PGL (company)
 PGL logo |
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| Traded as | PGL |
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| Industry | Holidays |
| Founder(s) | Peter Gordon Lawrence |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
| Area served | United Kingdom, Spain, France |
| Services | Holiday camps and activities |
| Owner(s) | Holidaybreak PLC |
| Website | www.pgl.co.uk |
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PGL Travel Ltd. is a company established in 1957 and is a provider of school activity courses and summer camps for children in the United Kingdom.[1] It is a part of the Holidaybreak group.
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[edit] Overview
PGL takes its name from the initials of its founder - Peter Gordon Lawrence - who started leading canoe trips down the River Wye in 1957. The initial market was young adults but during the early years PGL established a key position in the organised school group travel market. Sadly Peter Lawrence died in 2004 following complications with a heart condition.
The company was sold in 2007 to Holidaybreak Plc[2] and formed the first part of the Holidaybreak 'Education Division'.
As of the beginning of the 2010 season, PGL has 21 centres in the UK, 2 centres in Spain, 10 centres in France, contracts with numerous ski resorts and 'Action Stations' at Eurocamp in France and 'Go Active' at 7 Pontins sites located in the UK.(Prestatyn, Southport, Blackpool, Camber, Brean,Pakefield). Some of the largest centres are Boreatton Park (Shropshire) and Caythorpe Court (Lincolnshire).
The purchase in 2005 of 3D Education and Adventure, their biggest competitor, gave the company two more centres on the south coast, one on the Isle of Wight and a contract with Pontins to provide children's activities on their sites.
PGL's largest area of business is school trips and educational travel. These range from activity and adventure trips to subject focussed trips (Science, ICT, Maths, Field Studies and French Language courses are all offered).
[edit] Holidays
During the UK school terms PGL mainly offers school and youth group holidays, as well as birthday parties and day trips. Outside of the UK school terms PGL also offers family and child-only summer camps.
Holidays cost between £200 and £600 depending on the length of stay, and type of holiday. The most popular holiday run is the "Multi-Activity" where guests get to sample a range of activities. Specialist holidays are also run, these are listed below
- Adrenaline Adventure (10-16)
- Climbing Adventure
- Dance (10-16)
- Film Making (10-16)
- Indiana Jones (7-13)
- Kayaking (13-16)
- Leadership Challenge (13-16)
- Learner Driver (13-16)
- Mission Spy (7-13)
- Motorsports
- Motorsports Pro (13-16)
- Music Studio (13-16)
- Photography Adventure (10-16)
- Pony Trekking and Riding
- Surfing (13-16)
- Video Games Workshop (10-16)
- Wellbeing (13-16)
- Wet and Wild (13-16)
- Wild Wheels (13-16)
- Xtreme Adventure (13-16)
Some of these are available at a variety of centres, others only at one of two.
The UK centres are Barton Hall (Devon), Boreatton Park (Shropshire), Caythorpe Court (Lincolnshire), Liddington (Wiltshire), Beam House (Devon), Court Farm (13-16 YO) and Hillcrest (10-13YO)(Herefordshire), Dalguise (Perthshire), Little Canada (Isle of Wight), Marchants Hill (Surrey), Osmington Bay (Dorset), Treygoyd (Powys), Windmill Hill (Sussex) and Winmarleigh Hall (Lancashire).
[edit] Abroad
PGL has centres in France and Spain for School and other youth groups. These offer both activity and educational holidays.
During the winter they offer a school ski programme in resorts across France, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland and the USA.
PGL pioneered Canoe camping holidays in the Ardèche River and staff developed the modern folklore tale of Harry Willis and the round river.
[edit] PGL Name Variations
The variations include the Tongue-in-cheek 'Parents Get Lost.' See PGL'S view here on their webpage Other variations on PGL are 'Pretty Good Looking,' referring to PGL staff and 'Pathetic Geography Lessons.' During the 1990s a popular variation included 'Please Give Lollies.'
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
- The Independent
- Article from thisismoney
- BBC news article
- Article from Guardian in 2003
- Article from The FT on acquisition by Cox & Kings
