Robinwood Activity Centres

Our Mission/Vision

Mission: To develop children as individuals and as members of a team, with safety, enjoyment and learning as our priorities. Vision: To make a really positive difference in developing children.

Company Information

“CRY ‘HAVOC’ AND let slip the dogs of war,” an employee at Robinwood Activity Centre wrote on the company website’s “staff insights” section after a tag archery team-building day. This business runs residential activity courses for primary school children and the gung-ho team leaders practise what they preach.

Founded in 1993 by managing director Martin Vasey, this operation is based at three activity centres — two near the head office in Todmorden, Lancashire, and a third in Alston, Cumbria. Members of the 256-strong workforce are young, with a third of employees aged 21 to 25 and only a fifth upwards of 35. They teach children aged seven to 11 through adventurous problem-solving activities such as caving and raft-building, along with the team challenges Piranha Pool and Dungeon of Doom.

People love working for this organisation, an 85% positive score on this measure, ranking it fourth among mid-size enterprises, and consider that it is run on strong values (88%, sixth). What makes this operation unbeatable, employees say, is the fairness of pay compared with similar jobs in equivalent organisations (84%, first).

The most common role, group leader, typically earns an average salary of £15,371 plus £900 in bonuses. Contracts are permanent and year-round, whether full- or part-time; promotions are made from within the ranks; most school holidays are time off; and the business even throws in a house purchase assistance scheme.

www.robinwood.co.uk