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Pontin's
Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. Since 2011, it has been owned by Britannia Hotels. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment at resorts, or "holiday parks", as they have branded them. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets (which Pontins calls "apartments"). Company history Fred Pontin opened his first holiday camp in 1946 on the site of a former U.S. army base (built during World War II), at Brean Sands near Weston-super-Mare in Somerset at a cost of £23,000. Pontin formed a syndicate, in which he held 50% control, to own the camp. Within a year he had six camps. Over the years he bought more camps and personally ran them for a year, before selling them to the syndicate. He gradually expanded his empire to thirty sites. The camps were smaller and less expensive than Butlin's holiday camps. Pontins had Bluecoats to entertain their guests, as oppose ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Butlin's
Butlin's is a chain of large Seaside resort, seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and one in the Bahamas. In the 1970s and 1980s, Butlin's also operated numerous large hotels, including one in Spain, a number of smaller holiday parks in England and France, and a revolving restaurant in the BT Tower, Post Office Tower in London.Summary of Butlins history on Butlin's website Butlins (15 April 2011). Retrieved 13 July 2011. Tough competition from overseas package holiday operators, rising operational costs, and rapidly changing demand, forced many of the Butlin's operations to close in the 1980s and 1990s. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Britannia Hotels
Britannia Hotels is a British hotel group with 63 hotels in Great Britain. Britannia operates at the budget end of the market, and includes the Pontins Holiday Park portfolio. In recent years, Britannia Hotels has been a subject of widespread criticism over the hygiene and maintenance of its locations, with the consumer group Which? declaring the hotel chain to be the worst in the United Kingdom since October 2013: the controversies have contributed towards the growing general perception of Britannia Hotels as "Britain's worst hotel chain". Overview Britannia Hotels was founded in 1976 with the purchase of the Britannia Country House Hotel in Didsbury, Manchester. Its Chief Executive, founder, and largest shareholder remains Alex Langsam. Langsam is a non-domiciled taxpayer, registered as living in Austria for tax-purposes since 1999. His net personal worth was valued at £90 million in 2013 by ''The Sunday Times''. Its head office is based in the old town hall in Hale, Manc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Private Limited Company
A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United States, '' private company limited by shares'' in the United Kingdom, '' GmbH'' in Germany and Austria, '' société à responsabilité limitée'' in France, and '' sociedad de responsabilidad limitada'' in the Spanish-speaking world. The benefit of having a private limited company is that there is limited liability. However, shares can only be sold to shareholders in the business, which means that it can be difficult to liquidate such a company. Abbreviations Albania In Albania a limited liability company ( sq, Shoqëri me përgjegjësi të kufizuar Sh.p.k) is a commercial company founded by persons of physical or judicial status, who are not liable for the company and personally bear losses only up to the outstanding contribution agr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online news coverage. The service maintains 50 foreign news bureaus with more than 250 correspondents around the world. Deborah Turness has been the CEO of news and current affairs since September 2022. In 2019, it was reported in an Ofcom report that the BBC spent £136m on news during the period April 2018 to March 2019. BBC News' domestic, global and online news divisions are housed within the largest live newsroom in Europe, in Broadcasting House in central London. Parliamentary coverage is produced and broadcast from studios in London. Through BBC English Regions, the BBC also has regional centres across England and national news ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle plc was a brewing company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, which expanded from its home base to become an international business with beer volumes growing almost tenfold. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Heineken and Carlsberg in 2008 and its assets split between them. The name Scottish & Newcastle continued to be used for the UK trading operation of Heineken International until 2009, when it was renamed Heineken UK. The former S&N Pub Enterprises leased pub division was rebranded as S&N Pub Company after the takeover. In 2012, it was rebranded again to Star Pubs & Bars, bringing an end to Scottish & Newcastle brand. History The company was founded by Grizel Syme who ran her late second husband's brewery: this brewery and those of her sons developed into the firm of William Younger & Co. It merged with McEwan's in 1931 becoming Scottish Brewers. In 1960 it merged again this time with Newcastle Breweries t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trevor Hemmings
Trevor James Hemmings (11 June 1935 – 11 October 2021) was a British billionaire businessman. Early life Hemmings was born in Woolwich, London, the son of a Royal Ordnance factory worker father. During the Second World War, part of the Royal Ordnance was relocated to Euxton, Lancashire, and the family moved there when he was aged five. Hemmings started working with diesel trains while attending Business Studies night courses. He then became an apprentice bricklayer, going on to learn all aspects of the building trade. His first fortune was amassed through a housebuilding business. He sold his house-building firm in the early '70s for £1.5 million, just before the collapse of the property market and started another building company, which he sold to Barratt Developments for £5.7million. Career Hemmings owned Preston North End F.C., Northern Trust Co. Ltd, Classic Lodges Ltd. and Trust Inns Ltd. He also owned over 100 racehorses, three of which won the Grand National: He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bass (beer)
The Bass Brewery () was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an annual output of one million barrels. Its pale ale was exported throughout the British Empire, and the company's iconic red triangle became the UK's first registered trade mark. Bass took control of a number of other large breweries in the early 20th century, and in the 1960s merged with Charrington United Breweries to become the largest UK brewing company, Bass Charrington. The brewing operations of the company were bought by Interbrew (now Anheuser-Busch InBev) in 2000, while the retail side (hotels and pubs) were renamed Six Continents plc. Because at the time Interbrew controlled a large portion of the UK beer market, the Competition Commission instructed Interbrew to sell the Bass brewery along with certain brands to Coors (now Mol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coral (bookmaker)
Coral is a chain of betting shops in the United Kingdom, owned by Entain. The Coral business was established by Joe Coral in 1926. It grew into an entertainment conglomerate before undergoing a series of ownership changes starting in 1981. As of 2015, Coral had 1,845 shops across the country. History Joe Coral (born Joseph Kagarlitski, 11 December 1904 – 16 December 1996) began his bookmaking business in 1926 and, although primarily concerned with operating betting pitches at racecourses, together with his friend Tom Bradbury-Pratt, he ran speedway meetings at Harringay and opened a credit office in the West End of London in 1943. He had greyhound racing pitches at Harringay Stadium and then White City Stadium followed later by Clapton Stadium and Walthamstow Stadium before branching into betting offices. He was one of the first to take advantage of the new legislation and opened his first licensed betting office in 1961. The new law was not intended to encourage betting and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grotbags
''Grotbags'' is a children's television programme which ran for three series between 1991 and 1993 about a fictional witch named Grotbags, a spin-off of multiple earlier Rod Hull and Emu shows. Very much in the mould of the traditional pantomime villain, Grotbags was played by actress, singer and comedian Carol Lee Scott in a costume comprising vivid green make-up and wig and a witch's cape and hat. Each episode co-starred Francis Wright and Richard Coombs in multiple puppet roles. Premise The character Grotbags originally appeared in the Rod Hull television show ''Emu's World'' in 1982 and she remained the principal antagonist throughout the rest of the decade in the programme's various other incarnations (''Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show'', ''Emu's Wide World'', and 1989's ''EMU-TV''), plus the subsequent animated series ''Rod 'n' Emu''. In 1991, Central Independent Television awarded Grotbags her own solo spin-off, which was created by Carol Lee Scott and puppeteer Ric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carol Lee Scott
Carol Lee Scott (20 December 1942 – 4 July 2017) was an English entertainer, best known for her role on British television in the 1980s and 1990s as "Grotbags". Throughout her career, Scott regularly performed on the international cabaret circuit, and prior to her TV work, she was a singer and released two albums. Early career Born in Bridgwater, Somerset as Carol Waterman, she began her career after moving to London singing in local pubs, all while working day shifts at the record department at Rumbelows. She gained her break as a performer when she joined Pontins, ultimately working there for 19 years, playing at all of the UK holiday camps, along with those in Scandinavia, Spain, and elsewhere. During the off-season, Scott played many of the northern England and Scotland working men's clubs, sharing a bill with stars including The Four Tops, Morecambe and Wise and Tommy Cooper. During this time, she recorded an album in 1974 which she originally sold only at her conce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter. He is known for his quick wit, writing and starring in the sitcom '' Not Going Out'', being a team captain on the BBC One comedy panel show '' Would I Lie to You?'', hosting the Sky One panel show ''Duck Quacks Don't Echo'', presenting the panel show ''They Think It's All Over'', and hosting ''Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof'' (2022–) alongside Holly Willoughby. He has also been a guest host on '' Have I Got News for You'' and '' Never Mind the Buzzcocks'', a guest captain on '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', and a guest panellist on '' QI''. In 2021, he made his debut on the BBC Radio 4 panel game ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. In 2022, he began hosting the ITV game-show, '' The 1% Club''. Early life Mack was born on 4 August 1968 in Southport, now a part of Merseyside. He lived above a pub until he was 12, when his parents separated. He went ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Wilton
Nicholas Wilton is an English actor and scriptwriter. He has appeared as Mr Lister in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' as a recurring character; he has also appeared in ''Carrott's Lib'' and '' Jackanory''. Early life Wilton studied English and Drama at the University of Kent. His first professional engagement was in 1979 as a bluecoat entertainer at a Pontins holiday camp. He then spent two years as a stage manager in theatres, before moving into acting. Career Acting Wilton made his acting debut in 1980 in the Whitehall farce ''Simple Spymen'', directed by Brian Rix, and went on to play opposite Rix in the West End revival of ''Dry Rot'' at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in 1988. He has appeared in many television shows, such as the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', '' Doctors'' (twice), ''Casualty'', '' Heartbeat'', ''The Bill'' (three times), ''Carrott's Lib'' (two series and Election Specials), ''The Omid Djalili Show'' and the children's show ''Scoop''. He ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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