Part Exchange Solution

Posted on June 26, 2015

Part Exchange Solution

Verna and Richard Culpeper part-exchanged their semi-detached house in Harrow for a park home in Pembrokeshire with Quick Move Properties.

Offering a property part exchange service can have a huge impact on sales figures and until recently it was a luxury available only to large house builders due to the financial risk and large balance sheet required.

But Quick Move Properties, the UK’s largest property part exchange company, are now looking to change that by offering a funded part exchange solution to park home providers and leisure home providers.

“Offering a part exchange service has several benefits for a park home or leisure home operator,” says Patrick Chambers, sales director at Quick Move Properties

“Firstly it removes the risk that a sale will fall through due to chain collapse, it also frees your customers up to commit to a purchase – helping to convert potential customers into proceedable buyers – and, because we use our own balance sheet to make the purchases, we are able to offer a great deal of flexibility.”

Quick Move Properties have also recently teamed up with Prestige Homeseeker, Omar, Tingdene and Pathfinder to offer a new stock support service.

Quick Move Properties.
Tel. +44 (0)1793 840917
www.quickmoveproperties.co.uk

Pool Cover Cost Savings

Posted on June 26, 2015

Pool Cover Cost Savings

Hoburne Holiday Parks has saved thousands of pounds on its gas bills, following the introduction of Heatsavr liquid pool cover in the indoor pool at its site in Torbay.

Evaporation control within the pool hall remains a challenge for many pool operators. While a pool cover will insulate your pool to a degree, it is the slowdown in evaporation that is key to saving money.

It is estimated that a pool running at 55% humidity with a pool temperature of 30C and an air temperature of 31C will lose approximately 2 cubic metres of water per day with no cover in place.

Heatsavr biodegrades naturally into water and carbon dioxide within 72 hours and can be added to any type of pool. Using Heatsavr will not stop evaporation, but it will certainly slow the rate of evaporation, working in conjunction with an effective dehumidification and ventilation system.

“One of our clients has been closely monitoring their water top up following a Heatsavr installation and reports that they are now saving 20m3 of water per month,” reveals Peter Marshall of Brenntag.

“The first obvious saving relates to the water top up required and not only in the cost of the additional water but more so in the energy required to raise the temperature of the incoming water to that of the pool.”

Brenntag
Tel. 01133 879200
www.heatsavr.co.uk

Best Certificated Site Honour For Acorn Wood

Posted on June 26, 2015

Best Certificated Site Honour For Acorn Wood

Acorn Wood campsite received the Best Certificated Site award.

Acorn Wood campsite in Burton-upon-Stather, Lincolnshire, is the winner of The Camping and Caravanning Club Best Certificated Site (CS) 2014.

The small five-‘van site received the most positive nominations and reviews by Club members, and was awarded the prestigious title at the Club’s headquarters in Coventry.

Facilities on site at Acorn Wood include a popular fishing lake, stocked with carp, tench, roach, perch and bream. The Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding National Beauty and Peak District National Park are both close by.

Site owners, Heather and Martin Thompson, purchased their smallholding in the early 1990s. With fond memories of their own camping holidays, they opened Acorn Wood CS in 2008, enabling them to share their “little slice of heaven” with all Camping and Caravanning Club members.

Heather said: “Martin and I are absolutely over the moon to have been given this award. It’s a huge recognition for all our efforts over the years, and we cannot thank everyone enough for all their support.”

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.

To read more of this story, please subscribe online.

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

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.

New Owners For Center Parcs

Posted on June 24, 2015

New Owners For Center Parcs

Center Parcs UK has been acquired by Canadian investment firm Brookfield Property Partners.

The UK Center Parcs holiday resorts business has been sold to a Canadian investment firm.

Brookfield Property Partners, a Toronto-based company, announced it was buying the UK holiday village company from its private-equity owners, Blackstone for an undisclosed sum of funds.

Brookfield will take ownership of five Center Parcs sites in the UK, each consisting of holiday homes set in 400 acres of woodland. The company’s occupancy levels have averaged approximately 97 per cent over the last five years. The transaction is due to complete by the end of July. Center Parcs Europe will remain a separate business.

Martin Dalby, chief executive of Center Parcs, commented: “This announcement marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Center Parcs. From the first time we met, Brookfield has demonstrated a real understanding of our business and I am absolutely convinced that we can work together to achieve our strategic goals”.

Camping Boost For Happy Kids

Posted on June 24, 2015

Camping Boost For Happy Kids

Camping has a positive impact on children’s lives according to new research by The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Children who camp in the great outdoors at least once a year do better at school and are healthier and happier. Those are the findings of a UK study carried out by the Institute of Education at Plymouth University and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Parents and children around the UK were asked a series of questions which looked at the educational, psychological and social benefits of the camping experience to children of all ages.

More than four out of five parents thought camping had a positive effect on their children’s school education. 98 per cent of parents said camping makes their kids appreciate and connect with nature; while 93 per cent felt that it provided useful skills for later life.

Sue Waite, associate professor at the Plymouth Institute of Education said: “Interestingly, the parents surveyed believed camping supported the key curriculum subjects of geography, history and science and actually, that stacks up because the most common camping activities were natural – such as rock pooling and nature walks – where children were getting to understand ecosystems and identify lifeforms, respecting nature and the environment.”

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

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.”

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