and a wonderful boost for the whole team.” 

Cotswold Conference Centre’s other awards so far this year are the VenueVerdict Gold Award for customer service in January, the Cotswold Tourism Gold Award for best conference centre in March and Gold in the Green Tourism Business Scheme, in April. 

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern venue based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Conference Centre gains triple Gold in 2012

Cotswold Conference Centre has continued an amazing start to the year by earning its third Gold Award of 2012.

The leading conference centre won its latest accolade by reaching Gold in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS), which recognises eco-friendly organisations in the UK. The achievement follows two other Gold titles so far in 2012. In January, the centre earned a national VenueVerdict Gold for excellent customer service and in March it won Gold in the Conference Venue of the Year category of the Cotswold Tourism Awards, beating Cheltenham Racecourse and The Barn at Calcot Manor.

The GTBS is the leading sustainable tourism certification scheme in the UK. Businesses opting to join are graded against a rigorous set of criteria, covering areas such as energy and water efficiency, waste management and biodiversity. Cotswold Conference Centre was visited and assessed on 8 March and the final report has just been completed. The report stated: “There are a number of ‘best practice’ measures in place [at Cotswold Conference Centre]. A lot of these are found at the new Maudslay Court with high levels of insulation, rainwater harvesting, sensors, solar panels and ground source heat pumps. “The site plays an important part in the community, getting involved in initiatives to rid the town of plastic bags while supporting many charities as well as showcasing a great deal of local food and drinks on the delegate menu. The green message is promoted very well with an ‘Environmental Folder’ communicated to guests as well as excellent room and website information.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern meeting, training and team building venue based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. Richard Howdle, Operations Manager at Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “This award is another feather in our cap and further recognition of the excellent work that the team at Cotswold Conference Centre is doing across the board. “It’s going to be a fantastic year for the UK and especially for tourism. To earn these three Gold titles in the first four months alone is a remarkable achievement.”

For more information about this venue contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Hosting 60 hotel inspectors – is this the toughest job in hospitality?

Whether it’s a classic episode of Fawlty Towers or Alex Polizzi’s latest TV series, the words Hotel Inspector can strike fear into venues across the UK.

But two Cotswold venues are this week embracing the challenge by hosting a four-day residential training course for 60 hotel inspectors.

The course is being run by G4S’s Quality in Tourism (QiT) team – which has a license to assess on behalf of VisitEngland – and is being hosted at the award-winning Cotswold Conference Centre, near Broadway. Course attendees will also spend one evening taste-testing at the nearby Dormy House Hotel.

Entitled ‘Food for Thought’ the training is a refresher course for the experts, most of whom have many years’ experience assessing accommodation on behalf of VisitEngland.

The delegates are brushing up on every area of their trade, from how best to judge food and spot which carpets work well in a venue, to hearing updates on the latest hospitality marketing and website trends.

However, the prospect of 60 hotel inspectors instinctively running the rule over the service and surroundings during the week has only enthused the Cotswold Conference Centre.

Operations Manager Richard Howdle said: “Even though they are on a training course I’m quite sure, in their heads, all the inspectors will be assessing our rooms, food and service during their stay, but I’ve absolutely no doubt that we’ll meet their expectations.

“We have had a wide range of clients over the years and a residential course for hotel assessors is just one more exciting challenge for the team.”

QiT’s role is not only to inspect hotels and B&Bs, but also to offer positive advice to venue owners on how they can improve their services. The course will ensure that the assessors are up-to-date with the latest industry standards.

Guy Levoir, Operations Manager for G4S Assessment Services, is leading the course.

“We have expert speakers in everything from flooring and carpeting to food and websites so that the assessors can provide the best advice to the 23,000 VisitEngland venues across the country,” he said.

“It’s a highly specialised training course for experts in their field. They never really switch off and at a residential event like this the attendees are inevitably assessing everything around them – it’s what they do.”

During the week, the Cotswold Conference Centre’s catering team will be put to the test as the attendees are expected to get through 420 cups – or 14 gallons – of tea and coffee, 480 biscuits, almost 300 cakes as well as several hundred rashers of bacon and sausages.

Conference Centre secures first place in the Cotswolds Tourism Awards

Cotswold Conference Centre has been named the region’s leading conference venue in the prestigious Cotswolds Tourism Awards 2012.

The awards are now into their second year and celebrate the cream of the Cotswolds’ hotels, B&Bs, tourism websites, visitor attractions and other tourism businesses.

Cotswold Conference Centre, on Farncombe Estate, between Chipping Campden and Broadway, won Gold in the Conference Venue of the Year category, beating Cheltenham Racecourse and The Barn at Calcot Manor into joint second place.

The Centre’s Operations Manager Richard Howdle said the award was another endorsement of the variety and quality of services on offer.

“We’re obviously thrilled to have won the category and to be leading the way in one of the strongest regions for tourism in the UK,” he said.

“The Cotswolds benefits from great natural beauty but is also home to some fantastic businesses too. Many people choose us for our central location and our customer focus.

“At Cotswold Conference Centre we are dedicated to meetings, training and teambuilding throughout the week.”

Cotswolds Tourism is a partnership between local authorities and more than 300 tourism businesses in the area.

Other categories in the Cotswold Tourism Awards 2012 included Hotel of the Year, Visitor Attraction of Year, Event of the Year, Pub of the Year, Website of the Year and Tourism Business of the Year.

Judging was carried out by a confidential, impartial panel selected for expertise in relevant areas.

Chris Dee, Tourism Manager at GFirst, commented: “Cotswolds Tourism thrives on the high quality of local tourism businesses and services. These awards reward our achievers and help us to highlight the best of what’s on offer here.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern venue based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Tourism Minister welcomes £¼m conference investment in the Cotswolds

The Tourism & Heritage Minister led a delegation of industry VIPs at the unveiling of a new conservatory-style dining room in the heart of the Cotswolds yesterday.

John Penrose MP was on hand to open Cotswold Conference Centre’s stylish new £250,000 resource, named the Willersey Room.

The light and airy conservatory, with views over the Farncombe Estate and its natural lake, provides significant extra dining capacity for both leisure and corporate customers.

The Champagne opening was part of a regional tour arranged by the Cotswolds Conservation Board to consider the unique position of the Cotswolds in attracting tourists from around the globe. Cotswold Conference Centre was chosen to host the event by the Conservation Board, which is a regular customer of the centre.

The Minister was invited to attend a meeting with key tourism stakeholders, businesses and local authorities. During the tour, the group also visited Broadway Tower, a unique Capability Brown Folly, and one of England's outstanding viewpoints.

Richard Howdle, Operations Manager at Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “It was great to welcome both the Tourism & Heritage Minister and VisitEngland to showcase some of the first-class facilities we have here on the Farncombe Estate.

“The Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and have been extremely popular with leisure visitors for many years.

“However, conference centres such as ours are increasingly attracting business tourists to the region too, making it a favourite destination for many different people from across the world.”

After unveiling a plaque officially naming the Willersey Room, John Penrose MP said: “This business is a real success story. It is an organisation that has had to branch out and invent new lines of business, becoming so successful that it needs more space. This is a high-quality problem to have.

“It’s superb to see high-quality facilities springing up anywhere, but particularly in such a beautiful part of the country. What an amazing facility.”

James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, was also part of the delegation.

“The Cotswolds is a real gem of a destination,” he said. “We are excited to be featuring the Cotswolds in our forthcoming advertising campaign which launches later next month.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern, award-winning venue based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

For more information please contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.cuk

Cotswold Conference Centre's new website goes live!

Cotswold Conference Centre, near Broadway, has launched a new, re-branded website which should make life easier for customers.

“Our website was 10 years old,” says marketing manager Debbie Sarjant, “and, like all old websites, in need of an update. “We have worked very hard on the design, the words and the overall feel to create a site that is fresh, modern and easy to use.

“We hope visitors will be able to navigate their way around more easily; get in touch with us immediately and get a more accurate impression of our business.”

Companies from all over the UK and internationally use the conference centre’s flexible meetings spaces and 89 bedrooms on the Farncombe Estate. Later in the year, a new “umbrella” website will be created for all the Farncombe businesses, include weekend leisure courses, B&B and special interest groups.

“A new web identity was essential for reminding people of our award-winning service, our stunning location and our recent investments,” says Debbie Sarjant. “The new corporate website will be a major tool in getting our messages across.”

Be first off the blocks for Summer 2012

From the Opening Ceremony on 27th July to the end of the Paralympic Games on 9th September, you’ll be wanting to do what’s best for your business. We think you’ll benefit from our special offer, which makes the most of our stunning out-of-town location and will let your team run off steam.

We are only 1.5 hours by train from London Paddington and can arrange free transfers for residential events.
Book your company’s Away Day or training event now for Summer 2012 and we will throw in use of our teambuilding exercises for free.* You can even theme your own Games using the exercises on our 370-acre Estate.

To make the most of your business this summer, contact the hotline time today on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk.

*Offer applies to all new bookings made before 9th February 2012 and includes any Eye Opener teambuilding activity except Kanw.

Top customer award goes to Cotswold Conference Centre

Cotswold Conference Centre near Broadway has achieved a top nationwide customer service award for the third year running. The VenueVerdict Gold Award for 2011 goes to only five per cent of conference venues and hotels in the UK.

“This is fantastic recognition, based on customer feedback throughout the year,” says Nick Akerman, Head of Sales. “We are dedicated to conferences, training and teambuilding and I think people really appreciate the efforts we make on their behalf.”

Market research agency BDRC Continental operates the VenueVerdict Awards which, in 2011, were based on feedback from 23,500 customer surveys across British venues and hotel groups. Conference centres and hotels are assessed over 12 months and must achieve a Net Promoter Score of +70 to reach the Gold Standard. Only 18 properties out of 350 delivered the top level of consistently-exceptional customer service in 2011.

Cotswold Conference Centre has been taking part in the VenueVerdict programme for several years and regularly appears in the top quartile of conference venues.

Kelly sprinkles Gold Medal dust at Cotswold Conference Centre

Dame Kelly Holmes, double Gold Medal winning athlete, joined the British Triathlon team at Cotswold Conference Centre near Broadway this week for two days of inspirational teambuilding.

With core values that include respecting the environment, the triathletes were challenged to arrive at Farncombe Estate using minimal carbon footprint. Five of the super-fit team chose to cycle an average of more than 60 miles round trip to Broadway, while others car pooled, picking up fellow staff en route from all over the country.

It’s the second year that the British Triathlon team has chosen Cotswold Conference Centre for its annual meeting. The addition of Kelly Holmes brought a special meaning to this year’s Olympics theme. “Kelly came to sprinkle some gold dust on our team-building event,” said Chief Executive Zara Hyde Peters, who organised the event for the 41 staff members.

Middle-distance runner Kelly Holmes won the adoration of millions at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when she won Gold in the 800m and, only a few days later, another Gold in the 1500m. She was 34 and – having battled injury for much of her sporting career – became an inspiration to many.

After retiring, Holmes set up “On Camp with Kelly”, a mentoring programme to encourage young female middle-distance runners, and the DKH Legacy Trust to inspire disadvantaged young people. She said she was very impressed with the setting and facilities of Cotswold Conference Centre.

“I haven’t been here before but wow, it’s a great place,” she said.

The team’s two-day training day included a strategy meeting, an outdoor challenge using one of Cotswold Conference Centre’s own teambuilding activities on the 370-acre site and a celebration Christmas dinner. Other sports teams to meet at Cotswold Conference Centre include England Athletics and UK Athletics.

An early Christmas present from Cotswold Conference Centre

We’re getting into the Christmas spirit at Cotswold Conference Centre, with a fantastic offer to all our agents. Book a new event to run before the end of 2011 and we will DOUBLE your commission to 20%.

To enjoy your early Christmas present and create a successful event for your clients, all you have to do is book an event that runs in November or December this year*.

To help you match us to your last-minute bookers, here are some important facts to remember:

• We are an award-winning, dedicated conference venue in the Heart of England

• Delegates can reach us easily from the M5 or M40

• We’ll arrange free transfers from Moreton-in-Marsh station (direct from London) for residential delegates

• There are ten meeting and training rooms, the largest of which takes up to 120 theatre-style

• Our USP is our location: there are stunning views from our 370-acre estate in the north Cotswolds

• We’ve just completed a beautiful new bedroom courtyard, bringing our bedroom total to 89

To unwrap your 20% commission, Call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Allergy-free rooms are a safe haven for sufferers

In the approach to Indoor Allergy Week 2011 [14 to 20 November], Cotswold Conference Centre has become the first venue of its kind in the world to qualify for an international allergy-friendly award.

Cotswold Conference Centre, on the Farncombe Estate near Broadway, has been accredited with a prestigious ECARF Seal of Quality for eight new Allergy Free bedrooms and a wide range of allergy-friendly policies.

“We are delighted to give this award to Cotswold Conference Centre, the first dedicated conference venue in the world to earn the ECARF Seal,” says Professor Torsten Zuberbier, an allergy expert from the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation. “Conferences can be a headache for allergy sufferers, who are confined to meeting rooms and bedrooms with little chance to escape.

“Allergy at work and at school leads to lower levels of concentration and achievement. We want to find affordable ways to make people’s lives easier.”

One in four people in the UK now suffers from an allergy. Cotswold Conference Centre’s accreditation is an acknowledgement of a raft of measures to combat the problem.

This autumn, the centre completed a £3.5m bedroom courtyard of 32 bedrooms, of which eight are designated Allergy Free. No smoking, pot plants or pets are permitted. Wooden floors replace carpet, there are blinds instead of curtains and a special vacuum cleaner gives 99.9% filtration and helps eradicate dust mites.

In the dining room, kitchen staff deal with a growing number of allergies: dairy, gluten, peanut, nuts – even celery. In the bedrooms, delegates allergic to perfume can request fragrance-free toiletries.

“The body of scientific evidence shows us that allergies are getting worse,” says Professor Zuberbier. “ECARF takes a pragmatic approach, we do not want to put allergy sufferers into a sterile box, but offer support for a better life.
“Over-insulated buildings can make things worse. It always helps to be able to open a window.”

Cotswold Conference Centre’s operations manager Richard Howdle has noticed a significant increase in allergic customers in the past 10 years. “We have many different reactions to deal with these days,” he says. “If you have lactose intolerance, we will offer you a lactose-free coffee to help you concentrate on your conference or training.

“If anyone comes to us with an allergy, we do our best to make their stay just as comfortable as at home.”

A war hero remembered as new facility opens at Cotswold Conference Centre

Military heroes past and present were honoured in a moving ceremony at Cotswold Conference Centre, Broadway, this month. Maudslay Court, a new £3.5m Cotswold-stone building constructed at Farncombe Estate, was officially opened by Victoria Trevelyan, niece of the Dam Busters’ hero Henry Maudslay. The Maudslay family lived on the Estate during WW2 when Henry was tragically killed in raids on six German hydroelectric dams.

To commemorate the connection with 617 Squadron, the Dam Busters’ unit of which Henry Maudslay was B Flight Commander, a plaque was also unveiled by Wing Commander Keith Taylor, currently Officer Commanding 617 Squadron.

'This beautiful building has given us a fantastic opportunity to honour an earlier resident of the Estate,” said Cotswold Conference Centre’s MD Mark Philip-Sørensen. 'We would like to thank the Maudslay family and Wing Commander Taylor for making our opening ceremony so special.'

The large new wing of 32 en-suite bedrooms, constructed by skilled local tradesmen, boasts a number of ecological features, including a ground-source heat pump and solar panels. The Cotswold stone building even has its own tower. One deluxe room - Number 617 – is themed with prints that tell the Dam Busters story, including a picture of the Lancaster Bombers in action in May 1943.

The Grand Ceremony began with the Celebration Reed and Brass Band of Hampton playing stirring renditions of the Dam Busters theme and the RAF March Past, while 80 guests and staff assembled in Maudslay Court.

The historic afternoon was completed with traditional afternoon tea – in the Estate’s dining room decorated with gingham and bunting, to the strains of Vera Lynn.