Summary
Located at a site with a long history within the local community, Langdale Leisure Ltd is deeply committed to being a community leader within the Lake District. Leading efforts in regeneration, tourism and conservation, Langdale Leisure understands that their future as a business is directly related to the economic success of the region in which they do business.

Background
Langdale has a turnover of approximately £5-£5.5 million per year. It employs on average 200 people. Its balance sheet stands at between £3.3 and £3.5 million. It has five separate divisions: Timeshare, Hotel & Country Club (including two restaurants), Management Company, Wainwrights' Inn and a new division called Langdale Worldwide which acts as a consultant and sales agent for other timeshare resorts.

How they do it

• Lake District Tourism & Conservation Partnership The LDT&C Partnership was formed in 1993 and the Langdale Estate was the first commercial member. Together, they developed the first Opt-In scheme to raise funds to pay for a full-time footpath repairman working for the National Trust. Today, this award-winning partnership has over 140 members and runs a number of successful Opt-In and Opt-Out schemes that have raised over £500,000 for various environmental projects. The Langdale project itself has raised almost £100,000. The Partnership have recently launched a new website working with the National Trust and Lake District National Park Authority to raise funds for footpath repair. For every pound raised, the project will receive £2 from European funding.

• The Langdale Valleys Initiative Network (LINK) was formed as a result of the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. The Estate used its own resources to create and launch this Initiative that united all businesses as well as anyone living or working in the Valleys to work together to reduce the impact of this crisis. We put in successful bids for funding that paid for the website, printing and distribution of the first promotional leaflet, as well as funding to pay for the continuation of the free 'walks and talks' programme that was created when alternatives to walking the fells were needed to entertain guests and locals alike. This Initiative is now tackling other issues such as a playground for local children, the provision of an Interpretation Centre in local woodlands, and, through the Ambleside and District Chamber of Trade obtaining Government funding to provide Broadband access to the area.

• Staff involvement in other community groups. Managing Director David Banks has taken the lead in our approach to community activities, encouraging members of staff at all levels to become involved in various local organisations. Examples are: Langdale's Sales & Marketing Director, Fredericka Johns is Vice Chairman of the Ambleside Chamber of Trade; Grounds staff have been very active in the past, working with the Red Cross and various local Millennium projects; and David Banks personally headed up this years key project, to help raise funds for 35 students from Kirkby Kendal school who are volunteering to go to the British Honduras in 2005. The students will help Operaton Wallacea study the biodiversity of the Cusuco National Park to ensure the survival of this nearly untouched rain forest. This project is in response to one of the Lake District's major problems today of young people leaving the area - an interest in National Parks and conservation is a great way to help retain committed people to the area.

Business Benefits

• Customer loyalty. Those who work in this very special corner of England do so often because this is where they want to be. Many are passionate about it, as are the visitors to the area. By carrying on the long tradition of putting something back into the community, Langdale recognised that true PR value is in the relationships built between the business and its customers and now its shareholders.

• Staff loyalty. By encouraging staff to get involved in the community and actively supporting the groups and charities' staff, members personally care about, Langdale has increased staff loyalty and satisfaction.

• Increased business. Never more evident than during the FMD crisis when the Estate sent over 100,000 emails and tens of thousands of newsletters asking our customers to visit the Valleys and spend money even though they could not walk in the fells they love. They did and repeat business trebled. When we asked them to send their friends, they did and business derived from 'word of mouth' trebled.

This company has achieved the CommunityMark standard