Owners Only
Set in 40 acres of beautiful East Yorkshire countryside, the multi awardwinning
Patrington Haven Leisure Park is celebrating its 35th anniversary by engaging with its customers and the local community. Founded by Graham Sparkes in 1984 on a disused RAF base near the East Yorkshire coast, after he sold his caravan-building business, the site is now run by Graham’s son, Guy Sparkes, his wife Karen and their extended family, who have grown the team from 35 employees, five years ago, to more than 70 today.
With a growth in turnover from £2.7m in 2014 to £5.6m last year, the owners-only park close to the Holderness coast is forecasting £6m in revenue for 2019 and is experiencing its highest ever occupancy rates, with just 15 of 485 plots currently free. Patrington Haven Leisure Park sells a wide range of quality new and used holiday homes, with customers enjoying a choice of their own private garden plot with designated parking. Holiday homes currently available range in price from £14,995 to £69,000. After investing £5.5m in the leisure park’s Country Club and infrastructure over the past five years, the business is continuing to push forward with new services for its owners and visitors and to reach out to the local community.
Significant investments have been made in Guy’s Café Bar and Restaurant, new technology in the state-of-the-art gym, and three new vans for the maintenance team, which have helped to improve rubbish collections and the upkeep of caravans. In addition, the business has invested thousands of pounds in a rubbish compactor, which has ensured not a single piece of commercial waste has gone to landfill since it was installed, and launched The Spa at the Country Club, providing luxury health and beauty treatments to caravan owners and the local community. A takeaway delivery service offering food from the park’s restaurant menu has also been set up to operate within a seven-mile radius, delivering everything from pizza to fish and chips, romantic meals for two and family feasts, as well as an alcohol delivery service, to caravans on site and local homes, with orders taken via the Just Eat service and delivered by two new vans. Meanwhile, an innovative, free mobile phone app has been launched to communicate with people on and off the park, with options for them to choose the news and notifications they receive, and a new website is due to launch this summer. Managing Director Guy Sparkes firmly believes the park’s committed team and loyal customers are the foundations of its success. Guy said: “We’ve seen a really strong five-year growth period and I put that down to belief, supporting the team and allowing them to be in charge of their own destinies.
SIMPLY THE BEST
“A leisure park is only as good as its owners and its guests and we have some of the best. Our main aim is for all our customers to be proud of our team and our team to be proud of our customers. “I can’t say it’s like coming to work here. It has various pressures, but at the same time, you’re coming in to collaborate with people who believe in the same things. When you have 
shared beliefs, you can achieve anything.” The park has been awarded the Remarkable Holiday Park/Holiday Village Award in the Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards (REYTAs) for the past three years, racking up the latest win in March. It also received the Visit England Gold Award for exceptional quality of accommodation and customer service 2018/2019. The success is based on creating a home away from home environment for owners and making the leisure park a hub for the local community. Although the pool and gym require membership, appointments at the Elemis spa can be booked and the restaurant, bar and other facilities are open to everyone all year round. The leisure park draws its customers from across Yorkshire, the M62 corridor and the Midlands and enjoys remarkable loyalty, with the longestserving caravan owners having called Patrington Haven their home away from home for more than 20 years. Andy and Kerry Naylor live in nearby Hedon and have owned a caravan on the park for four years, regularly staying in their current Willerby Vogue with their cocker spaniels, Charlie and Rosie. Mr Naylor, 57, said: “This is the third caravan we have had on the site. It’s like home away from home. “As well as my family, I bring work colleagues and engineers I know through my business to stay in the lodges and they all love it. “We like the takeaway service too. They’ve got it right with good chefs, and you can order online through Just Eat.” Eric and Linda Thompson, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, first bought on the park in 2003 and have owned three caravans during that time, including their current Winchester model. Mrs Thompson, 66, said: “We came to look at Patrington Haven one Saturday morning and we loved it straight away, so we bought our first caravan on the same day. “The plots all have their own gardens and it’s a very healthy environment. I walk, as well as swim, most days. The people are lovely and it’s like a small village. We’ve made friends here and everyone looks out for each other. “The park is family-run and that family feel is reflected in everything. We really feel part of that," she adds.
LOVE MATTERS
Retired couple Keith and Denise Wright bought their first Willerby Vogue caravan on the park last month, going ahead with the sale within 24 hours of arriving and falling in love with the surroundings. Originally from Manchester, they have owned a narrowboat for the past nine years and Mrs Wright said she is pleased to have found an ideal holiday home for their two children and five grandchildren to visit at various points throughout the year. Mrs Wright, 66, said: “We thought we’d go to lots of different sites to see what was available, but we never went anywhere else. “The staff took us round and we fell in love with it. When you need anything, someone is there straight away and nothing is too much trouble. There is such a lot going on for all ages and the park has a really nice feel about it. “Everyone has been so friendly here and made us feel so welcome. The park is really well cared for and has such pleasant surroundings.”
At A Glance
• The park operates an 11-month season for owners t o enjoy, but its five-star facilities are open all year round.
• Every holiday home comes with its own private garden.
• Guy’s Café Bar and Restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and a superb Sunday carvery.
• The Country Club and Pool, which is open from 6.30am, 364 days of the year.
• The Spa open daily and offers a wide range of treatments using only the very best Elemis products.
• A well-stocked fishing lake
• A jam-packed events programme, from the all-day music extravaganza, Patfest, to the exclusive Owner’s Select private dinner.
Patrington Haven Leisure Park
Tel: 01964 630 071
www.patrington-haven.co.uk
Taking the plunge with a holiday park swimming pool can be as daunting as diving off the highest board. But be bold. Investing in on-site swimming offers many avenues for return on investment from initial visitor appeal to encouraging maximum ‘on park’ spend. But don’t just think swimming pool – rather, think water leisure and entertainment. After all, maximum payback will come from an aquatic feature that does not just offer lane swimming, but entertains all ages and abilities with excitement and splash appeal.
certainly an activity that many of visitors enjoy when on holiday, and therefore a swimming pool will influence bookings.
Ustigate's 31-station Dippy the Dinosaur inspired splashpad has met its original goal in making Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Norfolk, even more popular than before.
Rather than spend money on renovating the outdated outdoor pool, Freshwater Beach Holiday Park on the Jurassic Coast, decided to undertake a temporary upgrade to the filtration plant and line the pool with a commercial pool liner. They also decided to undertake a feasibility study, to develop a brand-new indoor pool facility. Cresta Leisure was invited to join the project design team, to develop and deliver a wet-leisure facility that would appeal to all ages. This co-operation has resulted in a very popular, purpose built pool complex that incorporates a splash zone, a paddling pool, a play pool, interactive tower with tippers, sprays and slides, a stand-alone four-lane slide with integral catch, a 20m deck level swimming pool and a spa. Following the success of the new indoor pool complex, Freshwater asked Cresta Leisure to come up with a scheme to improve the outdoor pool facilities. Because the filtration and circulation on the existing outdoor pool was below current standards, it was decided to break out the old pool and start afresh. All the groundworks were undertaken by Freshwater’s own team. In just five months, Cresta has built a brand new 25m x 12m outdoor pool with 12m2 paddling pool packed full of interactive water play features from Hippo Leisure. This new pool facility is fully compliant with European standards and is proving to be a smash hit with everyone.
Set just two miles from Newquay’s golden sand beaches, Hendra Holiday Park welcomes up to 3,800 guests a night during peak season. The family-owned business began in 1972 as a site offering camping and touring. Nowadays, Hendra’s 80- acre site is home to more than 300 luxury holiday homes and 600 pitches (from standard grass to super), ensuring it caters to a wide range of guests and budgets. Newquay has undergone a transformation in recent years, as Director Jon Hyatt explains: “The town has come a long way since the days of nightclubs, stag and hen dos. “It’s now a five-star family-friendly holiday destination and that makes the job of keeping our guests safe and secure that bit easier.” On-site security is handled by the Nitoe Group Ltd, a company launched more than a decade ago to support Newquay’s bustling nightlife. The experience brought with it some valuable lessons. “In bars and clubs, security needs to be managed carefully to avoid ruining the experience for everyone,” says managing director Tom Peel. “Holiday parks are very much the same. “Our primary goal is to make sure guests feel safe and secure – without compromising on their enjoyment. Being approachable plays a big part in this – especially in a holiday park where very young guests might find themselves needing help.”
Hendra and Nitoe work in close partnership to achieve this: from choosing the appropriate measures and policies to sharing recruitment events. “The Nitoe Group team is very much an extension of our own workforce,” says Hendra director Jon Hyatt. “Their approach is more front of house than door supervisor and that’s a credit to the training they’ve received.” Security personnel on site understand the importance of customer service and know the skills to deliver it. In addition, they are trained to deliver first aid and can take on basic maintenance tasks, too. Jon continues: “With such a wide-range of functions, it means that, especially in peak season, we can enjoy an ‘all-hands-on-deck approach to give our visitors the experience that will see them returning year after year. “In addition, our staff has been trained on how to work with security, including how to get help in the event of issues on site, such as disruptive guests.” In such a big operation, data security is a significant concern. To protect against cyber threats externally, Hendra’s booking systems are isolated from the WiFi, feature a firewall and use subnets for added protection. On top of this, systems undergo external testing quarterly to ensure PCI-DSS compliance. “At Hendra, we go out of our way to treat our guests with the utmost respect and that extends to their personal information,” comments Bookings and IT manager Scott Dickinson. “Any data we hold is fully encrypted and we’ve made the decision not to store credit card details. “Sensitive information like this is only needed in the event of a refund; this affects no more than 5 per cent of our bookings. In our experience, when refunds are necessary, guests are usually more than happy to share their details again if it will help resolve the issue.”
Alongside external scans and testing, Hendra’s IT team regularly run internal vulnerability scans. Scott adds: “With so much data to protect, we are always on the lookout for flaws in the system which could result in data breaches and issues for our customers.” This robust-but-friendly approach to security has paid dividends, according to Hendra Director Jon Hyatt. “We’ve been welcoming guests from across the UK and beyond for nearly 50 years’ now. “Indeed, many of our guests nowadays first came here as young children and, because of our customer-focused approach – across every aspect of the business – they continue returning each year, bringing children and grandchildren in tow.”
to be memorable for the right reasons. Our team works hard to instil a culture of respect throughout the operation.” This is echoed throughout the guest’s experience: from booking to departure. The site’s Code of Behaviour can be found within the park rules that are listed on the website, within booking information and in arrival packs. Once on site, guests are reminded to respect their neighbours on site, at all times of day, through carefully placed signage and posters. Day-to-day security issues are handled by the site’s park warden. “Guests need to be comfortable raising issues or asking questions, so approachability was something we were looking for in a park warden,” comments Roberta. During weekends and school holidays, Waldegraves employs an external security company to look after the doors on the clubhouse, as well as patrol in the evenings and overnight. However, there are drawbacks to this approach. “Previously, we have had issues where external staff weren’t able to work out the layout of the park quickly enough,” adds Roberta. “This meant we did have some complaints that areas of the site weren’t being policed efficiently. “Ideally, we would like to employ an in-house security team. But, because it could only ever be a seasonal position, it is almost impossible to find the right candidates. Alongside a range of security equipment, including CCTV, ANPR and automatic barriers to keep guests safe, the team at Waldegraves is also working to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Six parks strong, Away Resorts conducted a study last year that revealed 76% of the British public believe holiday operators need to do more to conserve wildlife in and around their locations. Since then, Away Resorts has taken measures to become more environmentally aware including installing electric car charging points at Sandy Balls, its New Forest Holiday Park, moving all barbed wire fencing and enforcing speed limits to protect wildlife that wanders into their park. The Away Resorts team has also created an on-line resource bank with information about the wildlife found near their 100-year-old holiday resort. The resource allows visitors to learn more about the National Park’s wildlife, including rare birds, mammals, endangered insects and unique plants. Readers can discover facts about the creatures and foliage, where in the New Forest they can be seen and tips on how the public can ensure the conservation of all that call the National Park their home.
This sustainable re-use of materials can be seen throughout the business as they continue to increase their efforts in becoming even more environmentally friendly. The park has joined the Final Straw campaign, replacing plastic straws in the three onsite bars with paper alternatives. Staff also organise their own beach cleans on Holywell Bay to ensure the location and its wildlife remain unharmed by plastic waste, whilst also encouraging guests to adopt this mindset and asking them to leave the beach as they find it. “We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world and it is our responsibility to ensure it remains this way,” said Trevornick’s Manager Adrian Tribe. “We have all benefitted from the increase in tourism as a result of hit TV shows like BBC’s Poldark much of which was filmed at Holywell Bay and we feel we have a duty to highlight the dangers of single use plastic and its effect on our beautiful coastline. “This year we have introduced initiatives such as the ‘Drop an Swap’ station where guests can leave their beach toys and bodyboards to reduce this type of waste, as well as joining the ‘Re-Fill’ app which highlights locations nearby where people can fill up their water bottles,” he added. Other measures the park are taking to reduce their single use plastic waste and improve their recycling capabilities includes easy access to recycling points throughout the campsite for camping and touring guests and trialling recycling waste such as crisp packets and bottle tops which aren’t widely recycled and can be made into things such as children’s play parks.
When project planning, it always makes sense to build in green credentials to schemes, not just for the cost-effectiveness but also for its marketing appeal. Olicana Cottages in Ilkley commissioned the construction of five, two bedroom timber built lodges on the banks of the River Wharfe. Boasting saunas and hot tubs the luxury lodges that take full advantage of the peaceful riverside setting, they had sustainability very much on their minds. Perhaps most interesting is how the lodges and new café bar are heated – by a central ground source heat pump, giving the lodges and café independent control of heating and hot water. With this type of sustainable heating system the holiday park owners will receive Renewable Heat Incentive payments which have been calculated to be in excess of £103,000 over 20 years – the period of return for commercial installations. Golden Leas in Sheerness, Kent, has 350 privately-owned caravan holiday homes and lodges, and a newly-opened clubhouse will provide the focus for a raft of social activities and entertainment. Sustainability was an important part of the park’s business philosophy, and the clubhouse has solar panels on its roof to generate heat for the building. Golden Leas also has plans to convert the heating of its 20-metre outdoor swimming pool to use green energy and reduce even further its carbon footprint. There are plans as well to make the park even more welcoming to wildlife with the creation of new habitat areas, and the planting of nectar-rich flowers for foraging by honey bees and butterflies.
environmentally-conscious, self-catering holiday resort, Great Field Farm, near Canterbury. The 90 m2 building is equipped with environmentally-friendly features such as a green roof, a heat exchange system with infrared underfloor heating, and smart sensors to regulate pollen, CO2 levels, ventilation, heating and lighting. Marketed as the Bumble Barn, the accommodation offers a unique opportunity to expand the environmentally-conscious business, allowing the couple to cater to the demand for larger families and groups. Lewana Castle said: “We pride our business on offering guests the space and freedom of the outdoors, but with the warmth and comfort of a house, and the new ARC building offers exactly that. “Our guests will love the new experience of living in the round of the curved building, and I think they’ll be interested in the ARC’s sustainable features and clever technology.” The family owners of a Lake District holiday park are also helping visitors to enjoy even greener stays in Cumbria following a new series of environmental initiatives. Park Foot Caravan and Camping Park, on the shores of Ullswater near Penrith, says its latest steps will help further ensure that guests can enjoy their holidays with a clear conscience. Measures taken include the construction from local stone of a new amenity building for campers which is kept warm with underfloor heating from the park’s biomass boiler. Park Foot has also increased its reliance on green energy with new solar panels on its recycling centre which will feed excess electricity into the national grid. A super-efficient new heating system has additionally been installed to minimise energy usage. Park Foot, which employs around 80 locally-recruited staff in high season, has also decided from this year to ban single-use plastics in its clubhouse.
A significant supplier in the greener credentials of many holiday parks is NBB Recycled Furniture. In 2018 alone, the UK-based team saved 27.4million plastic bottles from entering landfill sites. This is set to drastically rise in 2019 and 2020 as the desire for recycled furniture soars. Tables, picnic-sets and benches accounted for over 50% of the saved bottles with organisations such as holiday parks, hotels and schools opting for recycled plastic for its safety, maintenance-free and eco properties. NBB Business Manager, Sharon Jenkins comments: “We have seen a significant rise in sales of recycled plastic products over the last five years. Consumers are now very aware of the environmental impact of plastic waste and would rather opt for a hardwearing, low maintenance option that largely contributes to the reduction of plastic pollution.”
Nepgill’s exceptional commitment to the environment was recognised last autumn, when it was named as a 2018-19 winner of the prestigious Gold level David Bellamy Conservation Award. The park received three extra commendations from Professor Bellamy for its work on protecting honey bees, managing hedgerow habitats, and its extensive wild flower plantings. “We were absolutely thrilled to be presented with the David Bellamy Award last year,” says Mel. “It’s recognition of all the hard work that my parents and the residents have put in over the years to make Nepgill such a naturally beautiful and environmentally-friendly place to live. Everyone who visits the park comments on how peaceful it is, tucked away in our own little corner between the mountains and the sea.”
Wish You Were Here - Rimington Leisure Park
UK holiday park operator Away Resorts has kicked off the 2019 season with a £5.25 million investment in its lakeside retreat of Tattershall Lakes Country Park, which opened in time for the Easter holidays. Guests holidaying at the Lincolnshire holiday village this summer will be able to make the most of a new skyline bar, splash zone, beach and accommodation that ticks all the boxes when it comes to the ultimate luxury holiday home. The skyline bar will be called Bar 49 after a poll of guests on Facebook decided to opt for the name, which refers to the number of airfields in Lincolnshire during World War II. Bar 49 will be an elevated open-air space that will give holidaymakers the opportunity to enjoy a drink and take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding lakes. The new indoor Splash Zone will give families and kids of all ages the chance to enjoy some interactive water fun with lots of fantastic water experiences - so get ready for sprays, streams and super slides. The new Splash Zone will be a welcome addition to the indoor pool, spa and gym as well as the adventure playground, sports court and high ropes course, which was introduced last year and has proved to be a great success. The operator is also introducing a range of glamping options due to the increasing popularity to enjoy the great lakes with a bit of home-from-home comfort.
Rolec Services have launched a new nationwide electrical hook-up installation network called ParkServ, to accommodate the changing demands of the caravan and residential park industries. The network consists of Rolec-trained, Rolec-supported, and Rolec-managed electrical contractors located in local areas - all able to provide a host of corporate services at local rates. “For almost 30 years, Rolec engineers have travelled the length and breadth of the UK undertaking the installation of electrical hook-up, distribution and lighting systems - as well as providing electrical testing and support services to the caravan and residential park industries,” comments Rolec’s Sales Director Martin Georgeson. “Times are changing,” Martin continues. “ParkServ has been designed to offer our customers Rolec’s experience, quality and corporate performance, fused with local installers’ pricing and knowledge.” Rolec’s ParkServ services includes free-of-charge site surveys and no obligation quotations based on local rates as well as installation work, and rapid response callout services, by local engineers. Add to the equation, local aftersales support, electrical testing at local rates and locally stocked spare and replacement parts by local engineers – and it is not hard to see how Rolec’s team will underline their position as the industry’s leading hook-up specialists.
Local MP Gordon Henderson officially opened the new clubhouse at one of Kent’s most popular holiday parks, Golden Leas in Sheerness. The clubhouse is part of a recent £500,000 investment project at Golden Leas by Lovat Parks which acquired the business almost a year ago from its longstanding family owners. During his visit, Mr Henderson, who is MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, toured the park’s 22-acre grounds in the company of its general manager Jo Treadgold. Golden Leas has 350 privately-owned caravan holiday homes and lodges, and the new clubhouse will provide the focus for a raft of social activities and entertainment. It also includes a bar and cafe, a children’s club, and a shop which will focus on locally sourced food and drinks including many specialities produced in Kent. Sustainability, said Jo, was an important part of the park’s business philosophy, and the clubhouse has solar panels on its roof to generate heat for the building.