wheelchair users

MAKING WAVES

Posted on August 3, 2026

ADVENTURE AWAITS on Ustigate Waterplay’s Vortex Elevations™ pirate ship, where imaginative aquatic play helps holiday parks create unforgettable family memories.

Why swimming pools remain a vital investment for holiday parks...

Creating memorable guest experiences is essential for holiday parks seeking to attract new visitors and encourage repeat bookings. While accommodation and entertainment remain important, high-quality swimming pools consistently rank among the most valued facilities for families.

Heated indoor pools extend the season by providing year-round recreation, while outdoor pools and splash attractions become focal points during warmer months. Freshwater Beach Holiday Park in Dorset, for example, promotes its heated pools as one of its key family attractions.

Swimming pools offer benefits beyond recreation. They provide spaces where families can relax, exercise and spend quality time together while helping parks strengthen their competitive position and encourage repeat visits. Well-designed aquatic facilities become destination attractions in their own right.

RECENTLY REFURBISHED, the Cascades Tropical Adventure Pool is one of Ruda Holiday Park’s standout family attractions.

DESIGNING SAFE, EFFICIENT AQUATIC FACILITIES
Successful pool design prioritises safety, accessibility and efficient guest flow. Clear lifeguard visibility, well-planned circulation between pools and changing areas, and inclusive layouts all contribute to an enjoyable visitor experience.

Operating a swimming pool also requires robust management. Water quality should be maintained in line with PWTAG guidance through regular monitoring of disinfectant levels, pH and filtration.

Operators should have a Pool Safety Operating Procedure (PSOP), suitable risk assessments and appropriately qualified lifeguards where required. Pool covers also improve efficiency by retaining heat and reducing debris, helping lower maintenance costs.

INTERACTIVE WATER FEATURES create safe, engaging environments where families can play together.

CREATING VALUE THROUGH AQUATIC PLAY
Modern guests increasingly expect more than a traditional swimming pool. Interactive water play, sensory features and exciting attractions appeal to a wide range of ages while encouraging confidence in the water.

Multi-level play structures such as Vortex Elevations™ transform pools into immersive play environments with climbing elements, sprays, tipping buckets and interactive features. Their greatest advantage is the ability to entertain large numbers of guests within a compact footprint while offering activities suitable for toddlers through to older children.

This allows families with children of different ages to enjoy the attraction together, enhancing the holiday experience.

SEARLES LEISURE RESORT In Hunstanton, Norfolk, is proud of its excellent swimming pool facilities.

THE ENDURING APPEAL OF WATERSLIDES
Flumes remain among the most popular attractions in any swimming facility. Their combination of excitement, adventure and friendly competition makes them particularly attractive to families and teenagers.

Working with wiegand.waterrides, Ustigate Waterplay designs and installs stainless steel and fibreglass waterslides that meet European safety standards while incorporating engaging features and interactive elements. Adding a modern flume can significantly increase the appeal of a holiday park’s aquatic offering.

AWARD-WINNING LADRAM BAY Holiday Park creates unforgettable holiday memories with its family-focused pool and splash facilities

INCLUSIVE SPLASH PADS
Splash pads provide an accessible, inclusive water play experience for guests of all ages and abilities. Barrier-free access, ground-level play features and interactive water effects enable children, parents, grandparents and wheelchair users to enjoy the attraction together.

Unlike conventional pools, splash pads operate without standing water, reducing drowning risk and, subject to site-specific risk assessments and operating procedures, removing the need for lifeguard supervision. They also require less water than traditional pools.

Smaller installations may use flow-through systems that allow water to be reused for irrigation, while larger sites can benefit from recirculation systems that treat and recycle water in line with PWTAG guidance. Through its long-standing partnership with Vortex International, Ustigate Waterplay offers more than 150 Splashpad® products, enabling bespoke aquatic play areas tailored to each holiday park.

“Our aim has always been to create amazing memories with first-class facilities, and I think our splash zone comes right up to the mark!”

FRESHWATER BEACH HOLIDAY PARK
Freshwater Beach Holiday Park recently transformed its aquatic facilities by replacing a single-lane waterslide with a three-lane racer flume and installing a Vortex Elevations™ play structure featuring climbing activities, spray bars, cascading water effects and a tipping bucket.

Swimming Pool Manager Tristan Brookes commented: “Working with Ustigate Waterplay has been an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Their team was professional, efficient and flexible throughout the project, delivering outstanding results that exceeded expectations in both aesthetics and functionality.”

The redevelopment demonstrates how modernising existing facilities can broaden appeal across different age groups while encouraging longer stays and repeat use.

USTIGATE WATERPLAY supplies waterslides that remain among the most popular holiday park attractions, combining excitement, adventure and family fun.

LADRAM BAY HOLIDAY PARK
Award-winning Ladram Bay combines a heated indoor swimming pool with interactive splash features and seasonal outdoor water play, providing year-round aquatic entertainment for families.

Director Zoe House said: “Our aim has always been to create amazing memories with first-class facilities, and I think our splash zone comes right up to the mark!”

AWARD-WINNING LADRAM BAY Holiday Park creates unforgettable holiday memories with its family-focused pool and splash facilities

LOOKING AHEAD
Swimming pools remain one of the strongest investments available to holiday park operators. When complemented by aquatic play structures, waterslides and splash pads, they become destination experiences that appeal to guests of all ages.

Projects at Freshwater Beach and Ladram Bay demonstrate how thoughtful investment in water play can enhance guest satisfaction, differentiate parks in a competitive market and create memorable family experiences that encourage visitors to return year after year.

Freshwater Beach Holiday Park
www.freshwaterbeach.co.uk

Ladram Holiday Park
www.ladrambay.co.uk

Ruda Holiday Park
www.johnfowlerholidays.com/devon-holiday-park/ruda-holiday-park

Searles Holiday Park
www.searles.co.uk

Ustigate Waterplay
www.ustigatewaterplay.co.uk

FRESHWATER BEACH HOLIDAY PARK’S upgraded aquatic facilities, developed with Ustigate Waterplay, demonstrate how investment in water play can create memorable guest experiences for all ages.

PINELOG’S LUXURY ACCESSIBLE LODGES FOR PARKS

Posted on February 12, 2025

Pinelog specialises in crafting luxury timber lodges tailored to the unique requirements of holiday parks, making them an excellent choice for facilities that need high-quality, accessible accommodations for less mobile guests and wheelchair users.

Dovestone Holiday Park has been a valued client of Pinelog for the past decade, benefiting from their luxury lodges. Nestled in the picturesque village of Greenfield in Saddleworth, the park enjoys a prime location adjacent to the stunning Peak District National Park.

Thanks to its luxurious lodgings and exceptional guest experiences, Dovestone Holiday Park proudly holds a five-star rating on TripAdvisor. “At Dovestone Park, we take pride in our customer service and aim to provide all our guests with a worry-free experience.

This commitment aligns with our mission to create a safe haven for those with accessibility needs,” said Sally Buckley, General Manager of Dovestone Holiday Park. With limited accessible accommodation options in the area, Dovestone is dedicated to providing an outstanding experience for all guests.

In 2023, they approached Pinelog to create their first two-bedroom accessible lodge. With guests already lined up for the inaugural stay, the urgency was clear in designing and delivering this much-anticipated accessible lodge for Dovestone Holiday Park.

Pinelog
01246 942842
www.pinelog.co.uk

ACCESSIBLE ESCAPES

Posted on February 12, 2025

Marketing your accessibility the easy way...

Did you know that 87% of disabled people and carers expect there to be accessibility information on a venue’s website? Providing information on what you do – or do not – have enables customers with accessibility requirements to make an informed decision of where to stay and visit.

This includes not just wheelchair users but people who are deaf or have hearing loss, have a sensory or cognitive impairment, older people, families with young children, and more. It is a VisitEngland scheme requirement for participants to have accessibility information on their website, stating the venue’s key accessibility features.

It is a VisitEngland scheme requirement for participants to have accessibility information on their website.

SO HOW CAN YOU PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION?
The best way to do this is to have a specific section on your website, clearly linked to from your homepage. People expect to find accessibility information in a similar place across different websites (as they do with information about opening times or room availability), so this should be easy to locate via the main website navigation menu - not hidden in the footer or an ‘about us’ page.

When naming this section, remember not everyone with accessibility requirements identifies with the term ‘disabled’ so use terminology that is more inclusive such as ‘Accessibility’ or ‘Access for All’. The informative elements you should ensure are available in this section for prospective customers are:
• A warm welcome;
• Contact information;
• Key accessibility features;
• Accessibility Guide, including images of your accessible facilities;
• Accessibility videos and virtual tours;
• Accessibility resources;
• Accessible destination highlights.

KEY ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES
People with accessibility requirements want to easily find out what key accessibility features are available at tourism venues. VisitEngland has led a UK and Ireland-wide project that identifies the features that are most important to people with a range of accessibility requirements.

The list of features has been informed by new consumer research with 800 disabled travellers in Britain and a focus group in Ireland. You can now download a business-type specific questionnaire to help you identify which of these features you have at your venue - ensure you list all available features in your accessibility section.

Don’t feel constrained by this list; add any additional features and services you provide for disabled customers and others with accessibility requirements. If your business is listed on any tourism listing websites (such as online travel agents and local destination websites), these companies may ask you to specify what key accessibility features you offer.

This is so that they can list available features as part of your venue listing on their website and provide customers with the ability to filter venues by these features. In addition to the key accessibility features listed in the downloadable questionnaires; you should also highlight any other useful facilities or information.

This may include:
• Wi-fi availability;
• Information relating to the online booking process and prices, including concession availability;
• Directions to your business;
• Details of any dedicated access sessions and/or events that you offer with tailored support e.g. ‘quiet sessions’, sessions for children with learning disabilities and dementia- friendly sessions. Add them to any ‘What’s On’ listings;
• Any firm future plans for accessibility improvements;
• Customer reviews that mention accessibility, ideally by linking to them on a site like Euan’s Guide for full transparency;
• Details of any accessibility awards you have won or schemes that you belong to.
You may wish to group key features that relate to each of mobility, hearing, visual and neurodiversity.

PEOPLE WITH ACCESSIBILITY requirements want to easily find out what key accessibility features are available at tourism venues.

ACCESSIBILITY GUIDES
Research by VisitEngland in 2022 reaffirmed that today’s travellers want detailed and factual descriptions of venue accessibility, in the form of an Accessibility Guide, to empower them to make personal choices.

An Accessibility Guide provides information on all areas of a venue, giving hundreds of pieces of accessibility information, including measurements and photographs. An Accessibility Guide describes and visually shows the layout of each area of the business, following the route a visitor will typically take from arrival, entering and getting around.

They are particularly useful for people with mobility impairments, but they also include accessibility features of relevance to people with a range of other access requirements. This means there will be some duplication with the key access features you list on your own website.

To support tourism businesses across England to provide robust Detailed Access Guides, VisitEngland has joined forces with AccessAble, a leader in quality accessibility information provision. In addition to outlining your key accessibility features, you should provide detailed accessibility information, with the recommended format being an AccessAble Detailed Access Guide.

You can now use the new AccessAble Your Accessibility Guide portal to book and pay for either a Guided Assessment or On Site Assessment of your venue, where a professional access surveyor will create a quality-assured Detailed Access Guide.

This approach removes the burden and responsibility of collecting information that can be technical, greatly reducing the risk of incomplete and inaccurate information. All guides are published and searchable on AccessAble’s well-established website, currently used by more than six million people a year, and you will also receive an Accessibility Improvement Report as part of the service.

Annual renewal fees also apply and depend on the number of changes at the venue - such as whether you have installed a new bathroom which needs to be re-assessed - but there has been a focus on these being as affordable as possible, starting at £10 + VAT per year. Once your Accessibility Guide has been produced, it is important to link to it prominently from your accessibility section using an AccessAble link button.

www.visitengland.org/access