HOW HARPA SUPPORTS A STRONG PARK SECTOR

Posted on May 1, 2026

The Holiday and Residential Parks Association (HARPA) represents 3,000 park businesses across the UK, helping them respond to a complex and evolving operating environment. We work alongside our members to promote good practice, share expertise and address the practical challenges that affect parks day to day.

A key part of our role is engaging with policymakers on issues that directly impact the sector, including taxation, planning and regulation. We create opportunities for decision-makers to hear firsthand from park owners and operators about the contribution parks make to local economies and communities. At our Westminster conference in January, more than 20 MPs met with members to discuss these issues and the realities of running parks.

This work is supported by our Parks Make Places campaign, launched in 2025. The campaign highlights the social and economic value parks deliver all year round, from supporting local employment and tourism to providing much-needed accommodation and community spaces.

Following this campaign, a YouGov poll of MPs found that 76% now agree that the holiday parks sector delivers social value, an increase from 67% the previous year, highlighting growing recognition among policymakers of the tangible contribution parks make to the communities in which they are based. Alongside our policy work, we provide members with practical support to help them operate successfully.

This includes access to training programmes, webinars, conferences, a telephone helpline and specialist advice. Members also benefit from opportunities to connect with peers, share experiences and learn from one another. Our Next Generation Network continues to grow, bringing members together through meetings, online forums and park visits.

It is open to anyone working in the sector, regardless of age, experience or role. Now in our 76th year, our Association remains as committed as ever to championing the industry and supporting our members to thrive.

HARPA
01452 526911
www.harpa.org.uk

HARPA GOES TO WESTMINSTER

Posted on February 10, 2026

HARPA Conference 2026 underlines industry's role in housing and communities...

The newly branded Holiday and Residential Parks Association (HARPA) last week brought the UK parks industry to the heart of Westminster as it hosted its 2026 Conference, marking a high-profile debut for the association’s new identity.

Formerly known as the British Holiday and Home Parks Association, HARPA officially adopted its new name and branding in January 2026 following a member-led rebrand launched at the close of its 75th anniversary year. The Westminster conference provided the first major opportunity to present the new identity, vision and strategic direction to policymakers, partners and the media.

A central feature of the event was a full-scale demonstration of the sector’s contribution to the UK’s housing needs. A brand-new, British-manufactured residential park home was installed at the entrance to the conference centre, offering parliamentarians a tangible example of how modern park homes and responsibly run residential parks could help deliver some of the 30,000–50,000 new later-living homes the country needs to build each year, as identified by the Government’s Older People’s Housing Task Force.

HARPA said the installation was designed to challenge outdated perceptions of park living, highlighting quality design, modern construction and the role of professionally managed parks in creating sustainable communities. Political engagement was a key focus of the two-day conference, with 22 MPs and peers attending across the programme.

CLAIRE FLOWER, DIRECTOR OF BEVERLEY HOLIDAYS, took on the role of National Chair of HARPA at the 2026 Conference

Some of the MPs and peers in attendance were Nigel Huddleston, Dame Harriet Baldwin, Lord Mark Harper, Sir Julian Smith, Sir Christopher Chope, Caroline Voaden and Lord Attlee. Parliamentarians joined delegates for lunches on both days, enabling direct discussions on planning reform, housing supply, later-living provision and the economic contribution of park businesses to rural and coastal communities.

The conference also marked a leadership moment for the association, with Devon park owner Claire Flower, a director of Beverley Holidays, formally taking on the role of National Chair. Flower, who served on the working group that guided the rebrand, said HARPA represented more than a change of name, positioning the organisation as a modern, inclusive and proactive voice for the sector.

HARPA’s new vision focuses on building a strong, sustainable and well-respected parks industry, with connected and engaged members at its heart. Its mission commits the association to specialist advice, raising standards and delivering effective advocacy, underpinned by values of collaboration, transparency and ambition.

With a new identity, a clear policy message and Parliament firmly in its sights, HARPA’s 2026 Conference is designed to position the parks sector as both economically significant and socially relevant — and ready to be heard.

Holiday and Residential Parks Association
01452 526911
www.harpa.org.uk

: The lovely team from Caravan Park Electrical were exhibiting at the HARPA Conference.

: A BUSY EXHIBITION AREA buzzed with activity as delegates networked between seminar sessions

: Designed to challenge outdated perceptions of park living, highlighting quality design, modern construction…

LONDON MEET IS JUST CAPITAL

Posted on March 13, 2024

LONDON MEET IS JUST CAPITAL

DEVON MP Kevin Foster was invited by Beverley Holidays to the recent British Holiday & Home Parks Association annual conference.

Devon MP Kevin Foster was invited by Beverley Holidays to the recent British Holiday & Home Parks Association annual conference. Torbay MP Kevin Foster was the guest of Paignton’s Beverley Holidays at February’s annual conference of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association.

Held at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, just a short distance from Parliament, the event was attended by representatives from many of Britain’s 3000-plus holiday parks. The MP was welcomed to the conference by Beverley directors Claire Flower, Nicola Furneaux and Gary Furneaux whose family business last year marked its 65th anniversary.

Started originally by Claire and Nicola’s grandparents in the 1950s, Beverley Holidays is today one of Devon’s most thriving park enterprises providing over 50,000 bed nights each year. It employs up to 180 people in the main holiday season, and maintains 70 full-time posts all year round with training opportunities for those seeking a career in tourism and hospitality.

Kevin Foster heard at the conference how the park was currently investing in new top-end accommodation and guest facilities for visiting families and holiday home buyers in 2024: “For 65 years, Beverley Holidays has been making magical holiday memories for those who visit our beautiful bay at the heart of the English Riviera,” he said. “For Torbay, family fun is a serious business, with thousands of local jobs and many businesses supported by our holiday parks.

“They make our bay what it is, and it was great to join the team from Beverley Holidays at the conference to reflect on how national policy can further support them,” added Kevin Foster. Claire Flower told the MP that Beverley was proud to be able to play a major role in the tourism economy of East Devon, and that its visitors supported many other local businesses.

The conference, she said, had coincided with the publication of a new independent study which examined the economic impact of holiday parks in the UK. It found that parks generate £12.2bn in visitor expenditure each year in the UK and provide over 226,000 FTE jobs whilst representing 5% of the GDP of all UK tourism.

Holiday Park Scene Magazine

LONDON MEET IS JUST CAPITAL