ABOVE: Staff and visitors at two Shorefield Holiday resorts raised over £750 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Shorefield Holidays staged its own Bake Off-style coffee morning across two of its eight UK holiday parks to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. The events at Shorefield Country Park and Oakdene Forest Park were part of the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and raised £760.47 for the charity, which provides emotional, medical, practical and financial support for cancer patients and their families, as well as campaigning for better cancer care.
Juliet Dowrick, Digital Marketer at Shorefield Country Park, received the title of Best Baker on the day, while the Accounts Department won Best Department for its outstanding team effort. Harry Wells, Junior Graphic Designer & Marketer, and Katie Ward, Entertainment Manager, both received recognition for ‘Best Faker’ and ‘I Taste Better Than I Look’ respectively.
ABOVE, The Caravan and Motorhome club report bookings for autumn and winter are up by seven percent
Caravan and Motorhome Club members are continuing to embrace autumn and winter touring proving that caravanning and motorhomes are great holiday options no matter what time of year. Bookings for autumn and winter 2018 to 2019 were up seven per cent compared to the 2017 to 2018 season, and feedback from the Club’s recent social media polls show that its members think there is much to love about touring during the cooler and quieter months. Some 26 per cent of Club members questioned said they enjoyed the autumn colours and 22 per cent loved long walks on crisp bright days, with 35 per cent enjoying the quieter sites and attractions out of season. Nearly 20 per cent travelled out of season to appreciate the sheer beauty of the seasonal landscape. The resounding sentiment was that whilst members want to get out walking and visiting local attractions, many also love the warm and cosy feeling of being in their campervan, caravan or motorhome over the autumn and winter months, whatever the weather might throw at them.
Harvey Alexander, director of marketing for the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said: “Our members are an active and adventurous bunch so it’s no surprise that so many of them enjoy touring during autumn and winter, and we are striving to keep more and more of our sites open out of season to keep up with the demand. “It’s great to hear how our members all get away their way – whether that be curling up with a good book and a nice cuppa in a cosy motorhome or braving the chill and camping in a national park so they can spend the days walking and cycling. “I’ve especially enjoyed hearing the tips that our members have for getting away in the cooler months, not just the practicalities of being prepared, but the lovely feeling they have of being safe and warm inside their leisure vehicles and benefitting from the great facilities we have on our sites.” NEW SITE Meanwhile, work to develop a new campsite in the popular Sherwood Pines forest in Nottinghamshire will continue throughout the winter and spring, ahead of a planned opening during the 2020. The campsite will be run and managed by Camping in the Forest, a partnership between The Camping and Caravanning Club and Forestry England. It will span 20 acres of Forestry England woodland and brings the total number of Camping in the Forest Sites to 16 across England and Scotland.
ABOVE: Thomas Cook staff and families will be provided with no-cost stays including entertainment and attractions
Park Holidays UK has invited more than 600 Thomas Cook staff and their families to enjoy a weekend by the seaside. The holiday park group will pick up the accommodation tab in fully-equipped holiday homes for up to three nights, and will lay on free entertainment. Scene of the huge reunion party will be Broadland Sands Holiday Park, near Lowestoft, which the group is opening up especially for the event from November 8-11.
Park Holidays UK marketing director Geoff Barnes said it would be a chance for staff to swap memories and let their hair down after Thomas Cook suddenly went into liquidation in September. “As members of the holiday industry ourselves, we were also deeply saddened by the news and wanted to reach out to try and soften the blow in some way. “We thought the best way to help would be to open one of our most popular parks, Broadland Sands, for a long weekend and to offer free stays to staff and their partners and children. “Within one day of making the opportunity known to Thomas Cook staff, we were delighted to have taken bookings for all of the park’s 150-plus holiday homes,” says Geoff. “It means that we’ll be welcoming over 600 guests in total for between two and three nights, and we hope it will create a truly memorable experience for everyone. “I’m sure there will be some nostalgic moments, but overall we simply want all the Thomas Cook team, and especially the children, to share a very happy time,” added Geoff. As well as the free accommodation, guests will have use of all of Broadland Sand’s leisure facilities, including a recently opened £1.6 million swimming pool complex. Charges will also be waived on some other activities usually paid for by holiday guests, such as the climbing wall, adventure golf course and Segway Scooters. In addition, Park Holidays UK will be laying on a full no-cost entertainments programme in the park’s clubhouse featuring professional family-friendly acts.
ABOVE: More than 4,000 visitors are expected for this month’s Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show.
Underlining its reputation as one of the leading holiday park shows in Europe, this month’s Holiday Park Innovation aims to attract over 4,000 key decision makers in the industry to the NEC for its unmissable annual gathering. For added appeal, the event from November 6 to 7 inclusive, reinforces its recipe for success by running other rural shows alongside, including the Farm Business Innovation Show, Family Attraction Expo, and our launch show, the Leisure Food and Beverage Expo. The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show is dedicated to providing the country’s most ambitious holiday park and resort owners and managers with the best advice, services, and products to make their holiday business stand out from the rest. With 400 exhibitors and 170 seminars dedicated to the industry, it’s the perfect opportunity to create the idyllic getaway for your customers. Learn the latest industry knowledge and gain insight into the newest innovations and technology currently available. If the exhibitors themselves were not enough to pack your visit, over the two days, the organisers offer a tempting seminar programme backed by insightful speakers.
Take some time to visit the Keynote theatre from 11 am to 4 pm. On both days speakers will be covering topics as broad as Post-Brexit Tourism, Maximising the Natural Environment, and Busting Outdoor Accommodation Myths while Hoseasons’ Shelley D’Arcy discusses the benefits of using land for the holiday market. Three other theatres offer stand-out presentations from 11 am to 4 pm daily covering subjects as varied as holiday hot tubs, playground design, to water conservation. Look out for Vicky Parr, from Visit England, discussing ways of boosting your business for holiday makers in the UK while Dave Courteen of Mosaic Spa and Health Clubs will outline How to Create a Profitable On-Site Leisure. So what are you waiting for? Register for your free tickets via the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show website with your chance to see the show first hand.
ABOVE: The exhibition is supported by 170 seminars all targeting the holiday destination sector.
ABOVE: Event exhibitors offer the best advice, services, and products to ensure holiday businesses stand out from the crowd.
ABOVE: Some 400 exhibitors offer an insight into the newest innovations and technology currently available.
As the main media partner to the event, Holiday Park Scene is a B2B print and on-line magazine for the holiday park sector, earning itself a reputation as an essential read for anyone involved in holiday park management. Packed with fresh ideas and essential reading for anyone who runs or works in a holiday park the magazine is available on-line at www.holidayparkscene.com Holiday Park Scene offers the inside track on the latest market news and reports covering all aspects of holiday park management. Most importantly, Holiday Park Scene provides you with a targeted platform to promote your products and services across all areas of the UK and Eire holiday park sector. If you would like to get involved with this exciting publication, please don`t hesitate to visit the team at the show or make direct contact now, to help us understand how to make you stand out from the crowd.
Exhibition Showcase
British Holiday & Home Parks Association Tel. 01452 526911 Web. bhhpa.org.uk
