Exhibition Season Gets Underway

Posted on January 6, 2015

Exhibition Season Gets Underway

Tickets are on sale now for the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show, taking place from 17th – 22nd February 2015 at the NEC in Birmingham.

Thousands will be heading to the NEC in Birmingham in February, as the 2015 exhibition season gets underway with the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show.

Taking place from 17th – 22nd February, the show welcomes over 350 exhibitors offering the latest in caravans, motorhomes, campervans, tents, holiday homes and lodges, campsites, awnings and porches, all under one roof.

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 is the best place to see what is in store for the 2015 holiday season.

This year’s show will also feature a host of well-known personalities with a love of the great outdoors, including TV’s wilderness bushcraft expert Ray Mears and Olympic champion Sally Gunnell. Both will speak about their passions and undertake audience Q&A’s in the Experts’ Theatre.

NCC Events managing director Andrew Whalley said: “If anyone wants to find out more about holidaying in the great outdoors with their family they need to come to the NEC in February.

“Not only do we have a huge array of products on show that facilitate adventure, we’ve got features and speakers that will also inspire visitors to go camping and caravanning in 2015.”

Advanced tickets start from £7, kids go free, and free parking is available.

Sad Farewell To Brian Potter MBE

Posted on January 6, 2015

Sad Farewell To Brian Potter MBE

Brian Potter proudly collecting his MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2012.

Tributes have been paid to Brian Potter MBE, whose customer service ethos ensured the successful growth of one of Norfolk’s largest holiday businesses.

Brian passed away peacefully in November aged 73. He is mourned by his family, the 550 current staff of Potters Resort and the many tens of thousands of guests who he personally welcomed over the years.

From an early age Brian learned the family business, Potters Resort in Hopton-on-sea, from the ground up; working pretty much every job one can think of in hospitality in order to understand exactly what goes in to making a guest’s holiday special. Holiday centres were in his blood and it was only fitting that his wife, Judy, with whom he recently celebrated his golden wedding anniversary, came from another pioneering family of the holiday centre industry at Seacroft, Hemsby.

Brian and Judy lived and worked together for fifty years, building a business that has gone from strength to strength. Brian turned Potters Resort into a year round holiday destination. He developed an out of season midweek business by focusing and investing in the sport of bowls, and filled the weekends with entertainment led short breaks, that anticipated the UK leisure industry’s shift from longer holidays towards short breaks. It was his foresight, determination and drive that ensured that not only did Potters survive as the last of the pioneering family owned resorts in the country, but thrived.

Under his stewardship, Potters achieved the highest five star designation from VisitEngland, a recognition that it enjoys to this day. It was the first UK Holiday Centre of the Year, and received numerous hotel, and leisure industry awards. Brian was immensely proud to have been recognised for his services to tourism, by being elevated to the rank of MBE in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2012.

Among his many charitable endeavours he was vice president of the Gorleston Lifeboat Fundraising Committee, patron of the recently opened James Paget Hospice, a lifelong Rotarian and Lord’s Taverner.

Impact Of Scottish Parks Revealed

Posted on December 19, 2014

Impact Of Scottish Parks Revealed

The Scottish Caravan and Camping Forum (SCCF) undertook an assessment of the economic impact of the holiday park sector in Scotland.

Holiday parks in Scotland are worth an estimated £700 million to the Scottish economy, according to new figures from the Scottish Caravan and Camping Forum (SCCF).

For the first time ever, the SCCF has successfully gained an accurate picture of the economic value of the holiday park industry in Scotland, following a major survey across the country.

The research has identified the significant contribution which holiday parks make to the Scottish economy, as a result of visitors’ spend and expenditure by park owners in operating their parks. Results of the survey also reveal that over 5,680 full-time jobs are created by the holiday park sector alone.

David Key, a representative of the National Caravan Council and chair of the SCCF commented: “The Committee is delighted with the results, because we have, for the first time, established the value of this sector to the economy. £700 million is a significant contribution, as are the 5,688 FTE jobs.

“Caravan parks are important to the rural economy because of the jobs they provide and the money spent by their visitors. This report enables the SCCF and the sector as a whole to present robust data to the Scottish Government, to local authorities and to tourism organisations.”

The findings confirm that the holiday park sector attracts a large number of non-Scottish tourists, with 57 per cent of all holidaymakers to Scottish parks visiting from outside of the country. Visitors tend to take a holiday or short break on a holiday park several times over the course of a year, with renters and tourers taking, on average, 4.1 holidays per year, and owner-occupiers taking, on average, 9.1 trips per year.

Forty-five caravan park operators took part in the survey - some of whom operate more than one park - who, together, provided information on 89 parks. An online survey was undertaken of 7,034 people who had taken a holiday on a holiday park in Scotland in either 2013 or 2014.

£1 Million Upgrade For Lochside Park

Posted on November 28, 2014

Argyll Holidays is creating a five star holiday park on the bonnie banks after buying Loch Lomond Holiday Park in May 2014.

£1 Million Upgrade For Lochside Park

Argyll Holidays is investing £1 million to turn Loch Lomond Holiday Park into a luxury five star holiday resort.

The renovation project includes new accommodation and facilities scheduled over the next three years, with existing holiday home owners already seeing improvements throughout the park.

Keith Campbell, managing director at Argyll Holidays commented: “It has always been a goal of ours to have something on the shores of Loch Lomond. I, along with my two fellow directors, saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity when it came along.

“To us Loch Lomond Holiday Park has not had an awful lot of investment in the past 10 or 12 years. We would love it to be a five star holiday park regardless if it is for holiday home owners, holiday makers or touring caravans.”

The Loch Lomond park was purchased by Argyll Holidays in May in a deal worth £2.4 million. The business is run by the second generation of the Campbell family, and includes a portfolio of holiday parks and hotels across Argyll including the Drimsynie Estate Holiday Village and Hunters Quay in Dunoon. Argyll Holidays was named Family Business of the Year at this year’s Scottish Business Awards.

Hurst Family Hits The Road

Posted on November 28, 2014

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.”

On The Menu

Posted on November 28, 2014

From high-class restaurants to family-friendly pizza cafes, the choice on offer at many locations is vast.

On The Menu

WITH millions of British holidaymakers heading for holiday parks in the UK this year, one of the major attractions for most visitors was that the cooking would be done for them.

Catering is the vital ingredient of the holiday park business menu. From high-class restaurants to family-friendly pizza cafes, the choice on offer at many locations is vast. Quality food and good surroundings are key to the restaurant enjoyment factor with staff service and excellent menus par for the course in these competitive times.

Butlins pride themselves on top-quality restaurants with a total of 58 eating and drinking outlets and venues at their three seaside locations – Bognor Regis (West Sussex), Minehead (Somerset) and Skegness (Lincolnshire). These range from pubs, bars, buffet-style restaurants, ice cream parlours, pizza and pasta restaurants, fish and chip restaurants and even a restaurant run by TV chef Brian Turner.

Hendra Holiday Park’s takeaway was named ‘Seasonal Fish & Chip Operator of the Year’ at the Seafish National Fish & Chip Awards earlier this year.

As with other resorts, holidaymakers book either self-catering holidays or the option to buy a dining package, which allows guests breakfast and dinner in their buffet restaurants. With 1.5 million guests a year, around 600,000, equating to 45 per cent, choose to buy the dining plan option. “Catering is an area of the business that we’re investing in heavily,” says James Silverstone of Butlins. “Character meals are available at all resorts – for example breakfast with Billy and Bonnie Bear.”

Haven Holiday Parks, part of Bourne Leisure, have worked hard to make the restaurant experience a memorable one across their locations. Fish and chips shares a quintessentially strong association with the seaside, so with a great level of investment in their fish and chip shops, Haven have increased the quality and experience of its venues to help celebrate the seaside and the UK’s favourite dish. Theme events have also been added to provide choice. Haven’s mid-week and weekend carvery is very popular, whilst Curry Night and Steak & Grill evenings provide added variety.

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Taking The Plunge

Posted on November 28, 2014

Having their own hot tub is often the highlight of a holiday break for many guests. Pic Master Spas

Taking The Plunge

There is something rather decadent about lying back in an al fresco hot tub with just the gentle bubble of warm water to break the silence – don’t knock it until you have tried it.

Appealing to families as well as couples, for many holiday makers, having their own hot tub is the highlight of their break. Perfect any time of the year, hot tubs are especially indulgent when it is cold outside so add to the lure of an autumn or winter holiday offering.

For holiday park operators, adding a hot tub is an opportunity to enhance visitor appeal and to add a premium to the letting price of the accommodation. Switched on holiday sector marketeers are cashing in on the popular trend with a host of websites and on-line marketing offers, highlighting the added attraction of a holiday hot tub.

The Management of Spa Pools booklet insists that a hot tub in a commercial environment needs to have a continuous chemical feeder built into the spa
to continuously treat it with disinfectant.

Hoseasons is among them, currently offering more than 750 holiday options with a hot tub. On-line searches of holiday accommodation with hot tubs spring up a multitude of websites such as www.hottubholiday.co.uk and www.forestholidays.co.uk all majoring on hot tubs as an added attraction. Potentially profitable, there are however, many pitfalls to avoid before taking the plunge and adding a hot tub to your holiday offering.

Shrewd operators and owners will look before they leap when it comes to showing duty of care not to mention doing the necessary sums to ensure a profitable bottom line.

“The best advice I can give holiday operators is to keep it simple and only invest in hot tubs if they can provide or include service, within a daily maintenance routine, to ensure safe water and correct settings,” advises Stephen Weller, of Master Spas, one of the UK’s longest serving suppliers.

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A Hidden Gem

Posted on November 28, 2014

Situated in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, guests use Bluestone as a base to explore the surrounding countryside and coast.

A Hidden Gem

One of Wales’ best-kept secrets, Bluestone National Park Resort lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, next to the Preseli mountains.

Accredited with a five star rating by Visit Wales, Bluestone is an all year, all weather short break holiday destination offering freerange fun and relaxation for its guests.

Bluestone opened in July 2008 and has nearly 300 luxury lodges, cottages and studio apartments, designed in the traditional Welsh style and set in 500 acres of countryside. The park has plans to expand with a further 60 luxury lodges in the near future, as part of a third phase expansion.

“Our ultimate goal is to be the UK’s most loved short break destination,” says Bluestone’s CEO William McNamara. “At the moment we’re one of Wales’ best-kept secrets so one of the biggest challenges we face is ensuring that we are consistently spreading the word about Bluestone and all it has to offer.”

With over 100 activities for guests to choose from, Bluestone has got every angle covered - from 4x4 adventures and beast hunts for the adventurous holidaymaker, to relaxing spa treatments and live music sessions for those that prefer a more chilled-out break. One of the park’s most popular attractions is the Blue Lagoon waterpark, which features an indoor wave machine, a rapids river ride and two enclosed flume rides. The lazy river exits the building to an outdoor bubble pool, with two interactive wet play areas.

Earlier this year the park also introduced a range of new activities and facilities to further enhance the guest experience, including a sky wire zip course, rock climbing and a new village treehouse and play area.

William explains: “There’s no typical break at Bluestone. It’s all about giving the guests choices, while urging them to find their ‘wild thing’. Whether its families wanting to get together, couples wanting a romantic escape, or guests just simply wanting to get away and do something different - we cater for all.”

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Nature’s Best

Posted on November 28, 2014

Now in its 18th year, the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme is one of the longest running green tourism awards in the UK. Pic: Waveney River Centre.

Nature's Best

The green achievements of some of the UK’s most environmentally conscious holiday parks have been celebrated in the latest round of the David Bellamy Conservation Awards.

More than 500 parks were named as winners of the 2014/15 accolade, presented annually at gold, silver and bronze levels. Now in its eighteenth year, the award scheme was started by the world’s best-known botanist to highlight exceptional efforts by parks to protect the natural world.

This year’s long list of achievements varies from the winter-feeding of red deer to the creation of butterfly gardens and nature trails to the building of wildlife ponds and bird-hides. But single projects by themselves will not earn a park an award, says Rufus Bellamy who helps his father administrate the awards.

To stand a chance of qualifying, the park must submit all aspects of its operation to the scrutiny of an independent assessor trained in the running of the scheme.

“Their brief is extremely broad, and covers not just the more obvious initiatives such as creating wildlife habitats and the erection of bird boxes, valuable though these are,” says Rufus. “The assessors take a holistic view of the park’s conservation policies, and judge how far this is succeeding in making it a sustainable and environmentally friendly business.”

Rufus continues: “David Bellamy also attaches great importance to the ways in which parks help children engage with nature through activities such as badger-watches, wild food safaris, or building willow sculptures.

“These awards encourage parks to keep pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished, and to adopt even bolder and more imaginative measures which make a real difference.”

Among this year’s winners was husband and wife team Trevor and Grace Barber of Silver Trees Holiday Park in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, who were delighted to be awarded a top level accolade for the sustainable management of their park for the sixth year running.

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Don’t Take Employment Chance

Posted on November 28, 2014

Employment claims can arise even where a potential candidate alleges discrimination resulting in them not being chosen for the job.

Don’t Take Employment Chance

We have all seen the publicity surrounding high-profile employment cases and the enormous sums of money awarded by the courts. Yet, how many of us appreciate these types of claims are far closer to home than we realise.

“Even if a claim is groundless or fraudulent, the legal costs can be hugely expensive as can be the loss of time and resources needed to prepare the defence,” advises Peter Heffer of Lorica Insurance who provide a bespoke scheme for holiday park operators.

“In reality, a business has no control over who will raise an allegation against them and you have no control over, nor can you prevent, a disgruntled employee from lying or exaggerating.”

With this in mind, Lorica provides employment insurance protection. Cover is provided against claims made by employees, former employees and potential employees for discrimination, wrongful termination of employment, sexual harassment and other employment related allegations. Cover extends to both the employing company and its directors and officers.

We tend to think of employment claims being made by current employees but equally, claims can arise during the pre-employment phase where a potential candidate alleges discrimination resulting in him/her not being employed. We all hope this will not happen to us but can you afford to take the chance? Do you know where to go for specialist support should this happen to you?

First class employment lawyers are expensive, could you meet these costs? Talk to the Lorica team today to be sure you are prepared and covered for all eventualities.

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

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Exhibition Season Gets Underway