Born into the business: taking it into the future

Sharing Experience: Kiera Goymour, Applewood Countryside Park and Applewood Hall

Growing up at Banham Zoo – then owned and run by my parents, Martin and Caroline Goymour – some of my earliest memories are of feeding baby marmosets and selling ice cream.

Today, I run two of the family group’s businesses: Applewood Hall and Applewood Countryside Park. We host an average of 35 weddings every year, as well as events ranging from corporate meetings and conferences, to proms, charity dinners and awards. We also welcome over 8,000 guests annually to our holiday park, for both camping and glamping in a variety of pods and cabins.

For me, the key to success is a strategy for both businesses that gives our entire team a clear plan for the future, while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to market demand and industry standards.

Continuous improvement

Keeping one step ahead of the competition is essential, and where possible we like to work with local businesses.

This year we invested £150,000 in our new Apple Harvest Adventure Play for campsite guests, working on the design and build with Norfolk-based specialists, CAP.CO. And for the events business, we have made practical improvements, like the addition of canvas sails in the walled garden – from Ipswich-based Sail Medic – so that our guests have more outdoor space to enjoy in all weathers.

We have also worked with another local business on a full brand refresh. Naked Marketing, based in Hingham, has formulated a new joint logo that encompasses both brands, and they have developed a colour palette for us that reflects our natural surroundings and fresh approach.

Finding the balance

As the director of two businesses, and the mother of a young son (recently turned two), I am constantly pulled in different directions. It’s particularly tough over the summer months, when wedding season combines with the school summer holidays!

At the same time, it’s always good to see the campsite at its busiest and the venue in regular use, and also to get external recognition for our hard work. In 2024, Applewood Countryside Park won ‘Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year’ at the 2023-2024 East of England Tourism Awards. Now we’re aiming to have Applewood Hall recognised in a similar way.

I’m also a big fan of building partnerships. Earlier this year we hosted our first ‘Sunset Social’, in collaboration with Naked Marketing, SLM Toyota and Florentina Events. Tapping into the different networks of those companies gave us the opportunity to showcase what we do and how we do it.

And, going full circle, Banham Zoo still plays a significant role in what we do at Applewood. It adds a distinctive angle to our offering – whether that’s greeting the giraffes as newlyweds, or taking animal-mad kids on a full day out just two minutes from your tent.

Of course, in all these things, structure, strategy and flexibility are key.