The last year of our forties marks the end of the 2021 season – our 49th season!
Next year we will celebrate our big 5 0 at Hendra, our Golden year! We look forward to celebrating with you, our guests. It is exciting that we are celebrating 50 years of fantastic family holidays in Newquay and Cornwall.
Looking back at 2021
Both 2020 and 2021 have been challenging years for each and every one of us and every business too. This year we have seen a staycation boom across Cornwall, and higher numbers of Covid, compared to last year when Cornwall was one of the areas with the lowest infection rates. This year the whole hospitality sector has struggled with this. Though we still have so much to celebrate.
Hendra still have had many satisfied guests through the Hendra gates, and we have enjoyed the season, despite the challenges. We have glowing TripAdvisor ratings and reviews, our 14th successive 5* Gold Visit England rating, our South West in Bloom awards, and our outstanding customer feedback scores.
Opening for the Season
The Park opened on April the 12th for our guests, with outdoor facilities only and then opened indoor facilities from the 19th of May. We were happy to start the Nature Explorers with Park Ranger AJ, exploring the Park and discovering the wildlife.
The G7 summit, attracting the world leaders in June, was held in St Ives and Hendra accommodated some of the staff. The summer saw the delayed 2020 Euro, and Hendra screened the games and we were all delighted that England reached the semi-final.
Then the peak-season began and went, fast! We had some new activities on Park including the Hendra mini 4x4s, Dance Academy, Football Academy, Nerf Wars, School of Rock, Arts and Crafts and Pirate Hunt.
Then after a busy 6 weeks, we welcomed September. Hendra saw the return of the Newquay Beer Festival, after being cancelled in 2020. The weekend was well-received by locals and guests. October saw a quiet few weeks compared to the rest of the season, but we did have a visit from Olympic Gold Medalist Mo Farah!
We then had a busy last half-term week, and hosted a number of Halloween Activities such as Halloween Arts and Crafts, Pumpkin Patch and Carving and our Land Train got transformed into the Hendra Express – a Hogwart’s themed ghost train that travelled in a loop with some scary characters! Take a look for yourselves below! Halloween was certainly a great way to celebrate the end of the season!
Our History and Values
Hendra is a large Park, but we are still family run and have been family run by the same family since we opened in 1972. The May and Hyatt family still run the Park today and they live nearby. Hendra is very much their home, as much as it is to many guests. The word ‘Hendra’ means ‘Home Farm’ in Cornish, so we think that this fits in very well with the fact that we feel like home to many people.
Many guests have stayed at Hendra with their children and now their children are bringing their own children. We just love that Hendra is attracting each generation and building on old memories as well as creating new ones. The second and third generations of the May and Hyatt family are still running the Park today, and the fourth generation are children and toddlers themselves. This means that we can always stay up to date on what works for families to make a relaxed, fun and happy family holiday.
Hendra hopes to make more improvements and keep improving Hendra, so we can have another 50 years of
amazing family holidays. It is important to us that we keep true to our heritage: family holidays by a family, as well as looking to the future and improving facilities for families. Sustainability is also very important to safeguarding the next generation’s future. Hendra has solar panels in Sunpower Meadow which provides over 70% of the Park’s power. We have the Biomass Boiler to heat the Pool too. Hendra encourages recycling on the Park for guests and staff.
Looking Forward to 2022
Our 50th year is already looking busy, and we are looking forward to seeing many of you returning and welcoming new guests too.
We are really excited about celebrating our 50th in style!
Watch our Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and news.
In the meantime, enjoy the winter, and have a lovely Christmas and 2022.
Thank you for visiting us, supporting us, and helping us make continued improvements.
The Hendra Team.
