Family Values at Dornafield Caravan Park

Posted on June 26, 2015

Above: The environment is a top priority for the park and it has earned a David Bellamy Conservation award at gold level since 2000.

Family Values at Dornafield Caravan Park

Traditional family values have proven to be a winning formula for Dornafield Caravan Park in Devon.

Park owner Peter Dewhirst, who with his wife Tina, first started welcoming visitors to the former farm over 30 years ago.

Today Peter, aged 83, is helped in the day-to-day running of the business by his son Simon and daughter-in-law Linda. Situated on the doorstep of the English Riviera and Dartmoor, the multi award-winning Dornafield Caravan Park attracts thousands of visitors each year.

“Our close knit team of nine staff work tirelessly throughout the season to produce a charming and desirable holiday experience for our loyal customers,” comments Peter. “We value all of our visitors and pride ourselves on our friendly and helpful manner. This is one of the many reasons why we believe visitors come back year after year.”

Having held the prestigious AA 5-Pennant rating for 24 years and the current 5 Gold Pennant rating since its introduction three years ago, Dornafield is well-known for its pristinely landscaped grounds and first-class facilities. The focal point of the site is 13th century Devon long House which dates from 1238, just after Magna Carta and is Grade II listed. The farmyard is the park’s central hub and is the setting for barbecues and Morris dancing throughout the summer season and the surrounding farm buildings have been turned into a shop, games room and tourist information point.

Above: The Dornafield team has supported Breast Cancer Campaign’s ‘Wear It Pink’ day for the last seven years, which has raised over £1,500.

The 30 acre park is divided into three separate areas; the Orchard, the Buttermeadow and Blackrock Copse. The Orchard comprises of 16 grass tent pitches and is ideal for families with young children as it is enclosed by old walls and hedges. The Buttermeadow has been specially landscaped to provide spacious, level pitches which are all served by luxury toilet and shower facilities. Meanwhile Blackrock Copse is designed to offer the ultimate caravanning experience with 60 deluxe pitches complemented by the climate-controlled facilities building with heated flooring.

“We drew on our 18 years’ experience with Buttermeadow when we created Blackrock Copse and the unashamedly up-market development continues to be a talking point for many of our guests,” says Peter. “We are proud to have been Caravan Club affiliated for 23 years, so all Club members can be assured that the high standards they expect from Club Sites are more than met at Dornafield.”

The environment is also a top priority for the park and it has earned a David Bellamy Conservation award at gold level since 2000.

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Working Smarter on Insurance Matters

Posted on June 26, 2015

Working Smarter on Insurance Matters

Peter Heffer, director of holiday and residential parks at Lorica Insurance Brokers offers his views on the ever-growing world of glamping

Selecting the right insurance company can be more complex than is readily apparent. For example, the lowest price is not necessarily the best value.

Smart buyers seek out insurers that offer a tailored product to suit their requirements at a competitive price.

Peter Heffer of Lorica Insurance advises buyers to take their time when choosing a provider: “Look for a partner who specialises in the sector and tailors cover to your specific needs.

“Failure to understand the level of cover provided by a policy is a common pitfall for buyers, particularly in the holiday park sector. A generic broker is unlikely to understand the nuances of the sector - you need a specialist.”

With this in mind, Lorica has created an exclusive holiday and residential parks combined policy. The product is both competitive in terms of premium and provides extensive cover designed specifically for parks.

Peter comments: “Of course we cannot guarantee to save you money and improve your cover, but you can be confident that we will give it our best shot. We have experts around the country who are on hand to meet you to explain more about how we can help.”

The biggest type of claims affecting holiday parks can be split into two categories; the first is low likelihood but high severity, meaning they don’t happen very often but when they do the impact is catastrophic, for example a flood. The second type is high likelihood but low severity, meaning they happen frequently but only impact individual policyholders. For the privately owned parks these tend to be customer injury related.

Peter adds: “All policyholders have a duty to ensure reasonable precautions are taken to prevent injury or damage. This is an underlying principle applying to all insurance and owners should act as they would were they not insured.”

Lorica Insurance Brokers
Tel. +44 (0)7827 895671
www.loricainsurance.com

Marina Work Is Underway

Posted on June 26, 2015

Marina Work Is Underway

Refurbishment work at Port Haverigg Marina Village will improve the quality of the park.

Wyldecrest Parks is breathing life into Port Haverigg Marina Village in Cumbria as part of a £1.2 million refurbishment programme at the park.

Soon to be a flagship holiday park for Wyldecrest, improvements will include new tarmac roads throughout the entire site, new drives for all plots, new plot bases and also a brand new play area.

A selection of premium plots will also be added to the park’s current offering of 197 caravans and lodges.

Wyldecrest Parks’ chairman Alfie Best comments: “I’m completely delighted with this improvement programme. We are working to increase our holidaymakers’ quality of life, but also moving forward, to offer even more people the chance of spending true quality time with friends and family at this stunning park which is full of potential.”

Old Oaks Pamper Pooches

Posted on June 26, 2015

Old Oaks Pamper Pooches

A range of dog-friendly initiatives have been implemented at Old Oaks Touring Park near Glastonbury.

It’s famous the world over for its music festival – but now Glastonbury is also hitting the right note for dog lovers, thanks to the Old Oaks Touring Park.

The award-winning camping and caravan site is putting pooches on a pedestal by providing them and their owners with a range of dog-friendly facilities.

A hot water doggy shower has installed at the park as well as a dedicated washing machine and tumble dryer for laundering pet bedding. A large securely-fenced exercise area has been sectioned off specifically for dog walking and the park has compiled a list of dog-friendly discovery walks, restaurants and local attractions. But, of course, not all establishments relish Rovers – so the Old Oaks has teamed up with a local dog walking business which will take the lead when owners wish to venture out alone.

James and Tara White are the husband-and-wife management team at the Old Oaks Touring Park which has been in the same family’s ownership for over 30 years.

New Park Guests Create a Buzz

Posted on June 26, 2015

New Park Guests Create a Buzz

Drovers Way Holiday Caravan Park took delivery of two hives for up to 100,000 honey bees this summer.

The family owners of a Tees Valley holiday park are welcoming thousands of extra guests this year – each of which will be accommodated and fed for free.

Drovers Way Holiday Caravan Park near Stockton-on-Tees is now a safe haven for honey bees which have been dropping dramatically in number over recent years. Park owners Chris and Helen Brown took delivery in April of two hives which will become the homes for up to 100,000 honey bees this summer.

Their thriving future at Drovers Way is almost a certainty thanks to the large number of high nectar-bearing blooms on the ten acres of grounds.

The park’s initiative follows news that it has been named as a 2015 winner of the prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award for protecting the natural world.

It Pays To Be Crystal Clear On Glamping

Posted on June 10, 2015

Peter Heffer, director of holiday and residential parks at Lorica Insurance Brokers offers his views on the ever-growing world of glamping

It Pays To Be Crystal Clear On Glamping

As more and more parks take the plunge into the ever-growing glamping market, there’s more to it than meets the eye in terms of having the right insurance policy.

“From an insurance perspective, glamping raises a few questions,” says Peter Heffer, director of holiday and residential parks at Lorica Insurance Brokers.

“Firstly, it is important to check whether a policy provides cover for property in the open. This is a common exclusion particularly for storm, flood and other weather related perils.

“Secondly, park owners should be aware of how the policy will operate in the event of damage to a tented structure. Will the insurers insist upon repairing a tear leaving a potentially unsightly blemish in the quality of the customer experience or will they provide a replacement?”

Peter also advises park owners to think carefully about other glamping accessories that could potentially affect the insurance policy. Glamping tents with cooking facilities, for example, could increase the likelihood of fire and insurers should be made aware – otherwise they could use this as a way to avoid a claim settlement. Likewise all portable electrical devices should be considered and routinely PAT tested.

“The key message really is that you need to make your insurer aware of what you are doing and that they must fully understand the exposure,” says Peter. “Once again, working with a specialist insurance broker really does add value.”

Talk to the Lorica team today for advice on glamping insurance policies that are tailored to suit your needs.

Lorica Insurance Brokers
Tel. +44 (0)7827 895671
Email. pheffer@loricainsurance.com
www.loricainsurance.com

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

Top Tourism Finalists

Posted on June 10, 2015

Seafield Caravan Park in Northumberland took gold in the Holiday Park of the Year category in last year’s VisitEngland Awards and has been announced as a finalist in the 2015 competition.

Top Tourism Finalists

Five holiday parks are among 75 finalists chosen from across the country in this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

On the shortlist in the Holiday Park or Holiday Village of the Year category is Cofton Country Holidays in Devon, Poston Mill Park in Herefordshire, Seafield Caravan Park in Northumberland, Searles Leisure Resort in Norfolk and Trethem Mill Touring Park in Cornwall.

The Awards recognise businesses that incorporate best practice and demonstrate excellence in customer service throughout their operation.

Winners of each of the 17 categories will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Sage Gateshead conference centre on 11 May with each finalist guaranteed a gold, silver, bronze or highly commended in the category.

Spotlight On Highlands

Posted on May 29, 2015

Scotland’s tourism minister Fergus Ewing (left) is pictured with David Key, Parkdean Holidays’ regional director for Scotland.

Spotlight On Highlands

Scotland’s tourism minister, Fergus Ewing shone a spotlight on Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park near Inverness during Scottish Tourism Week.

The minister joined local councillors on the park, which is owned by Parkdean Holidays, during the week-long tourism celebration which took place in the first week of March. Fergus Ewing and the local councillors met managers and staff at the park during the visit, and were given a tour of the many facilities.

David Key, Parkdean Holidays’ regional director for Scotland and general manager at Nairn Lochloy, said: “It’s great that Fergus and local politicians came to see why thousands of visitors choose Nairn Lochloy each year. “The park brings a lot to the local community and the Scottish tourism industry. We employ twelve permanent members of staff, and up to fifty during peak season, making this a key employer in the area.”

Fergus Ewing commented: “I welcome the opportunity to visit this impressive holiday home and caravan park. The holiday home and caravan park sectors are playing their part, in not only providing good quality accommodation for all types of visitors, but also helping to sustain employment in some of our most remote and rural areas.”

Hospitality Most Sociable Industry

Posted on May 29, 2015

Those working in the hospitality industry are the most likely to socialise and find life-long friends with people they’ve met through their jobs.

Hospitality Most Sociable Industry

The hospitality industry has been revealed as one of the most sociable sectors to work in with almost half of those surveyed stating that they see colleagues socially at least once a month.

According to the study of 2,792 full-time workers in the UK, those working in hospitality, construction and retail are the most likely to socialise and find life-long friends with individuals they’ve met through their jobs.

Respondents were initially asked if they considered themselves a sociable person whilst at work, with the vast majority (73 per cent) agreeing. Of these participants, 49 per cent stated that they indulge in nights out or social activities with their colleagues at least once a month, with a further 13 per cent admitting their answer was closer to once a week.

Lyndon Wood, CEO and creator of www. constructaquote.com which carried out the survey said: “Considering the fact that we spend more time with our co-workers than our partners, family members or children, it seems pretty crucial that there are individuals within a workplace that we can identify, socialise and become good friends with.

“Not only will having strong friendships within the workplace help ease any stress or pressure that might come alongside the job, they are no doubt key in ensuring high rates of staff retention."