Elmley Nature Reserve offers guests a unique overnight experience: stay in luxury and wake up in the wilderness! Based in the south of Sheppey, the business offers more than just accommodation, giving guests an extraordinary opportunity to commune with nature; as well as experiencing luxuries such as massage treatments.
The venue also offers a variety of events ranging from yoga retreats to weddings and corporate getaways. Director Georgina Fulton explained about the type of customer that would come to stay at Elmley: “Our customers are extraordinarily diverse, we have everyone from local Sheppey residents to people travelling from across the globe. Our customers could be anyone of any age; I would say that they are actually defined more by their attitudes than by demographics. We target customers who have an interest in the unique and the authentic; those who want to try new things and value genuine experiences, high quality services and have an interest in sustainability and the environment.”
Elmley Nature Reserve is a 3,300-acre National Nature Reserve and the only family-owned and managed National Nature Reserve in the whole of the UK. It is also the only National Nature Reserve in the UK where you can spend the night or get married in.
Georgina and Gareth, her husband and co director, are deeply committed to the local community, and have taken a Not-For-Profit approach to ensuring that all can enjoy the Nature Reserve. She explained: “The Nature Reserve is open to the public 6 days a week. This is operated by a separate Community Interest Company, which we administer voluntarily, with a team of dedicated local volunteers. We took the decision not to make day visits to the Nature Reserve a profit-making arm of the business. This means that all the funds received for day visits go directly back to managing the Nature Reserve facilities.”
Georgina and Gareth are hoping that their business will get the recognition they feels that it deserves at the 2019 Swale Business Awards: “We have always had a clear and determined vision of the experience we wanted to create and our targets for this. Having known Elmley for many years we were convinced of the incredibly special nature of the place. With our strong belief in Elmley we stuck to our vision and are incredibly proud to be welcoming high earning and influential guests from across the UK. This includes national journalists and social media influencers who then also go on to explore Sheppey and Swale. Even though Elmley covers 3,300 acres, it is amazing how many guests had no idea that the Nature Reserve existed. Overnight stays immerse guests in nature in a new way, and as we have designed the accommodation to be attractive in its own right, many of our guests had no knowledge or even no interest in UK wildlife before their visit!”
Elmley Nature Reserve
Kingshill Farm
Elmley Nature Reserve
Sheerness
ME12 3RW
07582414585
www.elmelynaturereserve.co.uk