Blog. Spotlight on: Robin Hutson

Here at Hospitality Action we are always in awe of our amazing supporters, from championing Invisible Chips to taking part in our hellish virtual challenge, we love the creativity and enthusiasm shown on our behalf. Robin Hutson, CEO & Chairman of Lime Wood and THE PIG is one such top supporter. Always willing to go the extra mile, we recently caught up with Robin to learn why Hospitality Action means so much to him.

How has the pandemic changed Lime Wood and THE PIG hotel’s goals and priorities?

The past year has been a rollercoaster to say the least. I was amazed myself last year when we were opening up and shutting down again at the drop of a hat – who would have imagined that a year or so before, that we could easily do that? The past year has shown us how we can come together to adapt and overcome, which ultimately has brought us closer together as a business, not only within our teams but also to our guests. We aren’t out of the woods yet and still have some way to go until we can feel some certainty of normality, which means our goals and priorities are open to movement depending on the direction of the pandemic. However, even in the thick of this, our highest priority has always remained the people in our business and protecting their jobs, health and well-being – they are the spirit behind THE PIGs & Lime Wood.

What do you think are some of the best features of our ‘Employee Assistance Programme’?

It is very reassuring to know that our teams have this level of assistance available to them should they ever need it. A safety net in which if they find themselves facing any kind of hardship they are able to access 24/7 help - confidential and led by professionals. The accessibility to mental health support and counselling is proving more vital than ever unfortunately.

Why did you decide to support our #HellandBack challenge?

Across THE PIGs and Lime Wood, we have always appreciated the fantastic work Hospitality Action do for our industry. In the past, many of our team members have benefitted from their help and support over the years; and you never know when any of us may need their assistance. We were aware of how active councillors have been throughout the pandemic, many people have struggled with mental health since the beginning. The COVID-19 crisis has triggered a real threat to the future of our industry - businesses have closed, thousands of jobs have been lost and countless careers are hanging in the balance. Hospitality is all about taking care of people, but over the past year, the people who are amazing at looking after others have been some of the hardest hit, so we really felt that it was now our turn to take care of them!

What did the team get up to?

I’m incredibly proud of the effort (and creativity!) put in by our teams during the challenge. We saw brilliant participation everywhere, whether it was simply switching their drive to work for a bike ride in every day… to full commitment to events planned throughout the week. Some of our highlights include: Tour de Pig (a static bike ridden solidly for 9 hours), ‘swim the channel’ water sports day (13 miles covered by kayak, paddle board and even an inflatable flamingo!), 72 holes of golf over 14 hours, Team PIG vs Team PIG on the beach 5 a-side football match - and lots of interesting supplier trips such as trekking to Castlewood vineyard, stopping at Blackberry Honey, ending at Beer Beach to meet the fishing boat! Fiona Moores, (Regional Director for The Pigs) headed up the challenge week – and led by example, cycling from THE PIG-at Combe to THE PIG-near Bath – and I managed to run the distance of a marathon over the week!

What do you have planned for the future?

As we have all experienced, it’s difficult to plan too far in advance at this point in time. We hope to remain open and keep doing what we do best – delivering great hospitality! Our summer festival, Smoked & Uncut, which we hold across a handful of THE PIGs and Lime Wood each year will (fingers crossed) be going ahead as normal in 2022. In the meantime Smoked & Uncut will be heading east for the first time ever with a warm up ‘pop-up’ festival at THE PIG-at Bridge Place this August, where we’ll be joined by Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Over the coming months we’ll be holding smaller gatherings and garden parties to celebrate our local suppliers with our supportive guests, in line with the latest Government guidance. At THE PIGs we always have something up our sleeve… keep your eyes open for some exciting updates as we move into 2022.

Fundraising for Hospitality Action enables staff to feel connected to wider organisational CSR goals whilst boosting employees’ moral all while raising funds for a great cause. If your business would like to get involved please get in touch.