Camping Boost For Happy Kids

Posted on June 24, 2015

Camping Boost For Happy Kids

Camping has a positive impact on children’s lives according to new research by The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Children who camp in the great outdoors at least once a year do better at school and are healthier and happier. Those are the findings of a UK study carried out by the Institute of Education at Plymouth University and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Parents and children around the UK were asked a series of questions which looked at the educational, psychological and social benefits of the camping experience to children of all ages.

More than four out of five parents thought camping had a positive effect on their children’s school education. 98 per cent of parents said camping makes their kids appreciate and connect with nature; while 93 per cent felt that it provided useful skills for later life.

Sue Waite, associate professor at the Plymouth Institute of Education said: “Interestingly, the parents surveyed believed camping supported the key curriculum subjects of geography, history and science and actually, that stacks up because the most common camping activities were natural – such as rock pooling and nature walks – where children were getting to understand ecosystems and identify lifeforms, respecting nature and the environment.”

Parks Urged To Become Living Wage Accredited

Posted on June 10, 2015

A Cornish park has become the first in the UK to be accredited as a Living Wage employer.

Parks Urged To Become Living Wage Accredited

Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Cornwall has become Britain’s first holiday park to be an accredited Living Wage employer and is urging other parks to follow suit.

Park director Patrick Langmaid believes that such a move is the perfect way for any business to demonstrate its social responsibility. “Our decision to pay the Living Wage, currently set at £7.85 per hour outside London, will add around £12,000 a year to our annual wage bill in the future,” says Patrick.

According to the industry’s trade body, the British Holiday & Home Parks Association, Mother Ivey’s is leading the way in becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation. Around 1,100 other businesses of all types in the UK have already signed up to the organisation.

“I strongly believe there is more to business than short-term profits and that long-term interests are most often best served by looking beyond the balance sheet,” said Patrick. “By putting the principles of social responsibility at the heart of our decisionmaking, we are resonating with the way many of our customers now feel about how companies should behave.

“We don’t regard wages as just another cost, but as a means of recognising and rewarding the hard work of our staff team, all of whom are incredibly loyal to our business, including many who have been with us for more than ten years.”

There is more information about the Living Wage Foundation accreditation at www.livingwage.org.uk

Exceeding Expectations

Posted on May 20, 2015

Carmenta offers the ideal solution for bespoke projects – both indoors and out.

Exceeding Expectations

They say the trick to full occupancy in the holiday business, is knowing what the punters want…even before they do! Case in point – holiday spas and hot tubs. Once considered an unnecessary nuisance – these days, switched on marketeers, vow the addition of a hot tub will increase the likelihood of an on-line booking by 70 per cent.

Where spas and hot tubs lead, wellness now follows whetting an appetite for sauna, steam, experience showers and a host of relaxation treatments. Leading UK suppliers, Anapos, report a sharp spike in wellness project enquiries in the past nine months. “The increase in interest in the home wellness market puts more pressure, in turn, on commercial venues to constantly raise the bar but they will always look at return compared with investment.

Martyn Wood, national sales director at Anapos Thermal Spa Equipment advises holiday park operators to think carefully about the target audience of their spa offering and recommends providing a bolt-on children’s area, to keep the kids entertained while the adults enjoy the spa. “A good spa facility will attract customers from far afield, so it’s worth investing to put your spa ahead of others in the area.

“The appeal of a spa is the peace and quiet, so keeping to an ‘adults only’ policy is advisable. However, on a holiday park the majority of guests will more than likely be staying with children, so I would suggest offering a children’s play area or club to keep the children amused while the adults enjoy the spa facilities.”

Holiday parks can also benefit from opening the spa up to non-residents. Offering spa day packages and spa weekend breaks can be real money spinners if charged at premium spa prices. For those that are looking to expand their spa offering, or to add a new spa, Martyn suggests offering a selection of elements that will make your spa stand out from the crowd: “As a starting point, a basic spa should ideally include a hydro pool, a minimum of three thermal cabins, around four to six treatment rooms and a nice relaxation area is a must.

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Carry On Glamping

Posted on May 20, 2015

Bespoke yurts from Hearthworks can be customised to suit specific size and layout requirements and optional extras such as wood burning stoves can be included.

Carry On Glamping

Over the past few years we have seen a huge explosion in the popularity of glamping with all manner of yurts, shepherd huts, safari tents and camping pods popping up in quiet corners of the countryside.

Farmers and landowners have been quick to cash in on the potential for diversification as an additional income stream by investing in units on their land. The obvious appeal for holidaymakers is that they can experience the great outdoors, while enjoying the luxury of a boutique hotel, coupled with rustic country charm. The UK festival scene has been one of the main pioneers in organising luxury temporary accommodation for those who aren’t so keen on the mud and the rise of the staycation has also helped push glamping to the forefront.

Now holidaymakers can stay in a huge range of unusual accommodation and it’s this variety, uniqueness and creativity that has a strong appeal to the discerning traveller who wants to holiday somewhere where that will be a real talking point.

Rivendale in the Peak District is one of the many businesses in the UK that has successfully branched into the camping and glamping market. The owners of Rivendale wanted to offer glamping accommodation to increase occupancy in the winter months. Owner Greg Potter comments: “We are one of the few parks in the Peak District National Park that is able to operate 11 months of the year. We know people want to take short breaks in the winter, just not in a tent, that’s why we became interested in glamping. We knew this was the best way of increasing our winter occupancy and appealing to a wider group of people.”

Camping Cabins supplied a 17m2 cabin for Rivendale in April 2014. Constructed from sustainable redwood pine, the cabin has two side room extensions with two sets of bunk beds and a table and seating area. Since then, Rivendale has taken delivery of a 10m2 cabin that is used as a treatment room for the on-site spa and they have placed a further order for a 14m2 Camping Cabin to replace one of their existing canvas yurts.

Greg adds: “The first Camping Cabin was a direct investment for the business. It is achieving around 50 per cent occupancy and with the costs of the fit out we envisage that the cabin will pay back in 16–18 months."

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Open Season Showcase

Posted on April 8, 2015

The resident clown on the Holiday Resort Unity stand was popular among the shows younger visitors at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show.

Open Season Showcase

The UK’s largest start of season holiday showcase, the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show descended on the NEC in February and once again proved itself to be an unmissable exhibition.

With over 350 exhibitors and a host of well-known personalities, provided a popular platform for companies to showcase their latest products and innovations. The star-studded line up featured guest appearances from Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell, TV presenter Helen Skelton and DJ and former Big Brother winner Kate Lawler.

Popular TV personalities Ben Fogle and Matt Baker officially opened the show and later took to the Expert’s Theatre for a Q&A session with visitors. Matt, a two times BAFTA winning presenter with a love of the countryside, proved a hit with visitors as he helped to promote the work of The Caravan Club on its stand. Addressing first-day visitors, he said he was encouraged to see so many young people at the show and enthused about the benefits of families getting out and about together.

His counterpart, broadcaster, traveller and adventurer Ben also drew in the crowds as he delighted the audience with accounts of his adventures rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, crossing Antarctica on foot and running across the Sahara.

A highlight of the show was the dog agility displays, which returned to the NEC following the success of last year’s sessions. Demonstrating both agility and obedience, there were performances by Hall Green Retired Greyhound Trust, Romanian Rescue Dogs and Lucy Heath of The Company of Animals to name but a few.

Organised by NCC Events, a wholly owned subsidiary of industry trade body the National Caravan Council and supported by The Caravan Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club, the show brought together all the leading manufacturers, including Bailey, Coachman, Elddis, Lunar, Swift, Trigano, ABI and Adria, not to mention some of the UK’s leading dealers with many special editions to see.

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Big Ideas For Tree Tops Park

Posted on April 1, 2015

Big Ideas For Tree Tops Park

A long-established holiday park in North Wales has announced ambitious expansion plans to help meet an unprecedented demand for holiday caravans.

The family owners of Tree Tops Caravan Park in Flintshire are hoping to add a further 52 holiday home plots to the 168 it currently provides. Owners of the new holiday homes say the development will boost visitor spending in the area by more than half a million pounds annually.

Consent has already been given by the local town council and the plans will go before the district council later this month. Covering 15 acres, Tree Tops was started over 50 years ago by the parents of Maureen Walker who is today the park’s managing director, assisted in the business by her son Andy.

Maureen comments: “I think that the trend for taking holidays in the UK is growing each year and a holiday caravan gives people the option to take a break whenever they like with no need to plan ahead.

“The cost is far less than a holiday cottage and with no gardening or maintenance headaches to worry about – and, of course, holiday caravans don’t take away from local housing stock.”

Maureen continues: “We know from industry figures that our owners spend over one-and-a-half million pounds each year in the local economy and the new holiday homes will increase that by a third.

“It’s a win-win situation for everyone, not least the many small shops and other businesses which rely greatly on tourism for their survival and for sustaining the jobs they provide.”

Bridge Leisure Expands Portfolio

Posted on March 25, 2015

Bridge Leisure Expands Portfolio

Holiday park specialist Bridge Leisure has recently completed a management buyout with support from private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners.

The agreement means that the existing Bridge Leisure management team, led by CEO Andrew Howe, will continue to run the company. Phoenix will support the growth of Bridge Leisure through further developing its four existing parks and providing capital for new acquisitions.

Andrew Howe, CEO of Bridge Leisure, said: “Our plan is to buy new parks. We have the funding, team and know-how to grow in 2015 and beyond and we welcome contact from park owners interested in selling their business.

“We are very pleased that Phoenix will be supporting Bridge Leisure as we look to further expand the business.”

Headquartered in Milton Keynes, Bridge Leisure was founded in 2008 as a holiday park consultancy and management business initially focused on operating leisure parks for third parties. In 2010, the team expanded into the operation of owned parks with the acquisitions of Trevella Park in Cornwall and Sand Le Mere Holiday Village on the Yorkshire coast, followed by Turnberry, in Ayrshire, at the end of 2012. Strengthening its portfolio, Bridge Leisure is simultaneously acquiring Silver Sands Holiday Park, located close to Inverness on the east coast of Scotland.

Record Breaking Start To The Year

Posted on March 25, 2015

Woolacombe Bay Holiday Park in Devon is just one of a number of parks that saw a boost on bookings during January and February.

Record Breaking Start To The Year

The UK could be in for a bumper tourist season as 2015 got off to a flying start for holiday parks across the country, with many enjoying record-breaking booking figures in the first few weeks of the year.

It is estimated that around a third of all summer holidays are booked during January and February, with early birds looking to snap up the best deals and accommodation on offer.

One of Devon’s biggest independent holiday parks, Ladram Bay Holiday Park, saw a surge in bookings and figures were up by nearly 50 per cent on this time last year. The award winning park on the Jurassic coast saw bookings rise by 46 per cent in the first full week of January and then by 52 per cent the following week, compared with the same period in 2014. The holiday firm has now launched a recruitment drive to meet the anticipated high demand for the tourist season.

Director of Ladram Bay, Zoe House said: “It’s very busy and that’s great news for us and testament to the enduring appeal of the West Country and the work we are doing to continue to improve the Ladram Bay experience whether people are staying with us in holiday homes, apartments, lodges, motorhomes, caravans or camping.

“2014 was very good for us but this year people seem to be making their decisions earlier and not just for their main summer break.”

Mirroring the trend, another of Devon’s popular parks, Woolacombe Bay Holiday Park reported its biggest ever online booking day on January 31st, representing an increase of 35 per cent on the same day last year. The park has seen high demand Easter since the school holiday period has been condensed into two weeks as opposed to three in 2014 and also for Spring Bank Holiday as more families are now using it for a second holiday to complement a main summer getaway.

Hoseasons also enjoyed a 16 per cent increase in online bookings as demand for domestic holidays reached peak levels in January. Lodge holidays performed particularly well with bookings up 17 per cent, while boating holidays also started the year well up 12 per cent.

Upgrades Underway At Carlton Meres

Posted on March 25, 2015

The refurbishment of Carlton Meres Holiday Park in Suffolk is due for completion later this month.

Upgrades Underway At Carlton Meres

Guests at Carlton Meres Holiday Park in Suffolk will soon be benefiting from improved facilities and services, after an investment of £250,000 from park owners Lifestyle Living Group.

The extensive eight-week refurbishment and renovation schedule began in January and will see upgrades to the sanitary blocks and swimming pool, plus the installation of new hard-standing touring pitches, a commercial kitchen and a new owners lounge adjacent to the bar. Other enhancements will include new gaming machines and flooring in the arcade, as well as an overhaul of the site entrance, spa area and gym.

David Macdonald, director of Lifestyle Living Group said: “We’re investing a lot of money to improve our flagship site and sincerely hope all our visitors enjoy the changes coming their way.

“All the activities being undertaken are geared towards making life better for people staying at Carlton Meres and we are confident the effort will strengthen our offering and increase the popularity of an already successful park.”

When finished later this month, the development will open up 75 new pitches, taking the total number of spaces for statics up to 219 and tourers to 200.

Popular Show Returns To Stoneleigh This Summer

Posted on March 16, 2015

The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show returns to Stoneleigh Park from 11th – 14th June.

Popular Show Returns To Stoneleigh This Summer

The UK’s biggest show for leisure lodges and residential park homes returns once again to the grounds of Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire this year.

The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show 2015 is your chance to view over 50 show homes including the launch of several new lodges and homes from the country’s leading manufacturers.

In addition to the display of homes, a host of suppliers will be exhibiting related products and services including decking, coatings, hot tubs, insurance, refurbishment and garages. The Trade Preview Day is Thursday June 11 and the show will be open to the public Friday to Sunday June 12 to 14.

Entry and parking are free and each visitor receives a complimentary show guide. Keep up to date with the latest show news by visiting www.parkhomeandleisure.co.uk