QUALITY AT HEART GOLD AWARDS FOR WOODLAND GRANGE
Woodland Grange, the 114 bedroom centre near Leamington Spa, has won the Quality at Heart Servicemark and Peoplemark Gold awards. The awards have gold, silver and bronze categories, and it is rare for any venue to achieve gold in its first application. Woodland Grange, which holds the ISO 9001/2000 quality management standard and the Investor In People award, is committed to a comprehensively disciplined approach to all aspects of the management of its business and its relationship with its customers. It is now seeking the ISO 14001 environmental standard as part of its corporate responsibility strategy and also intends to move forward to the ISO 18001 health and safety management standard - both highly structured and disciplined standards not normally sought by conference venues. "The Quality at Heart Awards require uniquely comprehensive evidence of relevant processes and achievements," explained Woodland Grange's Director of Operations David Vaughton; "The disciplines we have developed encouraged us to aim for the highest level of award, and we are proud to have achieved it." The Quality at Heart scheme has been devised to encourage tourism, leisure and hospitality operators in the Heart of England region to achieve the highest levels of quality. The Servicemark category focuses on excellence in customer service, and includes customer experience, communications with customers and response to feedback. The Peoplemark standard relates to how businesses invest in their staff, including recruitment and retention, training and development and induction and appraisal. Judging is based on demanding sets of written criteria. "It's a marvellous achievement for any organisation to secure our top awards at the first time of asking," commented Penny Hadland, Quality at Heart Project Manager. Woodland Grange intends to use the awards as a platform. "We know that this recognition will motivate us to raise our standards even higher," added David Vaughton. The Quality at Heart success comes close on the heels of Woodland Grange's Godiva Award as the 'Best Conference Venue' in the Coventry and Warwickshire region. The awards, now in their fourth year, are organised by CVOne, the body responsible for promoting business and tourism across the region.