Motorhome Company Goes Bust Costing Customers Thousands

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By William Coleman

For a lot of us our motorhomes, campers and caravans are our pride and joy. They are our escape from life and our main form of holiday relaxation. So to have a trusted company go under and leave you financially out of pocket and without a touring home is a nightmare come true.

St Andrews Motorhomes, in Fife, have unfortunately gone under and caused a lot of issues for their customer base. Once couple in particular have been hit particularly hard by the companies downfall.

Pensioners Carol and Robert Moore, from Dunoon Argyll, put their pension funds into a Peugeot Boxer that they then decided to sell on. The funds from the sale, approximately £32,000 was going to go toward a trip to Canada that the pair had hoped to go on.

The conformation of sale had been received by the couple but they have yet to be given any money. The alleged sale took place over 2 months ago.

To make matter even worse the St Andrews Motorhome store has now completely closed and their is not site of the company owner, Christine Galloway, and she cannot be contacted.

The Daily Record spoke with Carol, who has actually reported the matter to the police: “There are scores of us in the same boat now. The motorhome was sold for just over £27,000 but we were being told we would be getting £32,000 so something doesn’t add up.

Other customers have been to the police but have been told it is a civil matter. We are all in limbo and are absolutely sick to the stomach over this.”

It seems as though the company does not have the best repaution with a lot of negativity being sent their way online with bad review and some harsh words left on social media. One unhappy customer took to Facebook as said: “”Beware! Do not trade with this company, I have been ripped off.”

There is some good news in this story. The firm’s solicitor confirmed a petition to wind up the almost 20-year-old business was lodged in court yesterday. Asked if there was any further advice for affected customers, Robin Millar added: “If people want advice, they should contact their own solicitors.”

I just hope that none of our readers have been affected by this awful business.

The Caravan And Motorhome Club Dorset Expansion

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The Caravan and Motorhome Club has just announced its second UK site purchase for 2018, with the award winning Bingham Grange Touring & Camping Park in Dorset joining its network of over 200 Club sites.

The newly named Bridport Bingham Grange Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, located just a few miles from West Bay and Bridport seaside towns is available to book now from just £24 per night based on two adults and a standard pitch.

This popular touring park located in an idyllic setting overlooking an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is perfectly situated for exploring the Jurassic Coast from Lyme Regis to Weymouth and Portland, including the magnificent Chesil Beach. Further inland, rolling hills and picturesque villages are the inspiration of Hardy’s novels and include historic market town of Dorchester, or “Casterbridge” to Hardy fans. With its shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and bistros, museums, attractions, glorious gardens, river walks and a Roman Town House, Dorchester offers plenty to see and do.

Onsite facilities are second to none and are located in a honey stone barn at the centre of the Site. The barn houses a small shop and award-winning individual shower rooms as well as Buzzard’s Restaurant serving a variety of delicious meals for those that don’t want to cook.

Bridport Bingham Grange has carefully designed and landscaped pitches to preserve the rural ambience of the estate. Grange Garden’s mature planting provides shelter and privacy for touring vehicles, while tent campers in the Valley View field will appreciate the stunning countryside views and amazing sunsets. There are 103 touring pitches and 29 tent camping pitches.

The Site has previously been awarded AA Campsites 5 Gold pennants and a ‘Platinum’ award from ‘Loo of the Year’. Dog owners can take advantage of the all-weather dog walk area which extends along two sides of the site and is one of the largest on any caravan park in Dorset.

Safari Camping LandsTo Cumbria

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By William Coleman

A lot of sites across the UK are adding huts, yurts, pods and other forms of static and glamping accommodation to help the masses enjoy touring style holidays. Now safari camping has been taken from the plains of the serengeti and introduced to Ambleside in time for the 2018 summer.

Skelwith Fold have now officially lifted the flaps on their brand new 5 Star safari tents. Now guests can stay at shoot the local wildlife to their heart’s content, with their cameras and phones that is.

The park’s new glamping style retreats are located in a quiet corner of Skelwith Fold’s 130 acre tranquil grounds. Within the grounds of the site you will be able to spot all different types of birds along with deer, red squirrels and kites. So if you are a keen eyed photographer or you just like to relax with the wildlife this may just be the summer hot spot for you.

One of the fantastic things about these safari huts is the toilet situation. There are no pitch black walks to the nearest lou with these as they are come with private bathrooms and a well equipped kitchen and dining area. This way when natures calls you will not be bumping into nature’s nightlife.

Skelwith Fold, crowned as Lakeland’s top holiday park in last year’s Cumbria Tourism Awards, believes its safari tents will appeal especially to young families.

With all linen provided, there’s one double bedroom, and another with two bunk beds in addition to generously sized living areas, and electrical sockets.

There’s also a private balcony for al-fresco dining, or just relaxing and listening to the birdsong.

Henry Wild believes that Skelwith Fold’s safari experience will capture the imagination of those who love the idea of camping, but not the flap of putting up a tent:

“Almost everyone loves the notion of sleeping under the stars, but the kerfuffle of erecting a tent and packing it away afterwards can take the edge off the experience,” he said.

“Safari tents neatly sidestep this problem, but still provide that wonderful sense of being out there in nature, and coming closer to the sights and sounds of the countryside.

“But we’ve not overlooked life’s little luxuries, so guests can expect to find a pod espresso maker and other touches to reward themselves for taking on our challenge!” added Henry.

Owned by the Wild family for over 20 years, Skelwith Fold holds the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level for environmental excellence.

In March this year, it was also named by the as the AA as North West England’s top destination for touring caravan and motorhome owners, as well as glampers.

There is more information about the park and its safari tents at www.skelwith.com

Wales Park Gets MP Opening

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By William Coleman

North Wales MP David Jones has declared open a new country club at a family’s holiday park near Rhyl, and praised its contribution to Wales’s tourism economy.

Mr Jones, who is MP for Clwyd West, was at Caeran Caravan Park near Abergele to see how the award-winning business plays its part in attracting thousands of visitors each year to the region.

He made his visit during the recent annual Wales Tourism Week which is designed to put the spotlight on Wales’s £5 billion tourism sector.

The MP met with business owners Arthur and Pamela Jones who acquired the park seven years ago, and who have since invested much time and energy into create a first-class holiday setting.

During his visit, David Jones took time out to cut the ribbon on The Mill, the park’s recently built country club where guests can meet and relax when staying.

The MP commented: “I was delighted to see how investment in the new facilities at Caeran Caravan Park is helping the business go from strength to strength.

Our area is one of the most attractive in the country, and high quality parks such as Caeran give holidaymakers access to the very best that North Wales has to offer.

“Wales Tourism Week helps focus attention on a vitally important industry for our local economy, and I am very pleased to show my support,” he added.

Bounded by the River Elwy in a picture-postcard valley, Caeran was founded around 1960 and provides more than 50 privately owned caravan holiday homes in its seven acre grounds.

The park is a holder of the prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Bronze Award which celebrates tourism businesses making exceptional efforts to protect the natural world.

The park, Arthur Jones told the MP, allows people to own a holiday home in Wales and contribute to the economy without diminishing local housing stock or artificially inflating prices.

Many small enterprises in the region, he said, rely on the spending generated by holiday home owners and other visitors to sustain their businesses and the jobs they provide.

“We were delighted that Mr Jones was able to join us at Caeran Caravan Park, and to learn more about our sector and how it helps attract families to North Wales,” he said.

“Mr Jones clearly recognises the importance of tourism to this region, and is aware of the many challenges as well as opportunities faced by businesses such as ours.

“We feel very privileged and live and work in this wonderful corner of Wales, and are grateful for the continuing support and encouragement of our MP,” he added.

In addition to co-managing Caeran with Pamela, Arthur is Secretary of the Clwyd branch of the BH&HPA, the national representative body of the holiday parks industry.

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

Flintshire Caravan Sales Purchased With Big Things To Come

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By William Coleman

Spinney has announced that it has completed the purchase of Flintshire Caravan Sales Ltd in Deeside. Flintshire Caravans was established in 1972 by Ray Jones and has remained in family ownership ever since. The purchase will see it become the third Spinney dealership alongside those in Cheshire and Staffordshire.

Charlie Holland, director of Spinney said he was delighted with the acquisition, “We’ve long admired Flintshire Caravan Sales for their customer service and family focus; values that align very closely with our own. They have a well-earned reputation for touring caravan expertise and we look forward very much to developing that even further as part of Spinney.”

It is business as usual at the site and it has been confirmed that all current staff at Flintshire Caravan Sales will remain, with the customer service team being increased to improve the overall customer experience and deal with enquiries as quickly as possible. Behind the scenes, Spinney’s business systems and processes will be introduced to the Flintshire branch to streamline and simplify operations.

The most significant difference that customers will see is the increase in the number and range of motorhomes available from the dealership. Ben Holland, director of Spinney explains, “Flintshire Caravans has always specialised in touring caravans, and quite rightly has an excellent reputation for its knowledge of caravans. Spinney will be bringing our expertise with motorhomes to Flintshire and one of the first things that people will see is a bigger range of used motorhomes in the coming weeks, with a number of new models from several different manufacturers being added in the 2019 season.”

The deal will also offer benefits for Spinney’s existing customers, increasing servicing and aftersales capacity overall and providing a more convenient location for customers in the Wirral and North Wales.

Charlie added that he can see great potential for the Flintshire site, “They have great facilities and a great team in place, to be able to offer customers the very best of everything. We’ll be looking at improving the existing facilities, systems and marketing to really make the most of what is already there.”

The Flintshire Caravan Sales name will remain for the rest of the 2018 season, but the branch will be rebranded as Spinney ready for the 2019 season launch later this year.

Lowdhams Opens New Service And After Sale Center

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By William Coleman

We all want a good customer journey when buying but the after sales process can sometimes be significantly more important, especially when buying something high value like a motorhome or caravan. This is something that Lowdhams fully appreciate as they open their brand new service centre and after sales department.

The brand new facility, based in Nottingham, boasts an 18 bay service centre, 24 vehicle dispatch station and an eco friendly wash bay. All these brand new additions are part of a pioneering plan to increase the capacity of Lowdhams after sales care and to set a new standard for customer experience.

The dedicated caravan facility is in addition to the company’s motorhome service centre near Bingham and the further facilities at Lowdhams’ Huddersfield branch, and gives the company a total of 50 service bays across all sites.

The development was officially opened by John Lally, director general of the NCC who said that for any business to continue to prosper, it needs to invest for the future. “In opening this new workshop facility, Lowdham Leisureworld is clearly making a significant financial investment to support their growing customer base,” he said.

He praised the company’s customer focus adding that: “Lowdhams constantly looks through the eyes of its customers, always reviewing services, facilities and procedures in their quest to provide the best in customer service.

Steve Sharpe, managing director at Lowdhams, said that one of the main improvements that customers will see is a shorter lead time before being able to collect their new caravan or motorhome. “Previously, our workshops couldn’t keep up with the retail side of the business, so customers had a long lead time which wasn’t ideal. This changes that and helps to rebalance the business.”

The design of the new caravan service centre has been carefully thought out to make the space as practical and flexible as possible for the team of more than 30 highly qualified technicians that will be working there. The building is designed around a single entrance and access way, allowing more space around each vehicle, and at the same time creating a warmer and more comfortable environment to work in.


Outside is a new dispatch area with room for 24 vehicles in total, and four covered collection bays, allowing customers to complete their handover in comfort, whatever the weather; all part of the team’s commitment to supporting their customers through the journey from purchase and collection and on to an excellent after sales experience.

Lowdhams was one of the first dealerships to be independently inspected and gain NCC Approved status, and John Lally says that the company has long been influential in helping the NCC to champion best practice for dealerships. “This consumer-facing code of practice covers leisure vehicle sales and puts in place a framework for dealerships which ensures that consumers are treated fairly and in an open and transparent manner. Both Roger Crafts and Steve Sharpe give up their valuable time to support their trade body for which I am extremely grateful,” he said.

Steve is now focusing on the second phase of works which will see the former service bays redeveloped to double the size of the existing showroom and create better facilities.

“The third generation of the family is coming through the business now and we just want to make sure that the business is future-proof, and that we keep looking after people in the right way so that they keep coming back to us; that’s what family businesses are about.”

Bailey Of Bristol Bristanbul Documentary Part 1

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By William Coleman

What is the most fun that can be head with 2 caravans, 2 top towing cars and a motorhome? Well how about traveling across Europe and Asia crossing 21 countries in 21 days with Bailey of Bristol. This is the definition of touring and what better way to travel than in Bailey’s pick of the litter vans.

In part 1 of the documentary you will see a lot of different locations and the issues that come with each country, especially the non EU countries. You will also get to meat team who come from all corners of the of the industry from journalism to manufacturers to Director Generals.

Travelling across the countries included in this video shows just how varied and different each country is in Europe and asia. As well as showing the many different locations thats are very easy to drive to and stay for your holidays.

The caravans and motorhome held up perfectly. 21 different team members across the 21 days meant that homes got their fair share of heavy usage. I spent the majority of my time in the Bailey Pursuit which was ideal for 3 adults on tour.

There were 3 meals a day prepared and cooked in each home as well as many tea breaks and they made the whole trip very comfortable, especially the tea breaks. You really cannot have enough cups of tea during a 350 mile drive.

I really enjoyed both the Skoda Kodiaq and the Octavia but I must say I was a tad partial to driving the Bailey Advance motorhome quite a bit. Not saying it was my favourite but at times it was hard to pull me away from the steering wheel.

Food cooked on Greek roadsides, BBQs in Croatia and getting caught in the madness that is the trading streets of Istanbul, this documentary has it all.

I hope you enjoyed as much as we enjoyed making it. And stay tuned for part 2 coming later on this week.

Salop Leisure Charity Aid

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By William Coleman

At this year’s West Midlands Caravan, Motorhome and Destination Show, in Shrewsbury, there was a successful money raising effort by visiting customers. With all their help £766.30 was raised for the RNLI (The Royal National Institution).

This year’s event was held at Salop Leisure headquarters from April 28th to May 7th and is the UK’s largest free caravan exhibition showcase. At the event you could view the latest 2018 models from leading manufacturers.

As well as showing off some fantastic touring home models there was an opportunity for visitors to see three unique holiday destinations in Mid Wales Coast, Inland Mid Wales and the Heart of England.

There were representatives and volunteers from the RNLI over the two weekends of the show. They were there providing teas and coffees to customer for Salop Leisure and in return they received donations to the life saving charity.

Hundreds of new customers attended and placed orders for caravan holiday homes, luxury lodges, motorhomes and touring caravans.

Peter Long, chairman of the RNLI’s Shrewsbury fundraising branch, welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the popular event and was delighted with the sum raised for the charity.

“It’s a valuable contribution towards funds and we are very pleased to receive the donation,” he said. “Although we are landlocked in Shrewsbury, people seem to have a soft spot for lifeboats.”
He revealed that it costs £485,000 a day to run the lifesaving service and the money raised at Salop Leisure’s show would go towards providing kit for the lifeboat crews.

Ed Glover, Salop Leisure’s marketing manager, said the company was pleased to support the work of the RNLI and thanked customers for their generous donations to the charity.
The show had generated significant interest in all three destinations promoted, particularly the coastal areas of Mid Wales which are covered by RNLI lifeboats.

Caravan Fire Safety Tips And Advice

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By William Coleman

As part of my job I scour the internet to read touring news from around the world and keep my finger on the pulse that is the touring community. When doing my research there always seems to be massive recurring issue, fires in caravans. Why are there so many incidents with fires and touring homes? Are they targets for petty arsonists? Are they too flammable for their own good? Or is it simply poor housekeeping/lack of knowledge on how to safely operate and maintain?

Now let me start by saying that I am extremely confident that most, if not all, of CaravanTimes’ readers know exactly what they are doing and have never had any fire issues with their property. But for those who may be cautious of fire safety here are some tips from us at CaravanTimes.

Avoid The Idiots

I have heard of a lot of instances where fires involving caravans have been started by people. I am not sure why but caravans have always been a target for vandals and arsonists, this really does baffle me. So to avoid this simply cover or hide your caravan, out of sight out of mind.

There are storage facilities for touring homes or if you have a garage use that. It sounds so silly and simple but it is the best way of concealing your pride and joy from unwanted elements.

The Right Extinguisher

Something we all got taught when a fireman visited school was the different types of extinguisher. A caravan is full of flammable materials from the fabric used on the upholstery to the wood used throughout. Although modern caravans have non flammable upholstery there are models out there that may not so check your vehicle to see what materials you seating is made of.

You cannot just chuck water on the fire as it may do little, or in some cased make things a lot worse. So here are the 5 different types of extinguisher and what kind of materials they are to be used for.

Class A- Involve most organic materials. Carbon, wood, textiles, paper.
Class B- Petrol, diesel, solvents, paints and flammable liquids
Class C- Butane, propane and flammable gases
Class D- Flammable metals
Class F- Cooking oils/fats

Extinguishers are also colour coded to help you distinguish which is which.

Signal Red- Water
Pale Cream- Foam
French Blue- Powder
Carbon Dioxide- Black

Check Your Alarm Cooker/Gas Hob

I have been guilty of not checking my onboard fire alarm. It’s such an obvious thing to do yet many people forget to do it. There are some older models that do not have fire alarms, so if you have an older model please ensure that you get one fitted. Lives may depend on it.

Another silly thing that can sometimes be missed, check your cooker. Make sure its in good working order and turned off when you are finished. It may sound simple but it is the most simple of things that cause these fires. Cooker maintenance is key.

Vents

When you are arranging things or making beds it is very easy to fling a cushion that may be in your way. This can lead to air vents being blocked which can then lead directly to fires. Also do not leave towels or clothes on the electric heaters. The clothes may dry quicker but you could end up losing those clothes in the end.

What Will You Do In The Event Of A Fire?

If a fire starts you need to have a plan otherwise things can go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

For me personally I asses, very quickly, if this fire is actually fightable. I am not a trained firefighter but I think I could put out a normal fire you may find inside a touring home. Give it an attempt but if it is not working the first thing you need to do is get all the bodies out of the van.

Drop everything and get out and immediately call the fire brigade and alert the site and neighbouring sites. Although most decent sites will have a good distance between pitches fire is unpredictable and can spread in a million different ways.

Once you are outside it is advisable, if safe to do so, remove the electric and gas. A gas cylinder can make one hell of a bang.

There are a thousand different ways to avoid fires but I feel these are the basic essentials. For further info seek advice for the fire services.

The Caravan And Motorhome Club National Rally

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By William Coleman

This year the Caravan And Motorhome Club held their annual National Rally at Sledmere House in Driffield, York. The 4 day event had tons of entertainment for children and adults alike, there really was something for everyone.

Over 5,000 Club members attended the Rally and took part in all the activities available. What stood out the most to me was the huge amount of activities for children. In past events there attractions and activities to keep the kids occupied but at this year’s National the little people really were put at the forefront, they are the future after all.

What made it even better was that all the activities were 100% free for the children to enjoy, which certainly helps with the pockets of mum and dad. So if your child wants to hold animals, climb walls, get their face painted or tire themselves out on the bouncy castle all day it won’t cost a penny.

Of an evening the Club made sure that the children and parents alike were kept entertained well into the evening. On the Friday evening The American Divas (Madonna, Cher and Tina Turner) wowed the crowd with The UK’s best Queen tribute act, Killer Queen, rocking the stage on Saturday. On Sunday evening Elvis dusted off his Blue Suede Shoes to sing all the classics and on the final evening of the event the Prom Night Silver Concert took place.

Everyone who attended were all just so happy and very friendly, I am sure the amazing weather helped. Everyone I spoke to was so upbeat and willing to talk and help out their fellow Club members. One couple had literally just bought their first ever touring home and were still learning what they needed to get fully set up. Having forgotten a water pipe their neighbouring pitch was more than happy to lend them their spare pipe. And it is that kind of spirit that makes being a Club member so worthwhile.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club held their Experience Freedom CycleFest on Sunday morning. The 8 mile bike ride had people all shapes, sizes and age take part, there were even some 4 legged participants getting involved.

CAMC Director General, Nick Lomas took part with his son and Harvey Alexander, CAMC’s Director or Marketing, along with his entire family all saddled up for the race. Both Nick Lomas and Harvey Alexander stayed on site in their personal caravans for the whole show. Which just goes to show that they are both truly tourers just like all Club members.

I cannot express enough just how much fun there was being had during the National Rally. Everyone just seemed like they were on holiday and loving life the whole time. It was really refreshing to see how many younger Club members there are, which just proves how popular touring holidays are becoming.

As some of you may know I fancy myself a bit of a chef, well I like to cook a little bit, and this year’s Rally had the BBQ Chef of the Year finals. There was amazing food cooked up by the contestants and the top 3 won Cadac BBQs.

Overall the 4 day event was a great success. It brought people together, got people active, gave people a well deserved break and ultimately helped people share their love for touring holidays and vehicles.

Benimar Tessoro Part 2: The City Touring Lifestyle

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By William Coleman

I was born in raised in London and have seen the pros and cons of taking a touring vehicle through the busy streets. I would not really fancy towing a caravan through Oxford Circus but driving the great Benimar Tessoro from the surrey countryside into the heart of London was an absolute pleasure.

The Beninar is built on a Ford, which is ideal for me as my last 3 cars have all been Fords so I felt right at home behind the wheel. Especially being able to connect my phone to the up to date radio and play all my songs.

I stayed at the Alderstead Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Surrey. The site is picture perfect and totally surrounded by fields and large amounts of trees. You would never think you were 15 miles from the Central London. That is one of the great things about using your motorhome for a city break, you are always so close to picture perfect British countryside.

I was able to get into London with total ease, as London roads are designed for much larger vehicles than the Tessoro. Within no time at all I was sat at one of London’s many hidden gems drinking an iced coffee, 24 in the shade meant a warm coffee was out of the question.

Due to the large amount of storage the Tessoro provides you do not have to be picky what kind of clothing you bring with you. Shorts and T-shirt for the day and a nice shirt and jeans for the evening as you stroll the cobbled street of Covent Garden.

Once I was finished seeing all the hidden locations and national landmarks it was a very short drive back to the peaceful surroundings of the site.

This is a fantastic example of just how easy a city break is when you opt to use your motorhome.

Approved Workshop Scheme For Pre Owned Leisure Vehicles

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By William Coleman

Buying a leisure vehicle is both exciting and daunting, especially if you are looking at the pre-owned market. In some cases you could be buying a potential time bomb of a vehicle. More often than not I imagine you’ve wanted a fully qualified mechanic with you when you’re buying a new vehicle to ensure everything is tip top. With this new service all your fears will be washed away.

The Approved Workshop Scheme (AWS) have just launched their brand new service AWS Pre-Owned Pre-Purchase Inspections, or AWS POPPI for short.

The new service offers inspections for potential news buyers and provide a detailed report of the condition of a touring caravans or motorhomes. Something that will put a lot of new buyers, and existing, minds at ease prior the the commitment of purchasing.

The vehicle inspections will focus mainly on examining the safety-critical elements as well as assessing the visual and operational side of things.

AWS Manager Sarah Wigmore explains: “We believe this will be a great service for buyers, especially those new to caravanning. We already have nearly 100 of our workshops offering the inspection service and this is growing each week. The Approved Workshop Scheme is the benchmark for motorhome and touring caravan servicing and has the support of all the UK’s major manufacturers – so it is well placed to offer this type of service.

There are roughly 90,000 pre-owned touring homes in circulation with 45,000 motorhomes changing hands each year. A huge amount of these are private sales that may not have had the presale care a dealer may provide. “Having a third party assessment will enable people to purchase with greater confidence,” Sarah explains.

The Approved Workshop Scheme (AWS) is a joint enterprise between the NCC (National Caravan Council), The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club. There are now over 470 workshops nationwide and those offering the POPPI service can be found at https://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/find-approved-workshop

Personally I love the idea of this scheme, being a bit of a nervous vehicle buyer. So to have a service that checks all the things you would need looking at prior to purchasing would put my mind at ease and make me a lot more confident in handing over my hard earned cash.