A fast-growing outdoor activities provider is aiming for a major expansion this summer as visitors flock to the spectacular coast and countryside of North West Wales.
Anglesey Adventures was relaunched five years ago under the ownership of Steve Miles and Lynn Ensoll and the lockdown restrictions have had a positive effect on the business which specialises in the wet and the wild.
Last year was a bumper one for the couple’s Holyhead enterprise with over 5,000 customers for their range of activities from sea kayaking and coasteering around the dramatic coastline of Anglesey to gorge-scrambling and mountaineering in Snowdonia.
They operate from their base in Porthdafarch Road, a few hundred yards from the sea, where they have invested in a new self-storage facilities from leading provider Denbigh-based Container Sales Centre.
The investment was prompted by their collaboration in the provision of activities for Anglesey Outdoors and Lynn is anticipating a 66 percent increase in numbers to over 8,000 this year.
It has meant the business, which uses qualified instructors and guides, to taken on an activities manager, Steve Daniels, to meet the demand.
She said:
“The new unit on site means we can now store much of our equipment, the kayaks, wetsuits and other gear, here where we are based.
“We’re expecting a really good year that could bring us up to 3,000 new customers and make us the biggest outdoor activities provider on Anglesey and one of the biggest in North Wales.
“We’re already much busier and having the new storage unit on site here where we are based makes life a lot easier because we have had to invest in lots of new kit.”
CSC Sales Consultant Lisa James, an outdoor activities enthusiast herself, said:
“It’s great to see a business like this doing so well by catering for the people who love the fantastic natural resources we have here in North Wales.
“Anglesey Adventures are right in the middle of the mountains and the sea and are ideally placed to provide fantastic experiences for all ages in a wonderful natural environment.
“Containers are versatile and ideal for so many different uses and we’re finding there has been a real surge in demand for them.
“An advantage of buying outright is that you can also paint the exterior to your own taste including having your company branding if you are launching your own business.
“Our units have been used to house a flight simulator and even as an indoor coffee bar and we can arrange delivery of containers up to 40 feet long and can also move units to different site locations.”
CSC specialises in the sale of new and used shipping containers ranging in size from 10-feet long up through 20-footers to 40-foot units, all eight feet high and eight feet wide, from 640 to 2,560 cubic feet in volume.
Lynn, originally from Stalybridge, near Manchester, has a background in business management while partner Steve Miles, from Holyhead, is a sea-kayaking coach which gives them the right blend of complementary skills.
She added:
“In the first lockdown things were very quiet but business has really picked up since then as people have learned just what wonderful facilities they have on their own doorsteps.
“We offer such a variety of activities that even if the weather takes a turn for the worse there will be something we can offer, especially at weekends when we cater for a lot of corporate groups as well as enthusiasts of all ages and skills.
“We use highly qualified, trained and experienced staff because safety is paramount and much of our work in the week is with local schools.
“Sea kayaking in particular is a big favourite and Anglesey with its amazing coastline has become a real Mecca for it with lots of locations to suit everyone including families and beginners.”
CSC supply a variety of containers including new wind and watertight, used wind and watertight and used in need of repair and prices range from £900 for small pre-used units needing repair through used wind and watertight units to new ones with the prices ranging between £2,000-£4,500 and delivery can be arranged to most places in the UK.
