Kingswood in Bembridge has closed its doors with immediate effect as a result of its parent company, Inspiring Learning Group, being placed into administration.
It has been confirmed that 7 activity and residential centres across the country – including the Isle of Wight, Colomendy (North Wales), Dukeswood House (Northumberland), Green Park (Buckinghamshire), Peak Venture (South Yorkshire), Staffordshire (Wolverhampton) and West Runton (Norfolk) – have closed today (Friday), although 3 centres in Kent, Doncaster and North Norfolk have been saved by competitors, PGL.
Island Echo understands staff here on the Isle of Wight have been informed that they have lost their jobs, and those living on site have just 1 week to move out.
PGL – which runs Little Canada in Wootton – is providing a package of support to parents/groups who have already booked to stay at Bembridge by offering alternative arrangements, with no financial impact to customers. PGL will be accepting bookings from impacted customers at the price previously agreed with Kingswood.
It is unclear at this early stage what will happen to the 100-acre site at Hillway Road in Bembridge, which has welcomed tens of thousands of children over the years including many Isle of Wight school groups.
Today’s news comes just weeks after it was announced 300 jobs are to be lost at Vestas and that Hovertravel is seeking to reduce its workforce by 17. There was another blow on Boxing Day when it was announced Wyld in Newport had closed with immediate effect and earlier this month it was confirmed Snows Isle of Wight is to close on 5th February due to economic circumstances.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Inspiring Learning Group has said:
“We are devastated by this news and want to thank all our colleagues and customers for supporting Kingswood over the years. We wish them all the very best for the future.
Article continues below this advertisement “It has been a privilege to be a part of so many life-changing experiences for young people, and we hope that they continue to be memories they will treasure forever”.
For further information go to www.pglbeyond.com/kingswood-support.
All part of Labours plan, they delivered the
Budget to crash the economy, their Davos bosses
will be proud of them.
The UNELECTED W.E.F are meeting up in Davos
20th Jan – 24th Jan to dictate the way we live our
lives, they sound a lovely bunch of people
NOT!!
Hate to disabuse you but Liz Truss crashed the economy and she was a Conservative Prime Minister at the time.
Conservatives also,work for their same Davos
bosses.
Davos is our Government
Lol
It’s basically a scrutiny committee, largely toothless in itself, although it does give a platform to big money which as we know is systematically infiltrating politics. That isn’t shaped by politics; politics is being shaped by big money. Worldwide. However, it also gives a platform to organisations such as Oxfam, who have today released a report into the inequality of wealth. In just one year, the wealth of the world’s billionaires grew by 2 trillion dollars or over 15tn, 4 times faster than last year’s expectations. Of those billionaires, if they lost 99% of their wealth overnight, they would still be billionaires. Another takeaway from the report is that now, 44% of the world’s population lives in poverty. Trickle down economics? Doesn’t work, does it? Beware those sucking up to big money then, in spite of what they’d tell you. They have their eyes on the prize, and it doesn’t include any of us.
You have summed it up well.
100 acre site, eh? I vote they build houses on it then.
What’s the betting they will.