Next Chapter In Park Success Story

Posted on June 29, 2018

Next Chapter In Park Success Story

North Wales MP David Jones has opened a new country club at a holiday park near Rhyl, and praised its contribution to Wales’s tourism economy.
Mr Jones, who is MP for Clwyd West, was at Caeran Caravan Park near Abergele to see how the award-winning business plays its part in attracting thousands of visitors each year to the region.
During his visit, David Jones took time out to cut the ribbon on The Mill, the park’s recently built country club where guests can meet and relax when staying.
The MP commented: “I was delighted to see how investment in the new facilities at Caeran Caravan Park is helping the business go from strength to strength.
“Our area is one of the most attractive in the country, and high quality parks such as Caeran give holidaymakers access to the very best that North Wales has to offer.
“Wales Tourism Week helps focus attention on a vitally important industry for our local economy, and I am very pleased to show my support,” he added.
Bounded by the River Elwy in a picture-postcard valley, Caeran was founded around 1960 and provides more than 50 privately owned caravan holiday homes in its seven acre grounds.

Scottish Honours For Perthshire Park

Posted on June 29, 2018

Scottish Honours For Perthshire Park

Blairgowrie Holiday Park in Perthshire has been named as Scotland’s Best Caravan Site of the Year at the Scottish Hospitality Awards which took place at Crowne Plaza, Glasgow.
The annual awards highlight hospitality enterprises which offer exceptional standards of facilities and services, and take into account the feedback given by customers.
Wood Leisure started life just almost 40 years ago when husband and wife Colin and Margaret Wood acquired picturesque Blairgowrie Holiday Park. The couple invested much time, effort and resources to create what is now one of Scotland’s most highly regarded and multi-award winning holiday parks.
Building on their success, Colin and Margaret then went on to develop five other parks using the same business formula of combining high quality surroundings with excellent customer service. Their other parks are Corriefodly Holiday Park in Perthshire, Deeside Holiday Park near Aberdeen, Lomond Woods Holiday Park in Ballock, and Campsie Glen near Stirling.
The family’s portfolio was added to earlier this year with the acquisition of Callander Woods Holiday park - formerly Gart caravan park – in Perthshire. At Blairgowrie Holiday Park, guests have the choice of a wide range of accommodation options including luxury lodges with private hot tubs as well as touring pitches.
The Wood family are not strangers to receiving accolades for their parks, as all have been graded by VisitScotland at the top level of excellence

Swim Star Opens Devon Splash Pad

Posted on June 26, 2018

Swim Star Opens Devon Splash Pad

Olympic Gold-medallist swimmer Liam Tancock took time out from the fast lane recently to open the new Splash Zone at Ladram Bay Holiday Park in East Devon. Set alongside the park’s main swimming pool, the 160m2 zone includes interactive water features, spray guns, and even a sea serpent that sprays water. The ocean-themed Splash Zone is part of a £1 million investment made by the family-owned park in the run-up to the 2018 summer season when its 75 anniversary is being marked. With its own private beach and longstanding appeal to young families, Ladram Bay has prided itself on continually expanding its range of attractions.

In 2017 Ladram Bay Holiday Park approached Ustigate Waterplay to request a design and build program to establish a splash zone outside their indoor pool complex. The splash pad consists of 19 products to please all ages. There is a low level interactive fi sh, six jet stream geysers and six wave geysers to tickle small children and a boat feature, tipping bucket, cannons and a sea serpent to cater for all those that love nothing more than being soaked in splash. One of the wonders of a splash pad with zero standing water is the creation of an environment where children of all ages and abilities can access aquatic recreation and play together safely.

Ladram Bay director Zoe House, who is a member of the parkowning Carter family, said it was a great privilege to welcome Exeter-based Liam to Ladram Bay: “Although the Splash Zone is all about having fun, Liam knows that youngsters just enjoying themselves in the water can be a great introduction to swimming as a sport,” she said. “We have many guests which return here year after year, and we’re often told that one big reason is the wealth of things to do for all ages, no matter what the weather. “Our main aim has always been to create amazing holiday memories with fi rst-class facilities, and I think that our new Splash Zone comes right up to the mark,” added Zoe.

Ustigate Waterplay
Telephone: 01322 424445
www.ustigatewaterplay.co.uk

Memory Makers – Hafan y Môr

Posted on May 16, 2018

We dip a toe into Haven’s award-winning Hafan y Môr resort…

Above : New investment will include significant accommodation choice upgrade.

Boasting a continuous re-investment schedule into its 36 nationwide locations, Haven is the UK’s leading provider of family holidays. Part of Bourne Leisure, the company is the Sunday Times’ sixth ‘Best Big Company to Work For in the UK’ and Haven was the winner of the Best Family Holiday Company of the Year 2017 at the British Travel Awards. Bourne Leisure’s main ethos is to simply give guests a great time, with memories that last a lifetime. Hafan y Môr gets that customer seal of approval with in excess of 200,000 visitors every year between March and November. If you think, with such high visitor numbers, that the park feels crowded then you would be mistaken. Hafan y Môr is spread over 500 spacious acres with a stunning beach and coast line, offering guests an irresistible great escape from and a fantastic launching pad to explore the local area, which boasts rich culture and awarding-winning tourist attractions. Hafan y Môr is the largest single self-catering holiday provider in North Wales and is the biggest employer in Gwynedd.

Above : The resort boasts 1400 caravans across its 500 acres.

The park is critical to the success of the local economy and the tourism industry. At peak times, the park doubles the population of the local town Pwllheli. The park employs 430 team members at peak, with over 50% of them being native Welsh speakers. The holiday resort is home to an outstanding array of great family friendly activities and facilities including 1,400 caravan pitches. This is combined with a whole host of on-site activities from an Aerial Adventure high ropes course down to the relaxing boating lake and fun indoor SportsDrome to expert led outdoor Nature Rockz sessions. The Old Butlin’s Starcoast World closed in 1998 and was refurbished and re-opened as Haven’s Hafan y Môr in 1999 transforming it into a stunning family park on Llyn Peninsular. Featuring extensively in the latest Haven television commercials, Hafan y Môr’s fl agship pool complex, Splashaway Bay, has undergone a £4million transformation over the last two years, culminating in the completion of the new £1million Changing Village.

AWARD-WINNING

ABOVE: The flagship attraction at Hafan y Môr is its award-winning pool complex.

Recently winning the coveted UK Pool & Spa Awards’ Holiday Park Swimming Pool Of The Year, the pool serves as an all-weather venue where families of all ages and abilities can feel safe. The holiday park pool is often the first time families will have been in the water together and this memory is one that lasts a lifetime. The refurbished water complex hosts a brand new fresh design alongside an array of exciting family friendly water features. These include an exhilarating new flume slide, exciting wave machine, a fully-fited, themed children’s pool with fun features such as tipping buckets and new water slides together with a multilane pool for committed swimmers. To top it all off guests can enjoy a new Milly’s coffee and cookie bar. There is no question of Hafan y Môr resting on its award-winning laurels. The management team has just unveiled its next ten year Strategic Development Plans that include over £21million of investment, including additional facilities, restaurants, Owners Club and more caravan and lodge developments as well as the demolition of the remaining apartment accommodation. This is in addition to the continual investment in the park environment and landscaping, and supporting the diverse ecology on the park.

Dare To Be Different – GLAMPING

Posted on May 16, 2018

Dare To Be Different - GLAMPING

ABOVE: Tentsile's best selling signature model is the Stringray Tree Tent, Photo: Tom Kahler

With glamping bookings already up by 50% this year, the drive to provide something different has never been more urgent. Typical glamping offerings include wooden pods, safari tents, yurts and bell tents. Out of the box options are as likely to include fl oating houseboats, treehouses, converted airplanes and double decker buses, Dan Yates, who founded Pitch-up.com in 2009, says that right blend of accommodation mix is crucial in this increasingly competitive market. According to Dan, success in glamping depends on staying ahead of the game and choosing something that makes your accommodation ‘stand out from the crowd’. Ensuring superior facilities and customer service is key to keep up with increasing quality accommodation. And don’t forgo technology! “While some sites promote an ‘off-grid’ retreat, this is a small niche market and for the vast majority of customers, fast and stable Wi-Fi is a ‘must’,” advises Dan. In the 12 months to November 2017, Pitchup’s bookings for cabins were up 102%, micro-lodges up 114% and pods up 73%, says Dan. Rent-a-tents were up 151%, bell tents 77%, safari tents 73%, yurts 52% and domes 26%. “Many site owners fi nd that a combination of traditional pitches and glamping units that appeal to a new audience work well,” he explains, “Not least to reduce dependence on the weather!” Open for three years and constantly evolving, Wardley Hill Campsite offers guests a unique camping and glamping experience from a six-acre site in the picturesque Waveney Valley.

Owner, Joe Putman honed his camping skills working on campsites on the Isles of Scilly and in Dorset before putting down roots with his wife Holly and son in Norfolk. There are no neat rows of accommodation at Wardley Hill. Glampers can choose from a stunning Lotus Bell Stargazer tent, a huge Family Emperor Bell Tent, a locally crafted Sheperd’s hut, home-made Hammock hut and a Tentsile Connect tent suspended in the trees. “We wanted to offer a real ‘Swallows and Amazons’ experience,” explains Joe. “We have made a conscious decision not to have two of the same of any type of accommodation and in doing so, we’ve created something far removed from the typical holiday park.” “We have deliberately taken a very low-key approach to glamping,” says Joe. “As an industry, glamping is the trend that everyone has jumped on and it’s already becoming overcommercialised.” At Wardley Hill, the ethos is a very definite decision to celebrate the unregimented.

Wild flowers and grass are left to grow to encourage wildlife and the facilities offer an authentic back to- basics experience with composting toilets and open-topped showers. The family is constantly on the lookout for the next quirky addition to Wardley Hill. Joe is currently converting Camelot, an Eventide 26 sailing yacht to offer two-berth accommodation for those with a nautical bent, on land. Camelot is to be surrounded by a wooden deck with an outdoor fi re pit, whilst the interior will boast a wood burner and BBQ via the rear hatch.

Unmissable Show Dates

Posted on May 15, 2018

Make a date to visit June’s World of Park & Leisure Homes.

Unmissable Show Dates

Offering possibly the biggest collection of Park Homes and Leisure Lodges on display at any event, the World of Park & Leisure Homes takes place next month at the Stoneleigh Showground from June 7 to 10th inclusive.

Leading UK manufacturers are lined up to transform Stoneleigh into a huge luxury park with some 60 styles of the latest lodge homes on display.

The event is an unmissable opportunity to meet up with other park owners and operators as well as meeting industry specific exhibitors from a vast array of core specialist suppliers from insurance providers to indoor and outdoor furniture.

Open from 10 am daily, Thursday June 7th is an exclusive Trade Preview Day. The show opens to the public as well as the trade on Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 8th, 9th and 10th. For those planning for extended visits, a wide variety of accommodation is available locally at neighbouring towns like Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Sat navs should be set for CV8 2LG but for all other information and updates, visit the event’s new website at www.parkhomeandleisure.co.uk

Five-Star Family Break Winners

Posted on May 15, 2018

Five-Star Family Break Winners

Rob & Hilary Hedison with Holiday Sales Co-ordinator Rhiannon Morris, left.

Lucky couple Hilary and Rob Hedison are celebrating after winning a luxury break at Park Leisure’s fivestar holiday home park, Brynteg, a popular holiday park with exclusive owners-only communities, nestled in the foothills of Snowdonia and surrounded by spectacular scenery.

The couple, from North Killingholme, took part in the leading holiday home provider’s nationwide competition to ‘Win A Luxury Break’ at last year’s Motorhome and Caravan Show at Birmingham’s NEC.

Retired teacher Hilary (56), her tanker driver husband Rob (56), their daughter Katie and her partner Reece, enjoyed a two-night stay in a beautiful holiday home, which comprises of three bedrooms, a spacious open plan living area, modern kitchen with integrated appliances and large outdoor decking area with a hot tub as well as an array of on-site leisure and pleasure facilities.

Timely Cover

Posted on May 15, 2018

Timely Cover

Compass, a trading brand of Thistle Insurance Services, is keeping its fingers crossed that this summer will be accident and incident free for its customers. The chances are that something will go amiss on a handful of parks over this busy period, so they have issued some timely advice. In the event of an accident involving a customer always do the obvious first! If the emergency services need to be called, do so immediately and ensure people are in place to guide them to the site of the incident. Be kind and sympathetic. It would not be advisable to enter into a debate about the cause of the accident, but apologising to a customer that the visit/holiday experience hasn’t gone as planned isn’t the same as admitting liability and can help to ensure that matters don’t escalate. Gather information immediately, as any delay can mean that things get missed or mixed-up. Conducting suitable and sufficient risk assessments is a legal requirement. For further general advice on risk assessment, visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/. If a claim arises, your insurer/broker will need to know whether or not you have taken reasonable precautions to prevent the accident or incident occurring. There’s no excuse for not carrying out regular risk assessments. There are plenty of companies out there that can do this for you if you need help. It’s really important that you can produce documented (written down) evidence that you have used a tried and tested risk management system if a claim arises.

Top Of British Holiday Survey Pops

Posted on May 15, 2018

Top Of British Holiday Survey Pops

Above : The Away Resorts Survey showed Brits still want to head for their annual holiday getaway.

According to a recent survey by market-leading holiday park operator Away Resorts, 55% of Brits are taking their main holiday at a UK lodge or caravan park this year. Away Resorts is a UK holiday park operator, with six parks in Lincolnshire, Isle of Wight, North Wales, Hampshire, Hayling Island & Essex. It was the 35 – 44 and 45 – 54 age groups that picked lodge and caravan parks the most, suggesting that families and empty nesters are interested in an experience where the facilities and entertainment within easy reach. Carl Castledine, the Chief Executive of Away Resorts, said: “It’s great to see that the great British holiday continues to go from strength to strength. We British are taking more and more domestic short breaks throughout the year, but to see that a third of consumers are taking their main holiday in the UK just goes to show that our fabulous island can inspire people to stay here over far-flung destinations. “Away Resorts has six lovely resorts in stunning locations throughout the UK. From the vibrant coastal surroundings at our Mersea Island park to the luxury leafy tranquillity at our New Forest resort and from the serene waterscapes at Tattershall Lakes to the dramatic landscape of Barmouth Bay in Wales, it’s easy to see why we’ve seen an increase in visitors to our resorts too.”

BEACH LOCATION

In terms of where Brits will be holidaying, 44% of respondents will be taking their holiday next to the beach. So, if your holiday park is right near a beach, you’ll likely attract more bookings. Location has also proven to be a determining factor, with 60% saying the local area influences their decision to book in a certain place, followed by the accommodation type and thirdly, the facilities. This suggests that although accommodation is important for holiday makers, where they stay is mostly used as a base to explore the local area and get the most from their holiday. The majority of holidaymakers are willing to travel over four hours to reach their destination and most will be staying for six nights. Considering the beach is where most will be heading, this suggests Brits are willing to travel further to reach a beauty spot. Over 43% of those having a staycation return regularly to where they’ll be heading in 2018. Unsurprisingly, most respondents said they will be going away in the summer months. When asked how much their UK holiday will cost, most respondents, 32%, said they will pay £250 - £500 per person, excluding spending money. With only 14% of respondents saying their UK holiday will cost up to a maximum of £100 per person.

Calls For Fixed Easter Date

Posted on May 15, 2018

Above : Tony Bywater, Salop Leisure's Chairman.

Calls For Fixed Easter Date

A leading businessman is calling for the date of Easter to be fixed to help businesses and avoid public confusion every year. Tony Bywater, chairman of caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure, said fixing the date of Easter, which can vary by as much as month every year, would help businesses and their customers when planning for the year. This year, Easter is from March 30 to April 2, but it can potentially be any date between March 22 and April 25.

Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after March 21, the first day of spring, because it is based on the lunar calendar. “The fact that Easter falls on a different date every year causes businesses tremendous problems and I think fixing a date would help the tourism industry especially,” said Mr Bywater, whose business has sales centres in Shrewsbury, Machynlleth and Stourport-on- Severn. “Businesses like to know how many days they have got after Christmas to get ready for Easter and currently the date can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25. It’s confusing to businesses, tourists and the public in general. “We also have a situation where some businesses open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday while others don’t, which is also confusing for customers.” Mr Bywater has raised the issue with Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski, who has pledged to investigate.

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Next Chapter In Park Success Story