NIGHTCLUB owner and live music promoter Donald MacLeod and his management team at Hold Fast Entertainment Company will take on the running of a campsite on the shores of Loch Morlich in the Highlands.
Mr MacLeod and his team have established a dedicated outdoor business, Twinflower, which will start operating Glenmore campsite near Aviemore from December 1.
The management deal, announced by campsite owner Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), follows a competitive tendering process.
Mr MacLeod is the majority shareholder in Hold Fast Entertainment Company, which owns The Garage and Cathouse nightclubs in Glasgow and live music promotion business CPL.
Twinflower said: “The team are all outdoor enthusiasts and are keen to bring their extensive hospitality and leisure-operating experience to the sustainable family tourism market.”
It added that it was “committed to working with the local communities to enhance facilities and family-friendly experiences, and provide local economic benefits”.
Twinflower director Brian Fulton said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected to manage Glenmore campsite and we cannot wait to work in partnership with the local communities to enhance the site so that everyone can enjoy what it has to offer. Our team are passionate about tourism and Scotland’s unique natural environment, and we will work tirelessly to build a successful and sustainable family-friendly campsite and attraction for domestic and international visitors.”
READ MORE: Ian McConnell: Cat has critics’ tongues as SNP backing of Prestwick Airport pays off
He added: “We are fully signed up to FLS’s visitor strategy mission to look after Scotland’s forests and land, for the benefit of all, now and in the future, and look forward to taking Glenmore campsite to bigger and better things.”
READ MORE: Brexit: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s astounding take is beyond unsettling
FLS director of commercial development John Mair said: “There was strong interest in operating the Glenmore site from a wide range of organisations and businesses. Following a rigorous competitive tender process, Twinflower emerged as the strongest bid based on their proposed approach to community values, and an exciting and fully funded sustainable business plan.
“The team has extensive experience in running hospitality businesses and is active in a range of pursuits including hiking, climbing, cycling and Scouting, so have extensive experience of Scotland’s great outdoors.”
Twinflower plans an initial three-year investment programme likely to include a simplified booking system, additional play facilities and a new community hub, improved tent, caravan, and motorhome pitches, enhanced shower facilities, wifi connectivity and “sustainable measures to manage energy and waste”. This will be subject to consultation with nearby residents, community groups and businesses.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel