CUMBRIA COUPLE CELEBRATES VISITENGLAND’S TOP 100 RECOGNITION

Rachael and Ian Gowing from Kirkby Stephen are thrilled after their holiday business, Pennine View Park, was named one of Britain’s top accommodation providers by VisitEngland. The park received this year’s ROSE award, recognising exceptionally high quality standards.

The accolade was presented by Lady Victoria Borwick at a special ceremony in Newbury, Berkshire. Rachael, a former Red Bull events organizer, launched the park in 2017, with Ian leaving his construction job to join her. They transformed a former railway yard into a premier holiday destination. Pennine View Park has achieved a five-star grading from VisitEngland and is shortlisted for Cumbria Tourism’s Holiday Park of the Year in 2024.

The park, which includes 80 pitches for campers and touring caravans, has also added cozy timber glamping pods. The couple opened The Engine Shed, a family bar converted from an old railway goods shed, featuring outdoor seating and a street-food inspired menu with live music events.

Now among the top 100 businesses recognised by VisitEngland, the ROSE award highlights their commitment to providing an exceptional experience for guests. Rachael expressed pride in this recognition, emphasising that it reflects not just the park’s facilities but also the warmth and hospitality of their team.

“We’re already receiving bookings for next year, with many guests returning or coming through personal recommendations,” she noted.

Pennine View Park
www.pennineviewpark.co.uk

GOLDEN GLOW FOR PARK HOLIDAYS UK

GOLDEN GLOW FOR PARK HOLIDAYS UK

WITH 56 PARKS across Britain, Park Holidays UK is consistently offering outstanding standards.

Major parks group Park Holidays UK has earned two top quality awards, thanks to guests who say that they consistently enjoy gold standards of service during their stays. The first accolade was the prestigious 2024 Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award which puts Park Holidays UK among a small elite of Britain’s most outstanding holiday providers.

Feefo is one of the world’s most trusted review websites, and its gold award goes only to companies which achieve exceptionally high scores from customers throughout the year. In 2023, said Feefo, almost all guests delivering their verdict on Park Holidays UK gave it a rating of 4.5 or 5 – the maximum score – based on their experiences.

Feefo also gave a special award to Park Holidays UK for delivering 10 years of consistent service excellence. Brad May, Chief Marketing Officer at Park Holidays UK – which operates 56 parks across Britain - said that all members of the staff team deserved to take a bow: “These awards are a fantastic achievement of which everyone at the company can be proud, not least because of what customers are saying in their reviews,” he said.

“Our high quality standards always earn praise from customers, but guests are just as keen to comment on the relaxed atmosphere, friendliness, and hospitality they enjoy. “Making this happen is entirely down to the enthusiasm of our loyal and hardworking teams – and many reviewers say what a great difference our staff make to their stay.

“It’s always our aim to provide guests with the best possible holiday memories, and we are delighted to be exceeding their expectations in so many different ways,” added Brad. Bookings for 2024 have got off to an extremely strong start, he reports, and ownership of holiday caravans and lodges are continuing to grow in popularity.

Top Tourism Finalists

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.

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.

Parks Find Winning Ways

All the 2015 AA Caravan and Camping Awards winners were recognised for their achievements at the lunch held at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol.

All the 2015 AA Caravan and Camping Awards winners were recognised for their achievements at the lunch held at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol.

Parks Find Winning Ways

The 2015 season has got off to a flying start for eleven of the UK’s top campsites after they were recognised at the recent AA Caravan and Camping Awards 2015.

Oakdown Touring and Holiday Park in Sidmouth, Devon was named the winner of the AA Campsite of the Year for England and the overall winner for 2015, while Witches Craig Caravan and Camping Park in Stirling and Bron Derw Touring Caravan Park in Conwy were named Campsite of the Year Scotland and Wales respectively.

Alistair Franks of Oakdown Touring and Holiday Park said: “We are all absolutely delighted with our award. We are continually investing in Oakdown to improve our facilities across the board to make our guests as comfortable as possible and we are thrilled that the commitment shown by us and our staff has been recognised by the judges of this prestigious awards scheme.”

The annual AA Caravan and Camping Awards recognise the best of the best when it comes to the nation’s caravan and camping sites. The winners are selected by the AA’s team of expert inspectors who travel the length and breadth of the country to ensure that campers can be confident of high standards wherever they see the AA Pennants at a campsite.

David Hancock, co-ordinator of the AA Caravan and Camping Scheme commented: “Today’s campers expect so much more than previous generations. Just because we’re away from home doesn’t mean we don’t want home comforts like privacy, clean and warm bathrooms and good access to the internet.”

David added: “Customer care is one thing that all our award winners have paid attention to. How well guests are looked after from the moment they arrive can make or break any holiday.

“Location also plays a significant part – the park must be in a place people want to visit and improvements to facilities can also score highly, especially if they have enhanced that all-important customer experience.”

All the 2015 award winners were recognised for their achievements at the lunch held at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol. The awards lunch also marked the official launch of the 47th AA Caravan and Camping Guide, which has details of over 900 fully inspected and independently graded camping parks across the UK.

 

 

Accolade For Outstanding Parks

awards

The team from Seafield Caravan Park in Northumberland were presented with a gold award at the VisitEngland Awards of Excellence.

Accolade For Outstanding Parks

Holiday parks from across the country have been recognised in the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

The awards, which celebrate their silver jubilee this year, promote quality in England’s tourism industry and celebrate the very best the country has to offer.

Leading the pack was Seafield Caravan Park in Northumberland, which scooped the gold award in the Holiday Park of the Year category. Located in the small fishing village of Seahouses, the family-run park offers a mix of touring pitches and holiday lodges to hire or buy.

Allison Thompson of Seafield Caravan Park said she was delighted to win gold - the second time the site has landed the top prize. She added: “It is testament to the continued investment in the park and most importantly to the dedicated and motivated team at Seafield, who continually strive to not only maintain but to improve the customer experience.”

The silver award for Holiday Park of the Year went to Gwel an Mor Resort in Portreath, Cornwall. Leaplish Waterside Park at Kielder Water in Northumberland and Waldegraves and Cosways Family Holiday Parks in Essex were awarded joint bronze in the category, and Hoburne Bashley came highly commended.

VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “The VisitEngland Awards celebrate the very best in the tourism industry. It is the highest accolade in English tourism and recognises the true champions of our industry, and the top quality visitor experiences we are fortunate to have on offer in England.”

To read more on this story, please subscribe online.