Cancer Research UK

PARK OWNERS SET TO SCALE 200 PEAKS

Posted on March 12, 2024

PARK OWNERS SET TO SCALE 200 PEAKS

Two Lake District holiday park owners are joining forces this year in a bid to climb all 214 Wainwright fells, and to land a windfall for Cancer Research UK. David Jackson of Castlerigg Hall near Kenwick, and Daniel Holder of The Quiet Site near Ullswater, are dedicating their marathon effort to the memory of their fathers.

Both men lost their dads to cancer at a young age – David when he was 22 and Daniel when he was just 16. The pair have set themselves the target of raising £5,000 over twelve months through a Just Giving page called Fells for Our Fathers (www. justgiving.com/page/fellsforourfathers).

David and Daniel discovered their shared losses last year during a conversation following one of their outings together on the fells. Said Daniel: “We both really enjoy tackling high level trails in the Lake District, and the subject came up when we were talking over a beer after one of our climbs. “We thought it would be great if our outings were able to make a difference to the work of Cancer Research and the many ways in which they support those affected.

“Bagging all of the Wainwrights in one year appealed to us both a challenge, and we’ve been delighted at all of the donation pledges that have so far rolled in,” he said. Alfred Wainwright (1907–1991) hand wrote and illustrated a series of seven volumes describing the ascents and views from the summits of 214 Lakeland fells.

The parks owned by David and Daniel attract many guests keen to explore the Lakeland fells, and each provides a range of accommodation from camping pitches to luxury glamping. Both are long-established family businesses and have achieved a number of awards – including five-star tourist board grades – for their quality standards and care for the environment.

Verdant Leisure Supports Teenage Cancer Trust

Posted on March 3, 2020

Verdant Leisure Supports Teenage Cancer Trust

ABOVE: Verdant Leisure staff and guests have put their significant support behind a worthy charity.

Over the past two years, employees, holiday homeowners and holiday guests across Verdant Leisure parks and Lancaster Head Office have held numerous fundraising events to raise a total of £76,033.69 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Verdant Leisure have worked tirelessly to raise an impressive £38,753.04 for the charity in 2019, compared with the previous year’s notable total of £37,280.65. 2019’s fundraising events and activities saw members of the Verdant team skydive over 10,000 feet, shave their hair and host weekend family fun days.

The monies raised will help Teenage Cancer Trust provide care and support for young people aged 13-24 facing cancer in the UK. To decide on its Charity of the Year, Verdant Leisure called upon holiday homes owners, holiday guests and employees to nominate a charity. The nominated charities were shortlisted and decided by a public Facebook poll, with Teenager Cancer Trust being the overall winner with an outstanding 80% of the vote.

Verdant Leisure offers a wide range of bespoke accommodation from self-catering caravans, deluxe lodges to camping pods and touring pitches at selected parks across South East Scotland, Ayrshire and North East England.

Full Frontal Attack On Breast Cancer

Posted on March 3, 2020

Full Frontal Attack On Breast Cancer

ABOVE: A band of women from nine Welsh holiday parks have bared all to combat breast cancer.

A brave band of women from holiday parks across Wales have generated a £22,000 charity windfall by baring all for Breast Cancer Care. The group’s cheeky photographs appear on a month-by-month calendar which has been snapped-up by collectors from across the UK.

With their modestly protected by props, the photos capture the women relaxing on the parks in Wales where they own holiday caravans and lodges. When their first calendar came out last year, it raised around £7,500 for charity – but strong demand for a 2020 version has now seen that amount almost tripled.

Leading lights behind the project were two women with holiday homes on the parks: Kay Large from Haydock in Merseyside, and Chris Lawton from Bramhall in Stockport. Kay’s holiday home is at Meanan Abbey Caravan Park in Conwy, and Chris has a holiday home at Tree Tops Caravan Park near Hollywell.

The sum raised came from a combination of 1,000 sales of the £8.50 calendars, sponsorship by holiday parks of each month, donations, and a glittering gala night. The gala was held at Gorse Hill Caravan Park in Conwy, organised by manager Tracy Thomas Evelyn, and raised £8,000 over the course of the evening.

Behind the lens for the photo-shoot was accomplished photographer Andy Walker of Tree Tops Caravan Park which he co-owns with his parents Maureen and Harry. Last year, said Andy, the women were all from Tree Tops – but this time, seven other parks were also keen to become involved in the posing project.

Put Fun Into Fundraising

Posted on March 20, 2018

Put Fun Into Fundraising

Put Fun into Fundraising

Big-hearted team members at Paignton’s Beverley Holidays are being celebrated as charity champions after creating a £7,500-plus windfall for good causes in 2017.
They raised not just cash but also smiles a-plenty through a raft of fun activities in which staff and often holiday guests took part.
The charity total will be split between the park’s chosen charities which include Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, the Marfan Trust, and Ovarian Cancer Action.
Receptionists, entertainers and other members of the holiday park’s award winning team all took part in a series of imaginative money-raising initiatives.

Hurst Family Hits The Road

Posted on November 28, 2014

hursts

David Hurst and his family have set off on a Face2Facebook journey across Europe, supported by the Camping & Caravanning Club.

Hurst Family Hits The Road

A young family has embarked on a three month motorhome adventure across Europe to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

David Hurst, his wife Debs, sons Daniel and Darley aged 5 and 3 and dog Colin, embarked on their ‘Face2Facebook’ journey in October and will be visiting some of their close family and friends, meeting them face-to-face, rather than through a computer screen.

Supported by the Camping and Caravanning Club, the family will be staying at various caravan and Camping in the Forest sites before heading across the Channel to continue their trip in France, Germany, Holland, Spain and Switzerland.

The trip was brought to life after the family discovered the joys of motorhoming on a recent trip to Spain. Since then, the Hursts have downsized their home, delayed their son Daniel’s start at school, and bought a new Swift Escape 696 motorhome for their adventure.

David Hurst said: “The most important things in life are not things at all, but family and friends. Yet we were taken aback when we realised how many of our family and friends we hadn’t actually seen for years. While Facebook is fantastic for staying in touch, it can veil how infrequently many of us truly see those we love.”