The Show Stopping Devon Park

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By William Coleman

One of my earliest memories was actually from a holiday park during the evening entertainment. Haven Holiday Park at Sandy Bay watching a live wrestling show with my mum and dad. From then the holiday park evening has been a staple part of the great British holiday. This East Devon park has been given a round of thumbs up following their latest show.

Six sensational entertainment artists gained a unanimous “Yes!” vote from cheering staff at East Devon’s Ladram Bay Holiday Park this spring.

The new entertainment team staged an exclusive special preview of their 2019 show for the park employees at the site’s annual conference as they gear up for the brand new season.

Realising the importance of good quality onsite entertainment, Ladram Bay say that this year’s line up is the strongest they have ever had and will once again be relying almost exclusively on shows produced in-house.

The new scene stealing team are 2 male and 4 female entertainers who are now full time employees during the holiday season. The team put a full line up of entertainment for the little ones during the day as well as the adults.

Staff numbers at Ladram Bay, which reach up to 170 during peak season, previewed the different nightly musical shows which holiday guests will enjoy over the coming months.

The new team performed for staff at the annual get together of employees which also included team building exercises and an inspirational speech to rally the troops by Rob Baxter, director of rugby at Exeter Chiefs professional rugby union club.

Ladram Bay, which last year marked its 75th anniversary under the ownership of the Carter family, says the conference has a valuable role at the start of the holiday year.


Team effort: staff at Ladram Bay enjoyed a sneak preview of the park’s upcoming shows at their conference

“It’s an important occasion because it’s a rare chance for us all to come together just before the park gets into full swing,” said Ladram Bay director and family member Zoe House.

“As well as getting to know each other better, we also have the opportunity to talk about our shared values, and how we can all help to give guests the best experience possible.

“We recruit the majority of our staff from the surrounding areas, and their local knowledge can also be very helpful to families wanting to explore the region.

“I’m also delighted that the training we provide has opened the doors for many of our staff to successful careers in the leisure and hospitality industries,” added Zoe.

Zoe says that the huge investment made by the park in five-star facilities has helped to ensure many repeat visits, and is often praised by guests in reviews.

This year’s offering includes clubs, games and activities for families throughout the day, as well as the professionally staged evening entertainment in the park’s Three Rocks complex.

There is also a swimming pool, a recently opened Splash Zone with interactive water features, and an indoor climbing wall with instruction and a range of different challenges.

More information about the park – and details of the different holiday options and holiday home ownership opportunities at Ladram Bay – is available at www.ladrambay.co.uk

Towcar Review- Volvo XC60

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By William Coleman & Dan Carwright

Last year we were part of the judging panel for the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar Of The Year Awards. During the testing we were totally blown away by the Volvo XC60 and were delighted that our marks went towards the vote that named this Volvo “The Towcar Of The Year”. Now we get the chance to get our hands on one and give a real lift test.

During the testing we used the XC60 in strict test conditions while towing a Bailey caravan full of weights to represent the kind of load you may have on board when going away on holiday.

One thing that we wanted to do is give the Volvo a real world test and see how it handles as both tow car and day to vehicle, because let’s face it, you’re more than likely to use this towcar a lot more without having a caravan attached.

The model we tested was the XC60 D5 PowerPlus AWB R-Design Pro Auto, and without getting too gushy, we absolutely loved it and found it hard to find fault.

During the week we had it myself and Dan Cartwright took turns putting the Volvo through its paces, we did almost 1300 miles, and we did our best to try and find something we did not like. So let’s start off by highlighting some of the few points I, William, was not overly keen on.

It is no secret that I am a borderline technophobe and the Volvo has an extreme amount of bells and whistles that can be a tad overwhelming at times. Once I spent a little bit of time getting to know the system it does become clear and actually quite straight forward.

There are a lot of options to play around with and you do need to spend some time getting your head round them. The iPad style display is easy to navigate through but I found that it is best tackled once you have had a good read of the instructions.

This model came with 4 additional packs on board which come with the following extras:

Xenium Pack- £1,800

Power Glass Tilt and Slide Panoramic Sunroof with Sun Curtain
Parking Camera with 360 Surround View
Park Assist Pilot- Automatic Parallel and 90 degree Parking

Intellisafe Pro Pack- £1,500

Pilot Assist (up to 80mph)
Adaptive Cruise Control
Blind Spot Information System
Cross Traffic Alert
Rear Collision Mitigation

Family Pack- £450

2- Stage Integrated Child Seat for Outer Rear Seats
Load Protection Net
Power Child Locks

Convenience Pack- £375

Power Folding Rear Seat Backrests and Headrests
230v / 150w 3 Pin Plug Socket in Centre Console
Front Tunnel Net Pocket

Single Options

Smartphone Integration (includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with 2 USB- £300
Retractable Tow Bar- £1,075
Tempa Spare Wheel and Jack- £150
Metallic Paint- £650

So as you can see there are a lot of optional extras to suit most driving needs, if you want to spend the extra money that is. Being spoilt with all these extras I would find it hard to have this Volvo without quite a few of them. If I’m being honest I could probably do without the Family or Convenience packs but I can see why it would work for a lot of people.

The on board radio is absolutely outstanding and if you like to have music playing or your favourite podcasts the ApplePlay is top notch. The sound quality is fantastic.

The display screen is basically a large touchscreen tablet like an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. With a few touches you are presented with a screen full of options and a whole wave of features. At times it can be a little bit of a distraction.

The built in sat nav is very clear and a welcome addition for me as I do not have a built in system. Although there are better ones on the market, if you do not mind attaching one to the window of your vehicle.

Day To Day Driving By William Coleman

Spending this amount of money, £38-£56,535 if you pick the top option, means you are probably going to use this as your day to day car and tow car. So you need to make sure that this vehicle can handle towing and popping to the shops for a pint of milk.

At this price range there is some stiff competition, but the XC60 seems to have blast its rivals out of the water. Over the thousand plus miles we managed to cover inner city driving, motorways, A roads and then your normal high streets and quiet small residential roads.

The XC60 is such a pleasure to drive that you intentionally find a longer route home just so you can spend a little longer behind the wheel.

It is just a shame the weather was not that great during testing as the huge sunroof is such a good extra that I now resent my Ford Focus for its lack of sunroof.

It is a slightly large SUV but you soon get to grips with its size and with the added option of a 360 parking sensor and a bird’s eye view parking assist it makes any situation easy to get out of. You may find yourself relying on it far too much as it really does make life easy.

The steering is extremely light for a vehicle of this size and then add the automatic transmission if feels like you are driving something a lot smaller. A very smooth drive with a silent engine, a bit like a gentle silent giant.

This is the second generation of the XC60 and in comparison is it a lot safer, so much safety tech, a lot nicer to drive also a lot more fuel efficient, but I found it did quite enjoy fuel on shorter stop start journeys.

Technical Specs

Engine Size- 1969 cc
Kerb Weight- 1836kg
85% KW- 1561kg
Towball Limit- 110kg
Maximum Towing Limit- 2400kg
Power- 187.0 bhp
Torque- 295.0 lb ft
Official MPG- 55.4 mpg
CO2- 133 g/km
30-60 MPH- 11 Seconds
30-0mph- 9.4m

The XC60 As A Tow Car By Dan Cartwright

When it comes to towing with a modern “luxury SUV” you may think they can all easily tow and you would be right. They are all capable of towing and they are all powerful and heavy enough to tow a big twin axle caravan of your choosing.

But here the similarities end. The towing characteristics of each brand and model vary markedly, and much more so than the difference when driving these cars un hitched. If you drove the current array of new LSUV’s at there towing capacity you would see very quickly the difference between them when towing.

The reason for this difference is that at the luxury end of the market you are having to think if the majority of these will be used, and that is firmly on the road, on the school run and motorways. This means a manufacturer has to add a whole host of driving features and potentially compromise things like off road or towing capabilities to make there LSUV more appealing to the mass market.

If you’re lucky enough to be looking at this market for your next tow car it’s not the “paper exercise” it was years ago of weight, power and torque, get them right for your caravan and your done..

Unfortunately today it is about how the electronics, dynamic suspension, driver aids, emissions and fuelling all work while towing. This is where the XC60 wins over its competitors, and wins big.

Towing with the XC is effortless. For a car that has a user manual so big it’s integrated with instructional videos in to the car itself, for a car that can literally drive itself to specifications you set, for a car that dynamically augments reality to give you a top down view when reversing all you have to do is press a button to reveal your towbar, put on your towing mirrors, hitch up your caravan and drive away. If you do this the XC60 will drive very much as it did before you hitched it up.

Talking today about tower and suspension when towing is a bit redundant on this type of vehicle because everything can be changed and normally together. The XC60 does this very well, whilst there are endless menus to change the main driving dynamics there is a single button that blacks out the full display to give you three simple options, Economy, normal and dynamic.

Simply select one of the three options. This is very useful, no longer will you finally set off on your holidays after packing and checking everything to set off and realise your in the wrong setting and limp along until you find somewhere to pull over and search through menus for the right setting for towing.

In tests Normal and Dynamic worked very, very well, especially on a twisty A road. Economy made towing a bit sluggish and noisy on hills and twisty roads, but it’s worth noting that it worked perfectly on the motorway when we got it up to speed and saved a lot of fuel.

Also whatever is done with the suspension in these modes doesn’t affect towing, there is virtually no pitch or roll in corners and we never felt that horrible push from behind the middle of a corner in any setting.

Whilst the hitch and go ability of the Volvo is great there are a lot of driver aids and if you put in a little time to understand how to personalise these you will be able to use them all whilst towing.

In some luxury cars driver aids can almost work against you when towing, from violently braking (and in some cases tightening the seat belt in a bladder splitting crash position) if the caravan moves at all on the rear to cruise control that won’t accelerate or even switches off. Somehow the XC60 doesn’t do this at all meaning you use active cruise/follow control and pilot assist.

The following control is amazing for slow moving traffic or busy motorways particularly when towing, it will simply follow to your maximum speed and distance to the car in front. It will also slow you down if the traffic in front slows. No need to cancel cruise control and reset if traffic fluctuates.

The pilot assist will keep you in a lane even steering for its-self. As mentioned these features work well when towing but a couple of tips – you may want to go in to the setting and increase braking distance to the car in front and move the pilot assist in to the middle of a lane as it is quite far over to the left – especially if you have a 8ft wide caravan.

Are there any issues with the XC60 as a tow car? Well for its ability to tow no, that said I did find the boot a strange and inconvenient shape, whilst the load capacity is good it will struggle with bulky items such as awnings and aqua rolls.

Also control centre and menus take a bit of time to get used to. I got stuck on a 2 hours tailback on the A14 but still couldn’t quite work out if I could change the view of one of the two sat navs… which leaves the only other fault of the volvo is the driver, I actually forgot that I was towing and got the fright of my life when I looked in the mirror to see a giant white box inches from the rear of my car.

The Phonebox Lifeline

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By William Coleman

An iconic red phone box is now home to life-saving medical equipment at a remote rural holiday park in Lancashire, thanks to an initiative by its family owners.

Moss Wood in Cockerham near Lancaster has fully restored a classic K6 phone kiosk which is now installed at the park entrance and houses a state-of-the-art defibrillator.

In the event of an emergency in the local community or on the park, the unit could greatly increase the chances of survival for someone suffering cardiac arrest.

With the park’s hideaway location deep in the countryside, says Moss Wood’s Henry Wild, the defibrillator can save vital minutes in providing treatment to a victim.

The equipment delivers an electric pulse through the victim’s chest to restore normal heart rhythms, and is much more likely to be effective if used immediately after an attack.

Henry says the advanced and fully automatic model installed provides simple audio instructions which allow their use even by those with no medical experience.

The defibrillator has been supplied by the North West Ambulance Service which will be providing training on its use to the park team and selected holiday guests.

Moss Wood has been owned by the Wild family for over 40 years, and provides pitches for touring caravans and motorhomes plus caravan holiday homes to own.

But the peaceful countryside setting, says Henry, doesn’t mean that the park is immune from the risk of medical emergencies arising:

“Having a defibrillator immediately to hand could make a crucial difference, and especially in summer when travelling times are lengthened by extra traffic,” says Henry.

“The equipment is, of course, something which we hope will never be needed – but we are mindful of its life-saving potential, especially in a remote rural area.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is a major killer in Britain, and a close-at-hand defibrillator on the park could dramatically increase a person’s life chances,” he added.

Henry arranged for the top-to-bottom refurbishment of the K6 phone box, including its repainting in the official shade of red, in order to make its presence more prominent.

Built from 1926 onwards, the boxes have been voted as one of Britain’s top 10 design icons along with the Spitfire fighter plane, the London tube map, Concorde and the Routemaster bus.

There is more information about Moss Wood on its website at http://www.mosswood.co.uk/

The Survival Van- Could You Survive The Zombies?

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By William Coleman

Who hasn’t had the old “could you survive” convo over a pint or while playing out and about when you were a kid? Following a conversation on just how stupid characters are in survival/horror/zombie films, the debate of who could last the longest in their caravan popped up. What follows is how we think we would survive in an apocalyptic event with a motorhome or caravan.

So you wake up on a Monday morning, the sun is beaming but as it would happen the world has been plunged into a zombie wasteland. What do you do? You hitch up and hit the road to find somewhere safe and wait for the whole thing to blow over, yes I just quoted Shaun Of The Dead.

So here are our top tips for surviving a rather non existent and impossible situation with your caravan or motorhome. This will also apply to “off grid” camping in the event that this totally unrealistic situation ever arises.

Plenty Of Fuel

Getting out of dodge and hitting the road will require a vehicle that gets really good mileage from a full tank, especially when towing.

A diesel tow car is always going to get you a lot more miles and any larger vehicle you may come across is likely to be diesel so you should be able to get your hands of a fair bit of extra fuel.

Fill up as many containers as you can and pack the car and van up with as much extra fuel as you can. You may have to remove a fair amount of weight from the caravan to make sure you are able to tow safely with the extra liquid weight aboard.

Pack Light

When towing you really need to focus on what kind of weight the caravan is loaded to. It comes down to what you are willing to remove. Can you get away with removing cupboards and fixtures to free up some weight for food, water and other essential supplies?

I feel that the temptation to over pack and take a lot of things that are pretty much pointless when it comes to survival will be pretty strong. It is here where you have to make the sacrifice of sentiment to ensure you can get away quicker when it hits the fan.

The more you can do without the more stable the towing will be and the more survival kit you can take with you.

Some Panel Reinforcement

If you have seen any survival film that is set in an urban landscape you’ll know what the best offence is a good defence.

Putting a layer or armour between you and some undesirables gives you extra defence and can massively reduce the risk the van’s chassis taking the impact and possible irreparable damage.

Not only will it protect the chassis but it will also make the vehicle looked a bit shabby in use, hiding in plain site.

Big Roof Box

If you do not want to over pack the caravan and potentially cause bad towing behaviour then a roof top box is ideal. The only real drawback of the roof box is the drag it can reduce a car’s mpg by up to 20 per cent, size and weight dependant, because the engine has to work harder to haul it around.

Depending on the additional life saving cargo the loss of the miles per gallon can be well worth it.

Also in the event that the caravan become detached, highly unlikely but we are talking about potential zombies here, then at least you have supplies in the roof box.

It would also be a good idea to look at what provisions you put whereas in the event of an accident or mishap you do not want to lose a bulk of your kit.

Specific Sat Sat

Satellite navigation systems are a godsend, hard to think how we did so well before we got them. In an event where you are escaping to the less populated countryside a normal bog standard sat-nav may not cut it due to the size of what you are hauling.

Invest in TomTom’s Go Camper, it may just save your life. This sat-nav has been created specifically for motorhomes and caravans. They take into account road width, tolls as well as caravan friendly routes.

The last thing you are going to want is to get stuck down a narrow country road and have to ask someone to hop out and see you back. It could make a nightmare journey a lot more pleasant.

Spare Tyres

A bit of an obvious one but spare tyres can make all the difference on an exodus out of danger. Come to think about it, I have seen plenty of people in real life not have spares and end up in a right mess on the side of the road.

In a world where tyres shops are going to be non existent pretty quickly you may want to pack heavy with some spares for both the caravan and towcar or motorhomes.

Also invest in puncture repair kit, just do not spend too long in the open sorting out the damage.

Solar Power & Batteries

I once had a power cut that started on a Friday morning and didn’t come back on until well into the evening. Being without power for around 12 hours really does prove just how utterly dependent we are on electricity.

In the event of a real world situation like this experts have said that running water and electricity are going to be one of the first things to go. Make sure that you have enough batteries and try to get your hands on solar panels.

Having solar energy will be the most important commodity you can get your hands on, apart from water purification equipment. A lot of modern vans do actually comes with solar panels already installed. If you are lucky enough to have them you are one step ahead of the rest.

Change Colour

Out of sight and out of mind is what you want to aim for when you need to stop for a break or an overnight stay. Do not be tempted to try and cover your set up with a tarp or some sort of cover as this is big bright sign showing something is being hidden.

An idea that was chucked around and seemed to be a popular one was painting the van. The two colour schemes were black, so it could be a bit stealthy at night, or a moss green to make it appear ruined and abandoned, or dare we say camouflaged. Both fairly good ideas in this pretend scenario.

So there you have it, a rather tongue in cheek article that was discussed heavily last Friday. What would you do in the event that where you live needed to be evacuated?

Lakeland Park New Recruits In Red Crusade

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By William Coleman

An army of Scots pine trees is being raised at an Ambleside holiday park to help defend Cumbria’s threatened red squirrel population.

The battle lines are being drawn in the 130-acres grounds of Skelwith Fold caravan park which in recent years has recorded a growth in the number of reds.

Now the family-run business is bidding to secure their future with a two-prong tree attack.

The scores of Scots pines being planted will produce seeds which are much loved by red squirrels – and provide habitats for pine martens, the deadly enemy of grey squirrels.

Henry Wild, whose family has owned the park for more than 20 years, says the trees will help hasten the spread of pine martens from Scotland to Cumbria:

“Grey squirrels are blamed for the drastic decline of our native reds, but pine martens have been shown to keep their numbers right down as they prey readily on the greys,” he said.

“Reds aren’t such easy meat because they are light enough to get to the end of branches where the martens can’t follow, and are less dependent than greys on foraging on the woodland floor.

“Martens are also very beautiful and shy creatures being members of the otter and badger family, and the Scots pine is one of their favourite locations for building nests.

“Red squirrels also adore the seeds in the cones of the trees, and that’s why we’ve decided to make Scots pines the heroes of our planting programme this year,” added Henry.

The new recruits in Skelwith Fold’s grapple with the greys are occupying an area of the park’s woodland which was thinned of beech trees during this winter.

The problem, says Henry, is that the dense canopy of the beech tree cast a dark shadow on the forest floor and produced a dense carpet of fallen leaves and seed husks.

These prevented most other woodland plants from growing, many of them the type of species – such as Scots pine – which can provide food and habitats for a wealth of wildlife.

In time, said Henry, the Scots pines – which are native to Britain – will grow to more than 100-foot tall, and still be providing a reprieve for the reds in 500 years time.

Skelwith Fold’s commitment to the natural world has once again this year earned it the prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.

The park was also crowned last year as Lakeland’s top holiday park in the Cumbria Tourism Awards when it took the overall top spot in the competition.

Skelwith Fold’s 450 pitches include luxury glamping pods, safari tents, holiday homes to own, and touring pitches for touring caravans and motorhomes.

Park Holiday Gold

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By William Coleman

Guests at Park Holidays UK say they enjoy a gold standard of service, and have put the group among a small elite of Britain’s most outstanding holiday providers.

That’s because, thanks to customers’ comments, the company is now the proud bearer of the prestigious 2019 Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award.

Feefo’s top-level award is made to companies which allow customers to post unedited reviews via its website, and then go on to achieve an exceptionally high scoring.

In 2018, said Feefo, almost all of the guests delivering their verdict on Park Holidays UK gave it a rating of 4.5 or 5 – the maximum score – based on their experiences.

Feefo is one of the world’s most trusted independent review websites, and carries a special weight as only customers verified as genuine are permitted to comment.

Guests are allowed to score the company on any aspect, from how easily a booking can be made to the standards of accommodation and the quality of the entertainment.

Park Holidays UK gained a near universal thumbs-up across all its key services and facilities.

Group director Tony Clish said group invested £28 million last year in a raft of guest projects including new clubs and leisure facilities, and top-end luxury lodges for rental.

However, he believes, customers were scoring parks not just on their high quality standards:

“We know from the many positive reviews we receive that it’s the relaxed atmosphere, friendliness, and hospitality which people enjoy most during their holidays with us.

“Delivering this is entirely in the hands of our staff teams at each park, and guests often mention their helpfulness, enthusiasm, and willingness to go the extra mile.

“That’s why the lion’s share of the credit must go to them for this award, and we will also carry on investing to provide the best quality and the best value to our holiday guests,” added Tony.

Three and four night breaks start from just £89.00 for up to six people, and the cost includes use of all the park’s leisure facilities plus entertainment passes for everyone.

Other pampering bonuses include hotel quality linen on beds which are fully made-up on arrival.

More information about the group’s 28 parks and details of holiday offers for the coming year can be found on Park Holidays UK’s website at www.ParkHolidays.com

Padstow Park War On Plastic

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By William Coleman

How many times have you driven down a peaceful country road or stepped onto a beautiful beach to find empty plastic bottles, food packaging crisp packets and all other manner of plastic waste? It does seem to be a lot more common and is causing some serious issues with the environment. An environmentally conscious park has a new secret weapon to compact this ever growing issue.

Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Padstow are taking the war on plastic pollution to another level and are fighting to keep local beaches clean by investing in special equipment which can rid the sand of micro-plastics.

Called a trommel, the machine sieves the sand to separate out “nurdles”, the small plastic pellets produced in their billions each year during the manufacture of plastic products.

The anti-pollution device, which is operated manually, has been designed and manufactured by Nurdle, a not-for-profit business based in North Devon.

Staff at Mother Ivey’s Bay carry out regular beach clean-ups throughout the year, and team leader Anna Wilsher says the trommel will make a huge difference:

“Last year we noticed nurdles during our beach cleans, and although it was possible to pick these up by hand, we have been on the look-out for a way that makes the task easier,” she said.

“It’s a fantastic piece of equipment and easy to use. I am looking forward to letting families staying at our holiday park to have a go as it’s also actually rather fun!

“Removing nurdles from the beach so they do not return to the ocean is vital to help reduce marine pollution,” added Anna who is a qualified marine biologist.

Once the nurdles have been separated, they will be upcycled and used by local artist Veronika Niewiadomska to create special pieces of creative work:

“I’m really excited about this project, and really looking forward to working with the recovered plastic to create collages and sculptures,” said Veronika, a graduate from Winchester School of Art.

Mother Ivey’s provides caravan holiday homes, both privately owned and for hire, plus touring pitches.

This is a great big step in the right direction for our coastline. It is a horrifying fact that our oceans littered with so much plastic that some clumps or garbage are the side of small islands. The wildlife are eating them and dying and our beached are becoming littered with floating trash. So always take a spare bag with you just in case someone else doesn’t bother.

High Praise From MP At North Yorks Park

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By William Coleman

April brings the English Tourism Week where the very best holiday spots get highlighted for all their hard work and get away offerings. During Tourism Week a family run North Yorks park drew some very high praise following a visit from a local MP.

North Yorkshire MP Kevin Hollinrake has praised a family’s award-winning Yorkshire Moors holiday park for its “tremendous contribution to tourism” in the region.

Mr Hollinrake made his comments on a special visit to Wayside Lakes at Wrelton, near Pickering, during April’s English Tourism Week.

The 10-acre park, recently subject to a £500,000 investment by the family, is based around two picturesque lakes, and provides luxury lodges for private owners.

Mr Hollinrake also took the opportunity to present an Exceptional Service Award to Wayside’s manager and co-director Trevor Jones who has worked on the park for 27 years.

The award is the highest honour given to outstanding park personnel by the British Holiday & Home Parks Association, the park industry’s professional body.

Mr Hollinrake, who represents the constituency of Thirsk and Malton, said business owner Mark Goodson was to be congratulated for his vision and commitment:

“This is an excellent and very attractive development which provides the perfect base to explore some of the most beautiful parts of Yorkshire,” said Mr Hollinrake.

“Tourism is one of Yorkshire’s most important industries, and it is five-star developments such as Wayside which stimulate the sector.

“The knock-on effect of an inspirational holiday park like this, in terms of jobs and investment in Ryedale, is very significant, and it has been a privilege to come here,” he added.

Mark Goodson, who owns Wayside Lakes and the adjacent Wayside Holiday Park, said he was absolutely delighted that the MP had found time to visit and learn more about the business:

“Our MP showed a genuine interest in what we are trying to achieve at Wayside, and we are grateful for his presenting my colleague and friend Trevor Jones with a long-service certificate.

“Trevor has worked first for my father Roger, and now with me as my co-director. His hard work, enthusiasm, good humour and commitment to Wayside is exemplary,” said Mr Goodson.

Mr Goodson, whose family has long been involved in the entertainment and leisure sector, said that this year is likely to prove exceptionally busy for the park:

“Last year was very strong for us with almost £400,000 of holiday home sales, despite Brexit, the chilly start to the season, and the football World Cup when everything stopped.

“Most of our new owners are more mature folk who want a comfortable and attractive holiday home in tranquil countryside with easy access to popular destinations.

“Wayside Lakes is set in superb walking country with just a short distance from Yorkshire’s breath-taking coastline, historic market towns, and world-class heritage sites,” said Mr Goodson.

There is more information about the park on its website at www.waysidelakes.co.uk

A Family Caravanning Flashback

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By William Coleman

This past Easter Bank Holiday the family got together for a bit of a reunion and to make the most out of the amazing weather we had. While going through some of my nan’s old belongings my aunt stumbled across the little treasure chest of family memories that showed what the British caravan holiday was like in the 60s.

They say that caravan holidays are a generational thing that is passed down, his was certainly true for my family. When I was a child I went on several caravan holidays each year with all my different family members, as I am sure a lot of our readers did and still do.

So to start this story off it does have to start on a bit of a sad note which was the passing of my grandmother back in October 2017. Since then the family had not had a full reunion due to us being a bit spread over the globe, which is why this bank holiday was so special for everyone.

Nan lived to the bold age of 94 and was as healthy and fit as a 25 year old before her passing. Nanny Violet had a personal hand in raising pretty much every single member of my family.

A brave woman who lived through the World War II and actually have birth to my Aunt Jackie during a German bombing scare. I am told it was in a bunker but that story may have been exaggerated over the years.

Having raised 6 children of her own, 13 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren she made sure we all went away with her on a caravan trip and always by the seaside.

Over the years I went on all different types of caravan holiday with Nanny Violet, mostly static as she got a little older but early on when I was around 5-6 there was the odd towing caravan trip with nan. I do have fond memories of paddling in the sea holding her hand because I was scared of sharks. Very common in inch deep waters of Ilfracombe in the early 90s.

As we went through the slides it was made apparent that these photos were being seen for the first time by mum and her siblings as they were thought lost and never turned into actual photos.

According the Uncle Clive, granddad thought slides were the future of photography. Suffice to say he may have been slightly wrong on that and subsequently these slides just sat in a box in different garages and homes over the past almost 60 years.

During the “screening” we were giving a bit of a talk through each photo, including debates trying to figure out who the random people were in each slide. Once that was done we seemed to move on to a whole sleeve of slides that were photos of holidays and days out with the family.

Trips to the coast really are not that different now from what they were 5 decades ago. There were the classic bucket and spades with your sandwich packed lunch sitting on the sand. The one photo that really stood out to me was the whole family packed into a tow car with all the kit stacked on the roof.

From what I can tell the towcar being used was an early Standard Vanguard estate, the earlier model (1947-52), I wonder what towing mileage this got. Attached to it is a single axle caravan without any branding ot insignia to give away the make and model.

I had no idea that the caravan love in my family went back this far. I just assumed that my parents took me on them and subsequently when mum and dad could not Nan would step in and take us all away.

The photo just displays everything there is to say about the caravan holiday. It is almost like the portrait of the Great British holiday. I know this is not exactly groundbreaking news but I thought it was well worth sharing and hopefully will jog some happy memories for you too.

The Perfect Escape From Brexit According To The BBC

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William Coleman

I think it is safe to say that Brexit has caused a fair bit of stress and turmoil for most of us here in the UK. So now that it seems to have been…paused…postponed…. why not find yourself a little slice of non Brexit relaxation time in Dorset.

Since the votes were counted back in the latter part of 2016 Brexit has dominated the news and has caused a lot of stress and anguish. Now it’s about time that we took a break, which genuinely has happened, from the Brexit battery and find an upbeat side to the saga.

The BBC have found the silver lining we have all been waiting for and its in a caravan back down south (west).

During the main evening news on the BBC one evening the question was asked: “Where can you go to escape all the gloom?” – and then provided a very attractive answer.

The BBC’s cameras had been to South Lytchett Manor holiday park near Poole in Dorset to find out if this was the perfect bolt-hole from Brexit fatigue.

Viewers were shown a drone’s-eye view of the park nestled in tranquil countryside: the ideal rural retreat from bickering politicians and curmudgeonly campaigners.

Brexit, said the reporter on the park, was creating both winners and losers – and Britain’s tourism industry was definitely one of the victors of the debacle.

The journalist spoke to David Bridgen who, with his wife Joanne, has owned South Lytchett Manor for the past 13 years, gathering a host of top tourism awards along the way.

David said that holiday bookings were far ahead of last year’s figures, suggesting that even more families than previously would be opting for a staycation this summer.

Many had expressed uncertainties about travelling abroad, he said, and the weakness of the pound also meant overseas visitors had to reach much further inside their pockets.

Guests on the park were then asked why they had decided to stay put in this country, instead of heading for one of the channel ports on the south coast.

The long list of reasons suggested why so many other parks in Britain are this year also looking at advance bookings stacking up like never before.

The varied from fears of delays on leaving ferries and possible passport problems to concerns over driving licences, mobile roaming charges, and pets needing rabies jabs.

By contrast, many families in previous years have found that Britain provides a much more relaxed holiday experience – and more for everyone, especially children, to enjoy.

David and Joanne said they were delighted to see their park named as a perfect comfort blanket from Brexit woes, and hoped it would also help highlight Dorset as a first-class holiday destination.

As well as touring facilities, Lytchett Manor provides glamping facilities including picture-postcard Romany caravans with a raft of modern comforts such as full-size beds and heating.

It is also a member of the Best of British group which comprises some 50 independently-run parks with top quality ratings throughout the UK.

More information about the park is available at www.southlytchettmanor.co.uk

Eastenders Star Goes Caravan Shopping

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By William Coleman

It is pretty much set in stone that we Brits absolutely adore the good old caravans holiday and no matter where you come from or what you have the lure is always there. One of England’s most popular soap stars has been spotted caravan shopping with his son just in time for summer.

Eastenders star Danny Dyer has been seen looking at a potential new summer get away spot and swapping the mean streets of the East End for a more tranquil spot by the sea with his family.

Dyer, 41, visited Bunn Leisure Park in Selsey, West Sussex on Sunday with his 5 year old son Arty. The site is very popular with families and has a whole range of caravans than cost anywhere from £17,395 all the way up to a staggering £239,000. In some cases you can even stay for less than £10 per night.

A picture was shared on Facebook by holiday lets firm Sunny Selsey Holidays of Danny Dyer sporting a flat cap holding his son in the site’s restaurant.

Reports say there was a little bit of a buzz in the air following his arrival at Bunn Leisure and there were “a few excited ladies on site” according the CS Holiday Lets.

This is not the first time ‘Danny’ and the family have visited Bunn Leisure Park but it now seems as though they are taking steps to make sure they can spend a lot more time there with the purchase of a new holiday home.

The site has everything a family could ask for with a pool, gym, sauna, football pitches, basketball and tennis courts and a kids club.

Salop Leisure Showcase Event

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By William Coleman

As the weather starts to warm up everyone is flocking to the campsites and dealerships in equal measures. If you visit Salop Leisure in Shrewsbury you will be visiting both campsite and caravan superstore in the same location. From the end of April to mid May Salop are showcasing their stock offers during the largest free caravan showcase in the UK.

With more than 15,000 visitors expected to attend Salop Leisure’s Shrewsbury headquarters to take part in a whole host of free attractions for all the family at the West Midlands Caravan, Motorhome and Destinations Show between Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, May 12.

On site there will be the latest touring caravans, motorhomes, campervans, holiday homes and lodges. If you are visiting be sure to check out the Love2Stay site. If you like 5 Star luxury sites with state of the are facilities then this holiday park will be right up your alley.

The company is putting on a ton of free attractions so you and the family can make a day of it. Have you ever wanted to try rock climbing, canoeing, paddle boarding and treasure hunts, oh and for free!

You can also take part in donkey rides and face painting for children all of which will be taking place on the Bank Holiday weekend between 4th to the 6th of May.

Ed Glover, Salop Leisure’s marketing manager, said: “The show is always the highlight of the year here at Salop Leisure, attracting in the region of 15,000 to 20,000 people.

“It’s a mixture of existing owners, first time buyers and local families who come to enjoy the activities on offer while also experiencing the lifestyle which owning a caravan brings.

“A free activity programme designed to promote the Heart of England, Mid Wales Inland and Mid Wales Coastal as holiday destinations allows visitors to experience holiday home and leisure vehicle ownership.

“We hope that while families are enjoying the activities, it will enable them to gain an insight into our fabulous destinations.

“The show is a perfect chance to explore the exciting life of caravan ownership in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, with expert advice and exclusive show discounts available.

“There will also be refreshments on offer, with all proceeds donated to Shropshire Mind.”

The Great Big Caravan event runs across the Bank Holiday weekend from May 4-6, with a holiday home and lodge showcase between April 27 and May 6, and a touring and motorhome showcase from May 4-12.

The popular 16-day show is a one-stop-shop for customers seeking to buy a caravan holiday home, luxury lodge, touring caravan, motorhome or campervan.

Salop Leisure’s expanded touring and motorhome display area now features more than 180 touring caravans and over 40 motorhomes, both pre-owned and new.

Fantastic deals will be available from the extensive accessory shop at Emstrey to help buyers kit out their brand new model.