In the UK, we’ve welcomed Natalie Wyeth to our Guest Service Team, providing much-needed extra support for Matt and Kirsty—along with the added challenge of keeping me organised! Natalie joins us from a global travel management company in the corporate travel sector.
Natalie started working at Spring Harvest Holidays on the 3rd December 2024 and has already embraced team life. She studied travel, tourism and business at college and university. Natalie then worked for a UK-based caravan and camping organisation, moving on to work in client management in corporate business travel. Coming from the global corporate travel sector she wanted a different challenge and pace of life and so feels very blessed and happy to be in this role which ticks many boxes whilst utilising her skills and experience.
Natalie attends church in the local parish of West Weald in a small village outside of Haywards Heath, West Sussex. She was baptised last year which was an amazing experience! And very much enjoy playing a part in her local community and getting to know different people through church by attending church event/socials. In her spare time, she enjoys walking in nature, cinema, eating out with friends, travel and has two British shorthair cats that are doted on!
Natalie is very much looking forward to her continued experience within a fantastic and supportive team. She hopes to speak with those of you calling our team during the coming months and over the season, booking and welcoming you to LPO.
Many of you will have spoken to her if you’ve been in touch recently. You may notice that I refer to the Guest Service Team rather than Customer Service Team—that’s because we see you as guests, and we feel this warmer, friendlier term better reflects the role of our team, who work so hard to book your holidays, sort travel, and ensure everything is in place for an amazing experience.
It’s been brilliant to see so many of you booking in already—the team has 748 bookings so far! Our fantastic marketing team has been busy showcasing everything that makes Spring Harvest Holidays special. If you haven’t seen our new advert yet, make sure you check it out [click here]—it’s a little slice of summer, much needed during these winter months!
Exciting Plans for 2025
We’ve also been hard at work inviting speakers and worship leaders to join us in 2025. As dates are finalised and bios updated, we’re keeping the website refreshed with the latest details. Alongside all your favourite theme weeks, we’re thrilled to introduce a brand-new special week: Home Education Week. We’ve noticed that many home-educating families join us in June, so we’ve invited experienced home educators Anna and Andrew Holland to help us shape an exciting programme.
With Toddler Week and Creative Week bookending Home Education Week, we’re exploring the possibility of providing morning activities for all our under-18s during these weeks. If you’re a home-educating family and not tied to school holidays, keep an eye on our social media and website for updates on what’s in store!
Improvements at Le Pas Opton
Meanwhile, over in France, Dave and the team have been busy maintaining the site and making improvements. Four new Pinewood mobile homes have been installed, each with a deck and lots more is planned ahead of the season starting.
Dave and I recently visited Salon Atlantica, a huge exhibition for campsite providers, where I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the latest mobile home designs from various companies—my head is now buzzing with ideas for the next round of investment in our accommodation! While there, we also finalised our order for new tables and chairs for the bar and terrace, ensuring we continue to enhance the heart of the site.
Join Our Volunteer Team
Across both the UK and France, our teams have been working hard to recruit this year’s volunteers. We’ve had an incredible response, with over 100 applications for animateurs (who run our programmes) and bénévoles (who help with the many roles that keep the holidays running smoothly). Applications for animateurs are now closed while we review and allocate roles. However, if you’re still interested, do let us know—we may reopen applications if spaces remain, and we’d love to consider you for future years.
We’re still recruiting for our bénévole team, though! If you’re interested in volunteering, take a look at our new volunteering brochure to learn more about each role and hear from those who’ve enjoyed serving with us before. With short- and long-term opportunities available—including accommodation and food—volunteering is a fantastic way to enjoy the Vendée sunshine while supporting our ministry.
We’re also looking for a seasonal Programme Manager to help deliver our spiritual programme, as well as our sports and entertainment activities. This is a key role, and we’d really value your prayers as we seek the right person to join us this summer. Click here for more details.
Annual General Meeting – Get Involved!
Spring Harvest Holidays is run by our French non-profit organisation, Association Le Pas Opton. If you’re a lead booker or have been part of our team, you are automatically a member of the Association, and we’d love for you to be involved in our Annual General Meeting.
Each year, we gather to share our plans for the coming season. In line with French legislation, our membership must vote on each member of the Conseil (a team drawn from the wider membership to oversee the Association’s work). This year, we have some key updates and important decisions to make as we prayerfully work together to deliver the vision of Spring Harvest Holidays and seek God’s blessing for all who visit Le Pas Opton.
The AGM will be held online on the 19th March 2025 at 7pm UK time/8pm FR time and all members will receive an invitation. We hope you can join us!
Thanks for being part of our Spring Harvest Holidays community—we can’t wait to welcome you back to Le Pas Opton soon!