Alistair Handyside MBE – Board Member

Alistair is the Executive Chair of the Professional Association of Self-Caterers UK (PASC UK). He owns the award winning Higher Wiscombe holiday cottages with his wife Lorna. In 2020/21, Higher Wiscombe won Best Self Catering in both the Visit Devon Tourism Awards and at the SW Tourism Excellence Awards and have previously won Gold twice at the Visit England National Tourism.

Alistair was instrumental in the successful establishment of the SW Tourism Alliance, which he also Chairs, believing a unified voice for the South West was critical when lobbying for the region, and that some key services could be maintained by the private sector. Alistair is also the former Chairman of the South West Coast Path, is the former Chair and now a non-exec Director of Premier Cottages, a Director at the national Tourism Alliance and Vice Chairman of the East Devon AONB.

Alistair was awarded the MBE in the June 2018 Queens Honours list for services to tourism in the South West.

Beth Bailey – Board Member

After a 20-year career in investment banking in the City of London, Beth finally saw the light and moved to Cornwall.  With husband Hugh, she established the multi-award winning Kernock Cottages in South East Cornwall, which has won Gold in both the Cornwall and the South West Awards for both dog-friendly business of the year and accessible tourism, as well as awards for sustainable tourism and self-catering provider of the year.

Beth is also the Chair and Marketing Director for Premier Cottages, a membership cooperative for independent operators of luxury graded self-catering accommodation around the UK, who get together to jointly promote themselves, while maintaining independence from the agency sector.  She is also an Ambassador for Cornwall, and a passionate promoter of accessible tourism.  For a number of years, she has also been a judge in the regional tourism awards in the South West.

Lorna Handyside – Board Member

After university Lorna’s first job was in Brighton working for a company arranging placements for contract computer programmers before gaining experience as a technical sales representative for a company manufacturing plastic extruded mouldings mainly for the automotive industry.

A stint in the City of London followed, initially working for the London Stock Exchange during The Big Bang deregulation, then Quotron and Finally BT’s Dealer Board Telephony Division.

Marriage and three children then saw Lorna establishing an art publishing business, chairing local volunteer groups, and standing in a District Council election.

Project managing a stunning barn conversion in Northamptonshire gave Lorna the experience and knowledge to do the same, on a much bigger scale. The purchase and renovation of Higher Wiscombe, a run-down farm in East Devon and converting the property in 2003 and running it as the award-winning business it is today.

In addition to her work for PASC UK she has continued to volunteer locally having previously held a variety of roles such as Chair of a school specializing in Asperger’s and Autism and locally as a Governor at a local school.

Jess Vellacott – Board Member

Jess has been involved in the self-catering industry for over 25 years. She owns Sleeps12, specialising in luxury large group holiday houses in the UK. Whilst she and her husband Ashley rented out their own home, Jessica spent 2 years researching the UK holiday market, discovering a gap for premium large group accommodation with top rate facilities. They added 3 properties to their land in Somerset, a forward-thinking decision that led to fellow farmers and friends asking for help and advice with letting or developing their properties for holidays. Jessica set up an agency which evolved to become Sleeps12 in 2008. 

The company continues to grow, offering an award-winning collection of large group holiday properties. It’s a brand you can trust; the very reliable team in the office provide all-round expert advice and support, working closely with owners and even advising on new builds right from the planning stages. The business runs a user-friendly website on their own efficient platform, which is also available to other holiday cottage owners. 

Dan Harrison – Board Member

Dan has been the Commercial Director of Classic Cottages since September 2020. Classic Cottages is a family-owned holiday letting agency that’s been in the business since 1977. Classic market over 1,300 self-catering holiday homes across England and Wales. Dan also sits on the board of Sapphire Holidays Limited, the parent company of Aspects Holidays, Boutique Retreats, Classic Cottages, and Unique Hideaways.  Before becoming director, Dan held the position of Group Financial Controller for four years. 

In 2016, Dan swapped the hustle and bustle of Manchester for the serene landscapes of Cornwall. Prior to that, he spent several years working with large accountancy firms in Manchester, specialising in audit and commercial finance. He qualified as a chartered accountant back in 2009.

His experience in the field of accountancy is not confined to practice alone, but also extends to roles he held at AstraZeneca and an international manufacturing company. During his tenure at the latter, he was a part of the UK senior leadership team.