Meet the Team
Clive Sykes
Founder
Cut Clive in half, like a bar of rock, and he’d have tourism running right through him. Clive’s mother, Barbara, ran a small hotel in the Yorkshire Dales and let holiday cottages since the ‘70s. And it was with Barbara’s help that Clive set up Sykes Cottages in 1991.
Clive moved to Cheshire in the late ‘90s, and with his wife, Lynne, they built their business into the country’s leading holiday cottage agency. Having sold Sykes Cottages to a private equity firm, Clive remained as chair until 2019, when the company was sold again.
Come the first lockdown in 2020, Clive and Lynne decided to create another holiday cottage company solely for their personal portfolio of cottages. And, so, Catch the Breeze was born.
Clive, Lynne and their family continue to holiday in the UK, often spending time on the Northumberland coast or the Yorkshire Dales. Holidays find the Sykes family cycling, coasteering, paddle boarding and playing tennis and not buying bars of rock, ironically.
Sally Chapman
PA and Estate Manager
Sally is a real sorter, responsible for the everyday running of the holiday properties. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or refurbishments, she oversees the work personally. And when she’s not looking after the current portfolio, she can be found scouting out the next potential renovation project.
Having spent 21 years at luxury tour operator Elegant Resorts, culminating in becoming Executive Director to the MD, Sally was the ideal person to help Clive and Lynn set up Catch the Breeze Retreats.
Cheshire-girl born and bred, Sally loves the great outdoors, whether it’s walking, horse riding or belting her lungs out pitch-side in support of England rugby union or Sale Sharks.
Sally adores the Northumbrian coastline and its ever-changing seascape, and she believes it can rival the Seychelles or Caribbean on a bright day. And with 21 years spent at a Caribbean holiday specialist, she should know.
Tara Taylor
Guest Relations Manager
Tara left school at sixteen and went straight into a job in a travel agency. And she loved it. She’s spent the last thirty years in the tourism industry, most of which she worked for luxury tour operators.
Tara joined Catch the Breeze Retreats as Guest Relations Manager in September 2021. She revels in talking with the guests and ensuring that they have a wonderful holiday. And when she’s not talking holidays, she’s going on them. A keen traveller, Tara loves to explore both abroad and the UK. Her favourite places are Portugal, the Caribbean, and Dubai, but she loves Northumberland and North Wales.
A North Wales girl by birth, she lives just a stone’s throw over the border in Chester, with her husband, Simon, who she met at school. The pair have a son, Noah, and are very close to her two older sisters and five nieces and nephews.
She loves the 80’s, especially the films and the music. From that point onwards, it was all about the travel.