Winning the Extra Mile Category
Alex, Vanessa, Izzy, Billy (and Oona the friendly dog), took the reins of the then Bodiam Ferry Company in 2012, developing the business along with Lime Wharf Cafe. HIP interviewed their general manager, Charlie Abrahams, at the awards ceremony to find out more about the business and what winning the Extra Mile category means to him.
“It’s lovely to be commended for it [Extra Mile] as we do work hard: it’s true that we go above and beyond,” he says. “We also got ‘highly commended’ [in the People First category] for looking after our staff, which is great.
“Fifty young people work for us and a lot of them come back every year. Some people start when they’re just 15 working at the weekend, then go to uni and come back in the summer. They progress from things like washing up to organising and running the boating. It’s a really happy atmosphere. We organise social nights, and everyone gets fed on their shift,”
Charlie explained that his background was in theatre, but “that all stopped during the pandemic”. Then, in 2022, by chance, his mother-in-law showed him a Facebook post about Bodiam Boating Station looking for someone to join a family-run business. “It sounded like a really good atmosphere.”
He applied with his wife, Daisy, as Alex and Vanessa were looking for a management couple – and got the job. “I haven’t looked back. It was a ray of sunshine.” As the job came with accommodation, they live on site, “It’s obviously really good for us as we’re thinking about starting a family, and it’s a lovely area to be in. And we have a campsite so I’m also there in case of an emergency.
Daisy has her own work but manages to run the social media, work the Sunday shift and join in with other duties.
Asked what he had brought to the business Charlie said, “Hopefully I’ve continued making sure the staff are well looked after – they’re lovely staff and friendly people. I bought in a lot more staff and built on social events such as quiz nights and the popular retro gaming.
Charlie described his outlook on the business as “definitely aligned” with the vision of the owners, Alex and Vanessa , which is clearly important. “They literally built the place; they care about it a great deal. It’s like they have two human children and then another child.”
It sounds like a place worth visiting this summer.
For more information on 1066 Business awards 2025, Let’s do Business, and this years winners please visit letsdobusinessgroup.co.uk/latest-news/1066-business-awards-2025
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