May reflects a month of continued investment, modernisation, and strategic change across the UK leisure industry.
Holiday parks and golf destinations are enhancing their appeal through upgraded wellness, sports, and family-focused facilities, while hospitality operators continue to adapt their portfolios in response to evolving visitor demand. Projects like the ongoing transformation of The Mount Golf & Country Club highlight the sector’s growing focus on multi-purpose leisure experiences beyond traditional offerings.
At the same time, new community fitness facilities, hotel wellness expansions, and education sector developments underline the breadth of activity shaping the market.
Here’s a look at the stories shaping the leisure landscape this month...
- Following three generations of family operation, the 19.5-acre Wayside Holiday Park near Pickering - a five-star rated caravan site featuring 160 pitches has been sold for an undisclosed sum in a deal handled by Colliers' specialist Parks team.
- Pario Holiday Parks has completed a £350,000 renovation at its family-run Tan Rallt Holiday Park in Abergele, upgrading the spa, gym, and restaurant while introducing a new pet-friendly bar.
- Continuing its transformation into a leading Midlands leisure hub, The Mount Golf & Country Club has launched a new £500,000 padel facility as part of a major ongoing investment into its golf, wellness, fitness, and social infrastructure.
- Orpington Golf Centre, run by the Mytime Active charity in Greater London has invested in a state-of-the-art, immersive indoor simulator called "The Green Room" to make golf more accessible to the local community year-round. Furthermore, the golf centre is continuing to undergo a series of further upgrades to its facilities.
- A brand-new gym will soon open in Grangemouth after Falkirk Council approved a planning application to convert a former beauty salon and hairdressers into a fitness facility.
- Premier Inn owner Whitbread is cutting around 3,800 jobs and closing its remaining 197 Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants to convert them into hotel rooms, though the company aims to reallocate a significant portion of the affected workforce into alternative roles.
- The five-star Landmark London hotel is launching a new 710-square-metre contemporary spa and 24-hour gym this July following a £4 million investment, designed to meet the growing demand for high-quality urban wellness experiences for both hotel guests and day visitors.
- The pool at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre will temporarily close over the summer for a major project to refurbish its changing rooms. South Kesteven District Council awarded Northdown Property Services Limited just under £93,000 to carry out repairs to the leisure facility.
- St Mary's Prep School in Henley will close at the end of the summer term after 100 years of education, merging into nearby Rupert House from September due to declining pupil numbers, with up to 50 students and 11 staff members transferring over.
- The Royal Agricultural University has received approval for a "UK first" Innovation Village extension at its Cirencester campus, designed to bring researchers, farmers, and food producers together under one roof to develop sustainable solutions for food production.
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