Our competition for a two-night stay at the Springfield Country Hotel Leisure Club & Spa received an unprecedented response as more than 600 people answered correctly the year in which the venue’s leisure club was launched – it was 1992.
“It is serendipity,” said our lucky winner Liz Ballance when we phoned to share the good news. “We held our wedding reception at the hotel in 1996.”
Liz said: “We are thrilled and so fortunate to be able to celebrate our 30th anniversary with a trip down memory lane. It was a wonderful surprise. Thank you.”
Liz and her husband Phil, a teacher, married in the summer of 1996, at St Peter’s Church in Parkstone.
Liz said: “Following the ceremony, we held our wedding breakfast at The Springfield Country Hotel in Stoborough. It was the most joyous celebration, surrounded by our family and friends, and the perfect setting for everyone to relax and mingle in the grounds of the hotel, followed by an evening of dancing and music. The management and staff at the hotel went out of their way to make the most special day of our lives such a memorable one.
“In time, we relocated to Dorset to be nearer to my family and to escape the hubbub of city life. Our two wonderful boys made our family complete. As keen walkers, and with my love of photography, the beautiful views that are unique to the Isle of Purbeck hold a special place in our hearts and remind us why we chose to celebrate our wedding in the area.”
Liz lost her beloved father to Covid at the height of the pandemic and turned to Cruse Bereavement Support. Liz is now a volunteer on the Cruse Bereavement National Helpline.
The luxury, two-night stay with breakfast for two, with full use of the leisure facilities and a spa treatment at this country Purbeck gem was an extremely attractive prize.
John Osmond, the general manager of the hotel, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Liz and Phil have won the competition and we look forward to welcoming them back to the hotel when they intend to celebrate their 30th anniversary in August this year.”