Year of Young People at Red Deer Village

Young People Taking the Helm at Red Deer Village with Professional, Industry Relevant Qualifications, Coupled with Hands-on Experience
John and Leah Louise get ready to continue excellence in the industry as part of the Year of Young People.
Visit Scotland Year of Young People
Scotland is celebrating the current Visit Scotland Year of Young People. The family owners of Red Deer Village at Stepps are highlighting the role played by its next generation’s role in managing and growing the business.
The five star residential park is home to eighty five residents across fifty five luxury park homes, which brothers John and Ivan Hendry have owned for fourteen years.
The Students
Ivan’s son and John’s daughter, John Jr, 18, and Leah Louise, 17, are currently a year into completing a Foundation Degree in Tourism Park Management. The course is setting them up with industry relevant skills and qualifications. As a result, it will stand them in good stead for when they eventually inherit the business. The course is operated by Kingston Maurward College in association with Bournemouth University in Dorset.
The Course
Students are required to cover four modules a year. Topics include, for example, marketing, finance, health and safety, research skills, business planning and strategy and biodiversity. John and Leah Louise are used to working daily at Red Deer Village and Red Deer Village Holiday Park. More importantly, the learning is carried out both online and at different parks across the country. Therefore, students can gain an insight into other businesses in their sector by visiting the parks.
Students’ Words
Leah Louise said: “We are really enjoying this course. The topics we cover are very relevant to our day to day tasks. We’ve already visited several other parks such as Highlands End, Salop Leisure and Drimsynie Estate Holiday Village in the Highlands. It’s lovely to see the other parks, and learn more how they are run. However, we also enjoy meeting other young people working there. Some of the parks are family businesses just like ours.”
Director’s Words
“I am very proud of how Leah Louise and John are combining all this learning with the everyday roles here. They cover everything from sales, to administration tasks, to marketing and covering social media at Red Deer Village,” said John Hendry. “This qualification will stand them in good stead for the future. I am sure they will want to put their own mark on the business as the years go by. It’s an excellent idea to have a Year of Young People – we employ a number of them on the park and they cannot be faulted for enthusiasm. Our residents are all suitably young at heart anyway!”