IT'S in one of the loveliest settings in the whole of South Gloucestershire and it's a familiar name to thousands of people all over the country - and overseas - who've been there on training courses.

Yet for a fair few local people, many of whom drive past it every day on the A38, the Eastwood Park Training and Conference Centre at Falfield remains something of a mystery.

"People often remark that they pass our sign every day and wonder what goes on up the long drive," says marketing director Tony Lee, chatting on the sunny terrace of the Victorian mansion at the heart of the operation - once an offshoot of the NHS but now an entirely independent enterprise.

"The fact is, we're already known nationally for running training courses for the people who keep UK hospitals and medical facilities running round-the-clock - people working behind the scenes in hospitals in areas like healthcare engineering and estates and facilities management."

These days, however, Eastwood Park offers more than just training and conference facilities.

Tony explains: "We have this wonderful stately home set in 200 acres of garden and meadows with breathtaking views over the Berkeley Vale and we want more people to enjoy it, particularly at weekends when the trainers and trainees have gone home.

"As well as corporate events and seminars for which we already have a growing customer base, it's also the perfect setting for other special events. "Running residential training courses means we have the kind of expertise and facilities perfectly suited to private hire for social functions, from weddings to dinner dances.

"Indeed, when it comes to wedding receptions it's fair to say we've got the lot - picturesque grounds, a charming terrace, a stained glass window staircase, really top quality catering and a team of staff used to providing high standards of service and attention. We also offer a complete event planning and management service.

"And although we're not a hotel as such, we have 69 en-suite rooms and can offer excellent overnight accommodation for friends and relatives."

Eastwood Park itself has had a variety of roles since the current mansion was built by MP Sir George Samuel Jenkinson back in the 1860s. The Government got its hands on the property in the 1930's when the Home Office moved in and turned it into a training establishment.

Cries of "turn that light out" echoed through the mansion during World War Two when it was an Air Raid Precautions School. Later it became a police training college before the Home Office took it over again for Civil Defence courses.

The seeds of its present day role were sown in 1969 when the estate passed to the Department of Health. The first courses for NHS engineering staff began running the following year and in the 1980s the centre became part of the NHS Training Authority (later the Training Directorate).

A landmark change occurred in 1997 when the operation left the Health Service and joined the private sector as part of the ICL empire. Last year, following a management buy-out, ownership passed to Eastwood Park Limited and its four directors including chief executive John Thatcher, whose own links with the centre go back 14 years to the NHS days.

"The buy-out has opened up so many opportunities," says John. "We can now operate Eastwood Park as a training provider in its own right rather than acting as a subsidiary of a large corporation. We're more streamlined and flexible and better focused than ever on proving the kind of training opportunities that today's organisations need, whether it's the NHS, local government or the private sector."

Today, the centre offers a bewildering array of courses which, for the NHS alone, covers the whole gamut of hospital maintenance operations from lift maintenance to water safety and includes highly specialised areas such as decontamination of medical equipment, management of medical gases and maintenance of bio-medical equipment.

Its range of laboratory facilities is second to none, including state-of-the-art equipment for training in all aspects of medical decontamination, so as to control infection and avoid the spread of Varient CJD (mad cow disease) in humans.

"We're providing the ideal environment for learning and study - away from the distraction of noise and urban bustle," said John. "And as well as running our own accredited courses, our resources can also be hired out to organisations, giving them the opportunity to run their own courses at the centre."

Meanwhile John, Tony and fellow directors Lin Hendy (Operations) and Pauline Oliver (Finance) are keen to maintain and, where necessary, improve the mansion itself and its lovely grounds.

"We're at the forefront of training but at the same time we're very conscious of the value and importance of the old mansion and we're committed to retaining its individuality" said John.

For further information on all aspects of the Eastwood Park training and conference centre, call 01454 260207 or visit www.eastwoodpark.co.uk