EYES ON THE PRIZE!

EYES ON THE PRIZE!

UK Amusement Supplies provides operators with top-quality redemption tickets, prize shop software, and innovative machines.

With over 15 years’ experience, we offer generic or custom-designed tickets with no set-up costs, fast delivery, and high-quality printing.

Our Ticket Monster Ticket Eater (new model Autumn 2026) and free, easy-to-use software help increase guest engagement, improve security, and simplify accounting.

Enhance your redemption operations and delight your visitors today.

UK Amusement Supplies
+44 (0)1234 567890
www.ukamusementsupplies.co.uk

Balancing Act

Balancing Act

Balancing act 1Set 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.”

PARTNERSHIP WORKING
Balancing act 2Hendra 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.”

DATA PROTECTION
Balancing act 4Alongside 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.”

MERSEA MIX
Situated on beautiful Mersea Island, overlooking the sparkling Blackwater Estuary, Waldegraves Holiday Park offers a great mixture of static holiday homes and touring areas. While guests can enjoy all the creature comforts in one of the site’s luxury static caravans by the coast, those looking to connect with the great outdoors can choose from a range of pitches, including electric, non-electric and hardstanding. The sprawling site includes family friendly facilities, including an outdoor heated pool (May to September), restaurant bar and shop. In addition, there are four wellstocked and popular fishing lakes, children’s play areas, an entertainment venue and much, much more. For the site operator, keeping guests, staff and facilities safe is a top priority, as marketing manager Roberta Puze explains: “We want our guests’ stays Balancing act 3to 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.

COMMUNITY SAFETYBalancing act 7
Waldegraves is accredited to the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS). The scheme targets organisations that play an active role in safeguarding communities with the tools to make them more effective in their efforts to reduce crime and disorder. “Under the scheme,” explains Roberta, “some of our staff hold the authority to exercise powers, such as issuing penalty notices for consuming alcohol in a public place and acting in a way likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.” To gain accreditation from Essex’s Chief Constable, each selected team member was vetted, undertook an interview and completed a training programme culminating in an exam. She concludes: “We’re especially proud of these members of the team and the commitment they’ve made to making Waldegraves a much nicer and safer place to holiday.”

 

COMPANY CONTACTS

Hendra Holiday Park
01637 875778
www.hendra-holidays.com

Waldegraves Holiday Park
Tel. 01206 382898
www.waldegraves.co.uk

 

Lock Down

Lock down

Above: Walk-in burglaries are known to increase during the summer months, so there’s no better time to assess the effectiveness of the security measures in place.

Lock Down

A man found guilty of burglary at Parkdean’s West Bay Holiday Park was recently handed a four year custodial sentence. During the trial, the jury heard how Anthony Bown had burgled the Nisa convenience store on the park, stealing cigarettes, cigars and tobacco worth £3,300.

In a separate incident, a cleaner admitted stealing electronic devices from caravans at Haven’s Devon Hills Holiday Park in Exmouth last summer. Richard Copley admitted two counts of burglary when he appeared in court and was subsequently jailed for eight months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay almost £1,400 in compensation.

Incidents like these are unfortunately all too common in holiday park locations. While complete protection from such occurrences can never be guaranteed, there are a number of measures and precautions that holiday park operators can implement to safeguard their parks.

The good news is that the latest figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police revealed that crime level fell by 16 per cent in 2014. Decreases were evident for all major crime types compared with the previous year; violence saw a 23 per cent fall, criminal damage fell by 20 per cent, and theft offences decreased by 12 per cent.

Lock down 2

Above: The Irish-manufactured HKC system is backed by Crosby Intruder Alarms and offers a flexible solution for caravans, lodges, lockers and sheds.

Walk-in burglaries are known to increase during the summer months, so there’s no better time to assess the effectiveness of the security measures in place to ensure that your park is well protected.

“Holiday park theft is becoming a big issue as caravans, lodges and holiday homes increasingly have more valuables in them,” says Roy Williams of security provider Crosby Intruder Alarms.

“It is commonplace these days to have two or more televisions, Sky boxes and other audio and video entertainment systems. It can be lucrative for a thief to target these units, particularly in the closed season when there is less chance of being disturbed.

“There is also an increased risk of theft from lockers or sheds, as these often go completely unprotected.”

While simple measures such as door and window locks and burglar alarms offer some degree of security, Roy recommends an all in one wireless system for intruder, fire, personal attack and mains fail.

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CARDEA SOLUTIONS
Tel. +44 (0)161 413 0766
www.cardea-solutions.com

CROSBY INTRUDER ALARMS
Tel. 0844 588 6912
www.crosbyintruder.co.uk

FRONTIER PITTS
Tel. +44 (0)1293 548 301
www.frontierpitts.com