Markerstudy Leisure - owners and operators of a number of leisure venues in Kent

Leisure time 

Brief 

• Promote the business, which owns and runs four leisure and tourist attractions and a media group in West Kent and East Sussex and ensure good relations are built and maintained with neighbours and political stakeholders.
• Markerstudy Leisure owns Bewl Water Country Park on the Kent and Sussex border, the largest stretch of inland open water in the south of England; One Warwick Park, a four star hotel close to the historic Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells; Salomons, an historic hotel and conference centre set in 36 acres of parkland outside of Southborough; the Gymnastics Club Kent, based in Tunbridge Wells; and One Media, which publishes the Times of Tunbridge Wells and So Magazine.

Results and highlights:

• Maxim worked with Markerstudy Leisure and its planning consultants to brief and build relationships with local council officers and members, and local residents ahead of securing a successful planning application for new hotel accommodation at its Salomons site.Work included highlighting substantial investments in the important site, including the refurbishment of the historic water tower, and the many community related activities in the grounds, including a safety awareness event attended by 1,500 students from 54 local schools.
• A planned programme of press releases, site visits and briefings helped build awareness of, and anticipation for, the opening of One Warwick Park, a 39 bedroomed four-star hotel in the heart of Tunbridge Wells. Maxim also played an important role in the planning of the hotel’s opening night party.
• Maxim supported Markerstudy Leisure in its acquisition of Bewl Water Country Park in early 2016 through a programme of PR and a series of newsletters to political stakeholders and neighbours.
  The site falls within the boundaries of two county councils, three district/borough councils and four parishes.
• Ahead of its first season under Markerstudy’s ownership, Maxim organised and hosted a press day attended by news, magazine and broadcast journalists to highlight the significant and on-going investment the company is making in the site.
• Maxim has also facilitated the filming of a number of news pieces on site, ranging from the release of the latest tourism figures for Kent to rowers training for a trans-Atlantic challenge.
• A series of briefings and newsletters to local residents, who reported having felt ignored by and unimportant to previous owners of the site, helped build relationships with neighbours.
• Maxim helped prepare and deliver a series of briefings, and a public consultation event, ahead of the submission of a planning application for the development of 60 Earth Lodges on the site. Public comments during and after the consultation event were overwhelmingly positive.
• PR supporting the success of members of the Next Dimensions Gymnastics Academy, now re-branded the Gymnastics Club Kent, helped build its profile and culminated in live TV reports from the opening of its new extension by OIympic medallist Louis Smith, MBE.Maxim also helped manage coverage of the change of emphasis of the club’s coaching to recreational gymnasts, in line with British Gymnastics’ aims.