Park Resorts is First in UK to Launch Sales App

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by Laura Diaz

Park Resorts, a holiday company which owns 38 parks across the UK, has become the first company in the UK to launch a sales app which will showcase its caravans

Park Resorts has taken a momentous step forward by becoming the first company of its kind in the UK to launch a sales app.

The 38-park conglomerate launched an app that is sure to prove useful to its clients. The sales app showcases the company’s caravans, lodges and chalets available for sale. Also, it will allow users to view round ups of the facilities on offer on all of the company’s 38 parks.

Martin Abrams, Head of Digital at Parks Resorts, explained the company’s purpose in launching the app, “We know that around a third of visits to the Park Resorts website are now made from tablets or mobile phones, and we expect this number to further increase over the coming 12 months.”

A smart business move for the company, seeing as more and more people across the UK are embracing mobile technology, regardless of their age. Abrams seems to know exactly how to achieve a wider reach on clients, as he explained, “Nowadays people want to easily access information when and where it suits them and often on the move. This new user-friendly app is designed to meet the growing demand for people browsing on these devices.”

He continued, “This is just the first part of some big changes to our web and mobile offer this year, and we’re excited at what lies ahead.” Indeed, companies refusing to grasp growing technology trends tend to struggle to keep their clientele as more people move to more convenient resources.

The app is free to download on the App Store and on Google Play for Android. This app is a must-have for anyone thinking of becoming a holiday caravan or home owner.

Users will be able to search for properties using a map of the UK, find parks nearby their current location and sort results by model or price range. Park Resorts has a wide range of prices for many budgets, ranging from £6,995 up to luxury lodges starting at £100,000. Furthermore, photo galleries of all the caravans available and ownership advice pieces enhance the app’s usefulness. Finally, the app also features a finance calculator, which will truly help users plan out their purchases.

To download the ingenious app, visit the App Store or Google Play, depending on your particular device.

Charity for Kids buys holiday caravan

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by Laura Diaz

Charity for Kids, a foundation supporting ill and disabled children, purchase holiday caravan to provide breaks for families

Charity for Kids, a foundation specialising in raising funds to support sick and terminally ill children, have purchased a caravan to provide holidays and breaks to the children’s families.

The caravan is located in Crowhurst Holiday Park and the purchase was made possible by the donations of generous staff and customers at Sainsbury’s in St. Leonards.

Funds were raised over the period of July 2013 to May 2014 after a partnership was established between the store and the local charity. During this time, Charity for Kids representatives were stationed at Sainsbury’s at weekends and several fundraising events were held in the foyer area of the store including book sales, tombolas, carol singing and special guest appearances from Peppa Pig and Mickey Mouse. In the end, donations amounted to more than £9,600, which allowed Charity for Kids to make the purchase.

The chairman of Charity for Kids, Paul Harris, celebrated the occasion by saying, “We would like to give a big thank you to the customers of Sainsbury’s for their support, who donated £9,651.90, which is absolutely fantastic.”

He went on to explain one of the charity’s primary purposes, “Our long-term aim is to eventually set up a much-needed local respite facility, and as the charity is less than three years old, we are not in a financial position to cover the cost.”

Harris continued, “However, we are extremely excited to take the first steps towards our goal by purchasing a caravan.”

The chairman articulately expressed the charity’s purpose in aiding not just children who suffer health ailments, “but also their parents and siblings, as they can use the caravan to have a respite break for a weekend.”

Finally, Harris explained how funding for the charity’s caravan plans will continue, “We will not be charging families for the use, but will be asking for a donation, which is affordable to each family staying in the caravan.”
Fortunately, the caravan is already faring incredibly well considering its recent purchase. Harris claimed there are already eight bookings for July and August.
Also, those interested in making a donation, please visit this website.

VIDEO: Caravan vs Hill

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by Laura Hastings

Towing can be a tricky business, especially when the tow car is clearly too tiny for the job at hand

There is a fine art to successful caravanning, one which some do not appreciate. The video we have found this week certainly proves this.

There is a simple rule to gravity: what goes up must come down. The unsuspecting cyclists in this video saw this rule of physics proven first-hand.

The tow car and caravan seem to be progressing okay when they pass by, but you’ll be shocked by what happens five seconds later.

Check out the video below if you fancy a laugh, and make sure to watch to the end.

Caravan Guard release guide to motorhome modifications which can affect insurance

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by Laura Hastings

Every motorhome owner likes to customise their vehicle to some degree, but Caravan Guard wants to make you aware of the changes which could affect your insurance policy

Caravan Guard has released a handy guide to modifications which can affect your insurance policy on its website.

The article notes that, while minor changes can make your motorhome more homely, more drastic changes such as switching fuel type, chipping or remapping the engine, altering the motorhome suspension or adding alloy wheels can affect its look and overall performance.

Areas covered include engine remapping/chipping, fitting a turbocharger, LPG gas conversion, and disability modifications. It goes on to look at whether owners need to make their insurance provider aware of these modifications, as well as whether they affect the cost of insurance and is certainly checking out.

For full details on these issues, see the Caravan Guard guide on their website here

Swift announce the appointment of Richard Ross

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by Laura Hastings

Richard comes to the Swift Group with over 35 years of experience in the caravan industry

Swift has announced the appointment of Richard Ross as the new account manager for holiday homes in Southern England.

Richard has previously worked with some major names in caravanning, including Dorset Caravans, BK Bluebird and, most recently, Southern Counties Leisure.

Swift Group national sales manager Duncan Smith said: “With Richard’s background and sales experience in Southern England it is an ideal fit for the Swift Group as we continue to develop, and as we grow our sales volumes. Richard will play a key part in the growth of the Holiday Home business.”

Richard spoke with excitement about his new role, saying: “I’m thrilled and delighted to join Swift and I am eagerly anticipating working with Swift’s existing customers in Southern England and developing new ones.”

No doubt Richard will be a great asset to the company.

Matthew McConaughey’s Airstream addiction

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by Laura Hastings

The Texan actor has not let Hollywood go to his head, he still likes to live a rougher lifestyle in an Airstream trailer

Matthew McConaughey has had a busy time of it lately, starring in some of last year’s biggest films such as Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street. It turns out that the Hollywood star enjoys relaxing in the same way we do – in a caravan!

Well, the American version of a caravan anyway. McConaughey is the proud owner of several Airstream trailers, which he enjoys customising to his own specifications.

McConaughey explained the many reasons behind his love for the vehicles: “I’ve always loved driving. Driving is, number one, where I get some time with myself. Number two, it’s the main place I catch up on music. And number three, it’s the best way to see the country.” I think we can all appreciate these reasons.

In 2004 the actor invested in his first Airstream – an International CCD 28. Those 28 feet include a living area with a banquette and a dining table/desk, a streamlined kitchen, a toilet and shower, and a snug bedroom that the actor refers to as the Honeycomb on account of its rounded ceiling and golden hues.

The Airstream became multi-functional for McConaughey. For two years he managed his production company, j.k. livin, from it. He also took it out on the road for a month, when promoting his film Sahara in 2005.

Oscar winning actor he may be, but McConaughey has simpler plans for his retirement that involve his passion for Airstreams: “One day I’ll have either an Airstream hotel or an Airstream compound. I don’t know where it’ll be yet, but the thing about Airstreams is you feel a little bad for ’em if you got ’em parked too long and the axles aren’t spinning, you know, because they’re built for the road.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Matthew.

Salop Leisure dealership challenges other companies in charity matches

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by Laura Diaz

Chairman of award-winning caravan and motorhome dealership, Salop Leisure, challenges other companies in the industry to participate in a sporting charity event

The chairman of the award-winning Shrewsbury caravan and motorhome dealership, Salop Leisure, has proven camaraderie is possible amongst industry rivals. Chairman Tony Bywater has challenged other companies in the industry to join Salob Leisure in a series of sporting challenges for the sake of charity.

In a real groundbreaking move, Bywater claimed that Salop Leisure enjoys challenges from charity. He also said that he is keen on hearing from other companies in the industry which would be interested in participating in said challenges.

He said, “These challenge matches are a great way of making money for charity and building relationships between companies.”

Salop Leisure demonstrated its attachment to sporting challenges for charity earlier this month. A team of intrepid buccaneers from the company participated in the Morris Lubricants raft race at the annual Shrewsbury River Festival. The race is expected to have raised around £5,000 for the Midlands and Wales Air Ambulance Services, which are the charities adopted by Morris Lubricants this year.

Despite finishing in last place, the seven-man team made quite a splash at the race. They built an ingenious raft in the shape of a caravan, which encouraged praise from spectators at the event.

“The caravan raft was one of the main talking points after the race. The team is already planning a lightweight raft to compete next year,” Bywater claimed.

The team faced difficulties during the race due to the raft’s weight being heavier than the rest; the raft needed to be nudged over the finish line by a support boat. Still, the team hopes to contribute to the Wales Air Ambulance Services as a result of their efforts.

The Morris Lubricants team came in third place, which awarded them revenge over Salop Leisure as the latter beat the former in a charity football match last month. This just goes to show camaraderie between rivals can bring about great opportunities for the community.

Also, the caravan-shaped raft is an opportunity to bring exposure to the world of caravanning. At least Bywater seems to think so, as he called it “a terrific marketing exercise for the caravan industry.”

The team at CaravanTimes is excited to get a glimpse at next year’s, perhaps more lightweight, caravan raft.

Caravans facing opposition in Isle of Man parliament

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by Laura Hastings

Politicians at the Isle of Man parliament have been stating some strong opinions on caravanning

Steve Rodan, Speaker of the House of Keys, has outraged caravanners by describing touring caravans as: “congesting, road rage inducing, and countryside disfiguring.”

The Scottish politician was speaking in opposition to plans to encourage caravan tourism in the Isle of Man. A committee was assembled to discuss the benefits and disadvantages of encouraging this kind of tourism in the area.

He went on to say: “Anyone who has been in the Scottish Highlands and has ever been stuck behind any of these congesting, road rage inducing, countryside disfiguring vehicles would conclude that a place that is blessedly relatively free of them should be in any way contemplating having them amongst us would think we must be quite literally mad.”

Mr. Rodan’s opinion was not shared by all members of the committee however. Alex Downie MLC described touring caravans as: “a huge untapped market”, stating, “I think the Isle of Man is a fantastic place for them to come.”

Geoff Corkish MLC pointed out that the issue needed to be discussed, as touring caravans are already visiting the area, but are currently unregulated. He was one of a number of members who raised concerns that caravans were being left parked in driveways and residential streets.

CaravanTimes is interested to know what our readers think of these developments in the Isle of Man.

Caravan park near Skegness sold for £900,000

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by Laura Hastings

Little Haven Holiday Park, which is situated on over 5 acres, has been sold as a going concern to a private individual

An historic caravan park, built in the 1920s and fully renovated in 2003, has been sold, but will continue functioning as a caravan park.

The park currently has 41 pitches, and planning permission for a further 15, in addition to seven lodge units. The renovations in 2003 included the construction of a brick-built reception building and a customer car parking area.

The business was sold by the Leeds based firm, Colliers International. Richard Moss, head of UK Parks Agency at Colliers spoke about the sale of the park, saying: “Little Haven Holiday Park has been thoughtfully developed and landscaped with ornamental lakes, making it a extremely desirable business and holiday destination.”

The Parks sector in real estate is experiencing an increase in market activity, and transactions are up year-on-year when compared to the same period in 2012.

Are you qualified in caravans?

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by Laura Hastings

The CITO National Apprenticeship programme has been designed specifically to develop technician apprentices

Emtec College (near Nottingham) has announced that they are to run a new national apprenticeship scheme with the close involvement of Caravan Industry Training (CITO).

The programme will be a mixture of block release at the college (where apprentices learn in groups to gain practical confidence in the skills for motorhome and caravan servicing), and more in-depth training and instruction in the workplace.

The block release portion of the training aims to provide the apprentices with the most up-to-date, manufacturer specific knowledge that participants can utilise in the work environment.

The apprenticeship is structured around the Institute of the Motor Industry’s (IMI) caravan and motorhome maintenance and repair L2 and L3 diplomas. There will also be instruction in functional skills in English, maths, information and communications technology, employment rights and responsibilities, training in 12V/ 240V electrics, caravan servicing and ACoPs gas competence to meet the Approved Workshop Scheme technician requirements.

The total duration of the programme is 36 months. This is comprised of 12-18 months to complete level two, and a further 12-18 months to complete level three.

Holgates Silverdale Caravan Park Is Cumbria Tourism Holiday Park of the Year

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by Laura Diaz

The prestigious Cumbria Tourism Holiday Park of the Year Award goes to Holgates Silverdale Caravan Park

It was smiles all round for caravan park scooped the coveted Cumbria Tourism Holiday Park of the Year 2014 Award

The park of the year is part of the prestigious group, Premier Parks, a collection of 103 ‘fantastic touring parks across the UK and Ireland.’ Each member of Premier Parks undergoes a strict annual assessment, which determines their continued, or new, membership into the exclusive club.

Michael Holgate, proud owner of Holgates Silverdale, declared, “The fact that we have been recognised for the level of customer service we provide, the setting and surroundings, the facilities on the park and the overall quality of experience is incredibly rewarding for the team.”

He continued, “We are immensely proud of what we have achieved and will continue to offer the highest level of service to our customers.”

The award ceremony proved successful for two other Premier Parks, as Park Cliffe in Windermere and Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Camping Park in Keswick, took home runner-up prizes.

Some of the features offered at Holgates Silverdale include an impressive outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, bar and a games arcade. The champion campsite is located near the coast of Morecambe Bay, a location which offers optimal picturesque views.

Perhaps a visit to this winner of a park, or one of the other 102 Premier Parks, is in place, caravanners?

Sergei the meerkat shares his top 5 caravanning tips

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by Laura Hastings

Seasoned caravanner Sergei delves into his own caravanning experience to bring you top tips for your caravan journey

There are many so-called experts in the field of caravanning, but CaravanTimes, as always, strives to bring our readers the best.

This is why we have enlisted caravan blogger and meerkat impresario, Sergei, to share his wisdom with us. Sergei works in IT, and recently took to exploring the length and breadth of the UK in his caravan, documenting it all on his ‘caravan bloggings’ – that’s caravan blog to you and I.

His charmingly honest writing style will appeal to both seasoned caravan veterans, and those looking to step into the caravanning lifestyle and, that said, Sergei has collected his top five tips for caravanning, first published here, and elaborated a bit on the stories behind them:

Caravanning with pets

“Take your pets on caravan holiday is always tricky. Once I take pet hamster, but he spend whole holiday making squeaks in his exercise wheel and I could not concentrate on my Beano annual.
“These days I prefer bring smaller pet for company, like Carl the cockroach. He not make too much noise, need minimal lookings after and come in handy if you need small snack.”
Sergei’s final thought: “Do not try read Beano annual while driving, this lead to unfortunate car smash incident with me and large human in white van.”

Always bring spare battery

“Middle of nowhere is not best place to find out you leave light above sink on for 24 hours. Ever since that 10-day walk back to civilisation, I am never without a spare 110AH battery. Now I can cook on stove, pump water and use Betamax player without fear of flattening battery.”
Sergei’s final thought: “Always be considerings caravan neighbours, blasting the Russian meerkat music of the 1980s is no popular at 2 am.”

Bring spare tin opener

“Only last year I haul week supply of baked fleas on holiday. Is long story, but mountain goat end up eat my tin opener, leaving me stuck with 12 unopenable tins. For lunch I lick moss from nearby stone. It was actually quite tasty, but next time I remember to bring extra tin opener.”
Sergei’s final thought: “For many fine recipe includings French style frog’s legs, scramble over to my bloggings here”

Always bring torch

“Torch are essential inside caravan. Is good for read under blanket, and is make life much easier when you need to visit little meerpup’s room in middle of night. Like my Papa always say, ‘never pee where you can’t see’. Is best advice he ever give me.”
Sergei’s final thought: “Torch are good for make meerkat shadow puppets also, put baby Oleg in sleepy mode every time!”

Remember which caravan is yours

“My caravan is a beautiful shade of white. Unfortunately, so are many other caravan, which make it difficult when remember where you park in busy caravan site. I find tie custom flag to your caravan (I use MEER space program logo) will help you identify your own caravan even from afar, and will help avoid any unexpected meetings with a surprised family of four.”
Sergei’s final thought: I make nice friend with the family, until I try get disco dancing competition going. Hole in floor was not too big! Be careful when doing jumpings in caravan, nice readers.

CaravanTimes would like to thank Sergei for these invaluable tips, and we look forward to his next instalment of caravan adventures.

Check out our competition with Sergei’s Caravan Club for your chance to win a meerkat toy.