Wish You Were Here – Rimington Leisure Park

Posted on July 2, 2019

Wish You Were Here - Rimington Leisure Park

The countryside haven that is Rimington Leisure Park, deep in the heart of the Ribble Valley, is the newest Park to join the award-winning family owned Holgates Holiday Parks.

Open 12 months of the year offering top quality holiday home ownership, the park is set for more than half a million pounds worth of investment before the end of 2020, which makes it an exciting time to be a new owner on Rimington.

With lush green panoramic views out to the beautiful Forest of Bowland and Pendle Hill, Rimington is perfectly situated (on the edge of a Designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AONB – no less) for reaching the Yorkshire Dales, Morecambe Bay, and the Lake District.

It feels wonderfully remote and untouched by man, so its no surprise that the Forest of Bowland is home to some of the most unspoilt and picturesque rugged landscapes in the UK. Rimington really is the holiday park of choice for nature lovers and those who enjoy walking and spending time in the great outdoors.

Its tranquil location, in the shadow of the atmospheric Pendle Hill and surrounded only by fresh green countryside, provides peace and quiet in abundance – albeit mixed with the gentle tinkling of birdsong! Walks of varying effort can be enjoyed from the park – from short strolls to brisk climbs. Views from the 557-metre summit of Pendle Hill are certainly worth the effort as pretty much the whole of Lancashire opens up as a reward for reaching the top.

Two and three bedroomed pre-owned holiday homes priced from just £15,950 and brand new 2019 models available from £37,950.

Rimington Leisure Park
Tel. 01200 445355
www.rimingtonleisure.co.uk

Flushed With Success

Posted on February 28, 2019

Flushed With Success

Donkey Creek Farm Caravan Park on Lancashire’s Fylde coast is officially one of the best place to ‘go’ in Britain, according to judges of the annual Loo of the Year awards. The park’s washrooms have been named as top platinum winners in the latest Loo of the Year awards, bringing a chain of honour to the family-run business. The prestigious accolade was made to Donkey Creek after the shower and toilet facilities provided for guests were ‘mystery shopped’ by inspectors. Celebrating the news of the award are Paul Lancaster and his wife Jane who opened the park last summer in a quiet rural location near the market town of Freckleton. One of their first tasks was a built a state-of-the-art washroom facility for guests pitching up at the park with motorhomes, touring caravans and tents. Paul and Jane also know that their success is not just a flash in the pan because, they say, advance bookings for 2019 are ‘way beyond our expectations.

Making A Splash

Posted on May 3, 2017

Making A Splash

The overhaul of the swimming pool facilities at Ribby Hall Village was carried out by World Leisure.

The swimming pool facilities at Ribby Hall Village holiday park in Lancashire have undergone a £1.5million transformation. The pool was refurbished eight years ago but bosses at the attraction decided the time was right for a complete revamp, with added facilities to maintain excitement and interest for visitors.

The work was carried out by World Leisure and the pool now features new slides including a 48m interactive play slide. World Leisure also refurbished the splash pool and added an interactive aqua deck play structure, with tipping buckets and integral slides.

A themed Glass Reinforced Polyester toddlers’ pool links into the splash pool, with a slide and steps to open the pools up to all ages. Mark Leech, Senior Manager at Ribby Hall Village, said: “It is important as a business to continually invest and improve the facilities we offer to our customers. We believe the new interactive slide and new splash pool features will be real talking points that will bring family visitors back again and again.”

A Cinderella Story

Posted on November 14, 2016

A Cinderella Story

There are 278 plots at South Lakeland Leisure Village, offering a mixture of holiday homes and holiday lets.

There are 278 plots at South Lakeland Leisure Village, offering a mixture of holiday homes & lets.

Hard work and determination has paid off for a woman who started working as a cleaner when she barely spoke a word of English and is now at the helm of an award-winning holiday park in north Lancashire.

Zuzana Terry, 36, who hails from Slovakia, only knew the basics of the English language when she got a job cleaning the facilities at Fell End Caravan Park at Hale, near Milnthorpe, in 2005. Within a short space of time she began helping out in the on-site shop before being promoted to duty manager in 2008.

Two years later, the park’s owners, Pure Leisure Group, moved her across to South Lakeland Leisure Village – where she has worked her way up from Head Housekeeper to General Manager in just six years.

“I couldn’t believe it. It was a huge surprise and I feel really proud,” said Mrs Terry, who grew up in Sobrance in Slovakia, but now lives in Carnforth. “When I first moved here I hardly spoke a word of English and I didn’t really know what a caravan or a lodge was. That meant I had to learn everything from scratch and I think it’s given me a huge advantage to have worked my way up and to understand how all the elements of the business work.”

Zuzana now oversees the day to day running of South Lakeland Leisure Village, which is Pure Leisure Group’s flagship park. Located in north Lancashire, close to the Lake District, the leisure village welcomes several thousand visitors each year, from owners to holidaymakers, many of whom have been visiting for years.

THRIVING VENUE

Zuzana now oversees the day to day running of South Lakeland Leisure Village, which is Pure Leisure Group’s flagship park.

The park sits on the site of a former gravel pit and was transformed into the thriving park it is today by owner John Morphet in 2003. “As well as offering sailing on the lake and its own leisure complex and restaurant, there’s all sorts to see and do on the doorstep, making the park very popular with families,” explains Zuzana.

“It is particularly popular with couples who have retired, or arenearing retirement, who enjoy the convenience of the park’s location. The majority of these owners let their lodges out when they or their families are not visiting themselves, ensuring their holiday home returns an income.”

There are 278 plots on the park, offering a mixture of holiday homes and holiday lets. The holiday lodges range in price from £69,995 to more than £250,000, and many of the plots are on the water front, with private jetties, wooden decking and hot tubs.

The park operates a buy-to-let scheme which ensures that buyers can earn an income from their holiday home when it’s not in use. This is a huge attraction to buyers, who are guaranteed a return of 6% per annum for three years. Several owners have started with one lodge, and bought more as they have come available.

“The park’s biggest challenge is also its biggest asset,” reveals Zuzana. She continues: “The nearby Lake District National Park is full of alternative options when it comes to luxury holiday homes but this works in our favour, with around 30% of holiday home sales on the park resulting from people ‘calling in’ as they head back down the M6 after being put off by high prices or Lake District traffic jams.”

The leisure village has an 11 month season, closing from the beginning of January to the beginning of February for annual maintenance work and improvements. The state-of-the-art Pure Leisure Health & Fitness Club is the highlight of the leisure facilities offered at the park and includes a gym, fitness suites a large, indoor swimming pool, steam room and a beauty spa.

NEW INVESTMENT

The latest addition to the park is a brand new £2million development of eco-friendly holiday homes, which bridges the gap between the high-end caravans and luxury lodges. Named The Yealands, the development has been developed from scratch by Pure Leisure Group and owners have access to all of the facilities at the leisure village.

Zuzana says she has a number of hopes for her new role at the park, but will concentrate on putting people first: “I have loved all of my jobs because I like working with people. I’m not afraid of hard work and I know every person in the team has an important role to play in keeping a lovely place like this running smoothly.”

South Lakeland Leisure Village
Tel. 01524 781918
www.pure-leisure.co.uk

50 Golden Years

Posted on October 4, 2016

50 Golden Years

MP Mark Menzies (centre) joins members of the Lancaster family at Lamaleach Park Estates’ celebration event.

Lamaleach Park Estates in Lancashire has marked five decades of providing dream retirement lifestyles for its residents with a series of special anniversary celebrations. A public open day at the park in July welcomed VIP guests including the local mayoress and constituency MP, as well as residents and staff.
Opening the proceedings was Paul Lancaster whose grandfather Jack took the decision to diversify his dairy farm in 1966 by providing park homes for sale to mature couples. The expansion of Lamaleach continued under the stewardship of Jack’s son Michael who has now handed day-to-day management over to his son Paul and his wife Jane, a district nurse. Today, the park provides around 120 park homes for people aged 50-plus.
Paul said that park homes appeal especially to people who are able to sell their bricks-and-mortar house and buy a park property with a nest-egg left over for retirement.
“Lamaleach offers a semi-sheltered environment where residents live among people of a similar age and background - and which is, above all, affordable,” he said.

Holiday Park Scene Magazine