Rescue services `delighted` after Skegness caravan park donates £7,000

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by Tom Lowenstein

Over the last few weeks, several caravan parks have announced how much they have raised for charity, but a site in Skegness appears to have outdone them all with its fundraising efforts.

Thanks to the generous caravanners and campers at Taggs Caravan Park, two rescue charities have had their coffers boosted by a grand total of £7,000.

In a ceremony last week, the park on Wainfleet Road presented two cheques of £3,500 each to its local Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance service, the Skegness Standard reported.

Throughout the summer months the caravan park held raffles, bingo games and asked for donations in a bid to raise as much as the lofty target they set themselves last year.

“We were a bit concerned that we wouldn’t raise so much this year because of the economy,” Taggs’ Gordon West told the local newspaper.

“But we went into it thinking, ‘whatever we raise, is whatever we raise’ and fortunately we were able to match last year’s amount.”

Thanking the park for their generous efforts, chief executive of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance Peter Aldrick said they were delighted to receive the donation.

Free caravan check-up offered at new Fifth Wheel Co service centre

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by Tom Lowenstein

Caravanners in North Wales and Cheshire have been offered the chance to claim a free (yes, free!) caravan service as part of a company’s training to become the first centre in the region with Approved Workshop Status.

As they practice to achieve the caravan industry-recognised status, Fifth Wheel in Denbighshire announced yesterday (November 8th) that they are offering the free once-over to six caravan owners who live in the region.

The company has recently opened a brand-new 10,800 sq foot specialist service centre for caravans and the free tune-up is part of the training they are receiving from caravan industry body CITO.

“We are creating a dedicated service centre for caravan owners across North Wales and Cheshire,” said Adrian Parry-Jones, sales director at Fifth Wheel.

“We will be able to service any caravan at the centre so it will benefit a lot of local people.”

For those wishing to take advantage of the offer, the services are only available on Wednesday 16th and Thursday November 17th and can only be carried out on single axle caravans younger than three-years-old.

To find out more about the free servicing offer contact Fifth Wheel on 01745 583 000.

At last month’s NCC Motorhome and Caravan Show, Fifth Wheel Co gave a public debut to their first-ever luxury touring caravan, the Inos, which features a large slide-out section to significantly expand the interior space.

Caravan Club changes the name of 13 top caravan sites

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by Tom Lowenstein

The Caravan Club has decided to rename 13 of its caravan and camping sites in a bid to make them easier to find when scouring the map for the next destination to take your tourer.

Following feedback from club members, the Club found that some people were having trouble locating certain sites and so decided to overhaul the names of parks up and down the country.

Explaining the decision to change the names, The Caravan Club said in a statement yesterday (November 8th): “Many members don’t realise just how convenient some of our sites are for access to major cities or towns of historic interest.”

Let’s just hope that caravanners who made regular trips to the sites don’t find the new names too confusing.

Here is the full list of The Caravan Club sites that have changed names:


Was known as Now known as
Four Oaks Henley Four Oaks Caravan Club Site
Cherry Hinton Cambridge Cherry Hinton
Losehill Castleton Caravan Club Site
Grin Low Buxton Caravan Club Site
Normanhurst Court Battle Caravan Club Site
Notgrove Bourton on the Water Caravan Club Site
Hillside Salisbury Caravan Club Site
Threeways Marazion Caravan Club Site
Lower Clough Foot Hebden Bridge Caravan Club Site
Grange Durham Grange Caravan Club Site
Seaview Berwick Seaview Caravan Club Site
Dalchalm Brora Caravan Club Sitee
The Invercauld Braemar Caravan Club Site

Paul Merton discovers the joys of caravanning in new Channel 5 show

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by Chris Jefferies
Better known for cracking jokes than cornering with a caravan, Paul Merton is one of the country’s best-loved comedians, so it comes as little surprise to find out that his first attempt at towing was suitably comic.
The 54-year-old funnyman has been travelling the globe as part of his latest TV series Paul Merton’s Adventures for Channel 5.
In the newest episode, which will be on TV tonight at 10pm, Paul tries a staycation, and chooses a new Swift Challenger Sport 524 to help him explore the best that England has to offer.
Before he can set off, he is given a crash course in towing and reversing at Swift Caravans HQ in Hull, which has predictably hilarious consequences.
At the outset, the Have I Got News For You star is cautiously optimistic: “The caravan will go where the car goes, I assume. You see people driving caravans all the time, so it can’t be that hard, I imagine.”
Learning the hard way
After a very frustrating reversing experience, Paul gives up and has a go at towing the world’s smallest caravan, the QTvan with a shopmobility scooter (pictured right).
Despite this being small enough to manoeuvre down the aisles of a local supermarket, it doesn’t stop Paul from crashing again, so he reluctantly takes to the road with a Land Rover Discovery towing his Swift.
On his travels, he meets a friendly pair of caravanners, Paul and Lester, who show him the ropes, from levelling to EHU (electric hook-up). They even try to teach him how to reverse properly, with mixed results.
The hour-long show includes a whistle-stop tour of the South of England, which takes in competitive egg-throwing in Lincolnshire, a music festival in the Malvern hills, a circus in the Cotswolds, and a Pagan ritual in Cornwall.
Seasoned caravanners will certainly find the first 15 minutes of inept fumbling hilarious, while the rest of the show will certainly help inspire next year’s holiday plans.
If you missed Paul Merton’s Adventures: in a Caravan you can watch the full episode online

What did you think of the show? Did it make caravanning look appealing? Or would it put off any newcomers? Share your thoughts in our community forum

Thetford offers customers a free drainage solution for C250 caravan toilets

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by Tom Lowenstein

Caravan toilet manufacturer Thetford has announced it is to give away a new drainage device to customers with a C250 CWE toilet in a bid to prevent more flush pumps being broken.

Following a number of reports of broken pumps, Thetford has identified that C250 CWE cassette toilets which were manufactured before April 1st 2010 are susceptible to the problem, which in most cases has been caused by frost.

To avoid the problem, the company – which provides toilets to many of the leading caravan manufacturers – has designed a new drainage solution which they say guarantees better drainage of the flush and water tank system.

Utilising an additional drain tube, the solution removes the issue for the affected models as well as improving the drainage capability of the more recent versions of the toilet.

The Dutch company, which recently celebrated its 40th birthday, has therefore made the additional retrofit drainage tube available free to anyone with a C250 CWE model cassette toilet, regardless of whether it was the older or newer versions.

A quick fix

Customers who request the new drain tube have been advised that they should be able to install it themselves.

Thetford say that it takes around ten minutes to attach and in most cases a professional won’t be required to fit the new device.

Anyone who wishes to request the drain tube along with installation instructions free of charge has been asked by Thetford to email them at C250draintube@thetford.eu.

Emails must include contact details, the serial number that is written on the bottom of the toilet’s holding tanks and the make and model of their caravan as well as its chassis number.

Thetford also announced the launch of its new website this week (November 8th), which the mobile sanitary system manufacturer has developed in partnership with its web marketing partner, eFocus.

Friendly Club caravan site braced for tug-of-war over expansion plans

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by Tom Lowenstein

Plans to extend a Camping and Caravanning Club site in Derbyshire have hit a snag after the local parish council objected to the extension.

The Bakewell site in Hopping Lane, Youlgrave lies in the Peak District National Park and had applied for permission to build another 22 surfaced pitches as well as a new service point and an area for storage.

A request to stretch the season which currently runs from March until October by three months so that it would be open from February 16th to January 5th was also submitted by the park’s owners, the Yorkshire Post reported.

However, Youlgrave Parish Council claims that its village roads cannot sustain the increased caravan traffic and opening throughout winter would be too much.

Despite 13 letters of objections and the attitude of the parish council however, planning officials have recommended that councilors grant the site permission to extend.

Planning officers said: “A conditional approval would properly balance recreation interests with the conservation purpose of the national park’s statutory designation and the economic and social welfare of the local community,” the newspaper quoted.

The plans will now go before a showdown meeting at the Peak Park authority’s offices in Baslow on Friday when The Camping and Caravanning Club will learn the fate of its proposals.

VIDEO: New fixed single bed layouts from Elddis, Bailey and Adria

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by Chris Jefferies
Fixed single beds layouts are undergoing something of a renaissance at the moment, with Elddis, Bailey and Adria all offering new caravans with this family-friendly configuration. Best for families with teenage kids, this layout had previously been reserved for top-end tourers, but the new Elddis Avante 574 offers a much more affordable option.
For those looking for a bit more luxury, there’s the Bailey Pegasus Rimini, which offers more premium trim as standard. Finally, there’s the new Adria Astella 613HT, which benefits from a super-wide European-style bodyshell, giving you a much more spacious interior. All three of these tourers were on show at the NCC Motorhome and Caravan Show last month and we took a look inside to see how they compare.

Used Caravan of the Week: 1989 Abbey Executive 360

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by Chris Jefferies
Much of the debate in our forum recently has been regarding what caravanners can do without – would you go without an oven? Can you live without a shower?
Removing these luxuries reduces the weight and makes a caravan much easier to tow and indeed, this used to be the norm with manufacturers of yore.
For this week’s Used Caravan of the Week, we have tracked down a caravan that fits this brief, in the form of a very well-preserved Abbey from the 1980s.
With no oven, shower or even toilet, this dinky tourer offers back-to-basics caravanning, with the flipside being an unladen weight of just 635kg, meaning most road-going cars could tow this with ease.

History
As a brand, Abbey Caravans was retired in 2009 by its owners Swift Group, but these well-built tourers can still be regularly found on the used caravan market.
This particular example is the two-berth Executive 360, which features the classic layout of a convertible double in the front and an offside bathroom in the rear, along with a nearside rear kitchenette.
Despite the fact that this ‘van is well into its twenties, the eBay listing describes it as being “generally in good condition” and the accompanying images certainly bear testament to that.
Kit and Caboodle
Spec levels are a little more basic than you may have come to expect in modern caravans, with no toilet in the washroom, but the seller assures us that there is room enough to fit one.
What you do get is a twin-burner gas hob and grill, an Electrolux three-way refrigerator, and a Carver Trumatic SB1800 gas heater, with instruction manuals included for the last two.
For further peace of mind, you also get service documents dating back to 2002, to help you spot the potential pitfalls before buying.
The front living area is definitely the main selling point, as it can be converted into a very spacious double bed, which is “large enough for three people” (at a push).
Ample shelving space is provided by seven overhead lockers, as well as two underseat storage lockers and a wardrobe with a three-quarter length mirror on both doors.
What’s more, a distinct effort has been made to bring this tourer up to date, with white hubcaps, a re-laminated floor and a brand new fitted carpet throughout living room and kitchen area.
Other things worth noting are the faulty smoke alarm and a small amount of damp, although this has been rectified and the seller claims it is “now 100% watertight”.
Granted this could hardly be described as a luxury choice, but anyone looking for a compact starter caravan should seriously consider this little Abbey, as it looks like a great bargain.

  • Price: £575 (or nearest offer)
  • MTPLM: Unladen weight 635kg, max loaded weight 850kg
  • Delivery: Collection only, from Norwich
  • Shipping Length: 16’0″
  • Berth: 2
  • Axle: Single

Click here to make an offer on this 1989 Abbey Executive 360 for sale



Find more photos like this on CaravanTimes

Caravan parks sponsor record fireworks show for Somerset town

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by Arash Hekmat

Some of the leading parks for caravans in the south-west pitted together to fund a fantastic seafront fireworks display last weekend.

Home Farm Caravan Park, Newcombe Caravan Park, Highbridge Caravan Centre, Sandyglade Caravan Park and Dolphin Caravan Park were among the local businesses supporting the Burnham-on-Sea extravaganza.

Holidaymakers staying in caravans at these sites were able to attend the free fireworks show, which attended a record crowd for the Somerset town.

The display was primarily funded by the Town Council, with Burnham-on-Sea Holiday Village and Unity Farm Holiday Centre also contributing to the event.

Guy Fawkes Night is one of the biggest festival dates on the calendar in the run-up to the Christmas period, and gave people all over the country plenty of reason to stay out in the cool November air for a few hours over the weekend.

Speaking to Burnham-on-sea.com about the success of the event, mayor Michael Clarke said: “It was a fantastic show that greatly exceeded expectations and it was wonderful to see a record large crowd on the seafront enjoying the display.”

The 25-minute spectacle was accompanied by music and involved fireworks provided by Skyburst Illuminations.

Elddis Caravans to relaunch Crusader Hurricane at February Excel Show

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by Chris Jefferies
Couples looking forward to a luxury touring experience in 2012 will have yet another option to choose from, as Elddis Caravans has today announced the return of the Crusader Hurricane.
Caravan connoisseurs will recognise the name from its previous incarnation and the 2012 Hurricane will also be a two-berth single-axle tourer with an end bathroom.
This popular layout is also seen on the Bailey Unicorn Seville and the Swift Conqueror 480, but Elddis claims that their version will offer discerning caravanners “true lightweight luxury”.
Details are being kept under wraps so far, with weights, prices and photos all still to come – the company is simply promising that this new model will be “one of the most luxurious two-berth caravans available on the UK market”.
The Crusader Hurricane will be making its public debut in February of next year at the inaugural Motorhome Caravan and Camping Show at the London Excel centre, which will effectively replace the recently cancelled NEC Boat and Caravan Show.
Best of the rest
Other highlights that Elddis fans can look forward to at the new London show include the introduction of a four-berth motorhome for the luxury Aspire range.
Known as the Elddis Aspire 265, this new motorhome will feature an L-shaped dinette in the front, a fixed double bed at the rear and a spacious bathroom.
What’s more, show visitors will also get a chance to see the Limited Edition Diamond Jubilee Range, which was premiered at last month’s NCC Motorhome and Caravan Show.
This range, which is based on the Crusader collection, features the luxury interior from the Aspire motorhome range, including craftsman-built furniture in Boston Walnut with contrasting cream feature lockers and Aquaclean upholstery in ‘Botanique’, all of which comes as standard.

Caravan park raises over £2,000 for Alder Hey children’s hospital

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by Tom Lowenstein

Generous caravan owners and campers have helped a caravan park in Flintshire, North Wales, raise over £2,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

The charity-minded caravanners at Fron Farm Caravan Park have been holding fundraising events while on holiday at the site since the season began back in April.

Now that the site has closed for the winter the park’s owners Ceri and Dylan Roberts have presented the famous hospital with the £2,390 they raised, the Flintshire Chronicle reported.

Speaking to the local newspaper, Ceri said: “Thank you to everyone who has been camping here at Fron Farm Caravan Park this season and supported this excellent cause.”

She added that some of their customers have children who have been looked after at Alder Hey so the whole park was happy to get behind the cause.

Some of the events at the park included a royal wedding disco, cake bake sales and a Halloween fancy dress competition and with the park set to reopen again in April they are all looking forward to another season of fundraising.

New law protects NI caravanners against unscrupulous site owners

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by Tom Lowenstein

Caravan owners in Northern Ireland can thank the local government after a new law protecting their rights became officially operational.

All caravan park owners should now have issued full written agreements to caravanners renting a pitch on their site under the regulations set down by the Caravans Act Northern Ireland 2011 which went live last week (November 3rd).

The main aim of the Act is to crate clear and transparent terms of agreements so that caravan owners know exactly where they stand when it comes to the contract they have for their pitch.

Written contracts are now mandatory and not only offer caravanners increased protection but also give them a greater say in the way their site is managed.

This also relates to static caravans, as in the past many owners found that their site could impose unfair restrictions on them when they wished to sell their holiday home, claiming terms that were perhaps not mentioned in the original verbal agreement.

This could involve things such as vetting potential buyers or charging commission on the sale, but as a result of the new law only terms specified in the written agreement will be permitted.

In great news for caravanners across Northern Ireland, it is estimated that the new Act will benefit 13,500 holiday caravan owners currently renting pitches in the country.