CENTER Parcs is a vast holiday resort in the heart of Longleat Forest which welcomes around 400,000 visitors to its various attractions every year.

With so many families choosing to spend their hard earned cash on breaks at the resort, it’s vital that the 799 lodges, which house around 2,500 beds, are kept up to standard all year round to avoid disappointment.

This is a job for the 750-strong housekeeping team, whose hub is the ‘Bucket Room’ – a name which stems from the 400 buckets of cleaning equipment which line shelves from floor to ceiling.

Viv Westlake, 55, has been working as a housekeeper for 22 years and is one of the team’s supervisors.

She said: “I really enjoy working here, I love the people I work with and the general working environment.

“The work is really varied and I never know what to expect each shift.

“I really enjoy being outdoors and seeing so much wildlife. I once saw a muntjack deer giving birth when on shift which was quite extraordinary.

“It’s also a very rewarding job. We know that these families have worked hard and it could be their only holiday and therefore do our best to make sure they enjoy their stay.

"There's a real team ethic within the team. If someone has finished their shift and a colleague needs help with a big job, they will usually go over and help them before they go home.

“We really do go above and beyond to clean the lodges to the best of our ability and our customers appreciate that."

Housekeeping staff can either cycle from lodge to lodge or get ferried around by one of the land trains.

Before their shift, they get picked up from nearby towns by a fleet of 13 minibuses and taken Center Parcs free of charge - one of the perks Kirsty Clark enjoys about the job.

She said: “I’ve been working here for just under a year and I absolutely love it, it’s such a beautiful place to work.

“There are some fantastic perks, too. I come here with my family quite often when I’m not working and we enjoy the activities on offer.

“I have two children and they make sure that I can work around them which I really appreciate, I am definitely a valued member of staff.

"Cycling around all day is definitely another perk - until you meet a hill."