by Joe Jeffrey
Scottish caravan park scoops prestigious loo award
Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club Site has scooped a gong at the prestigious Loo of the Year Awards, for the second consecutive year.
The Site has been crowned the overall 2016 UK winner in the Eco Friendly Loo of the Year category, beating its performance in 2015 when it won the award for sites in Scotland.
The 100-pitch Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club Site welcomes thousands of visitors each year, keen to explore the stunning Highland scenery and experience the first-rate eco-friendly facilities found on site.
Developed to boost standards in away-from-home washrooms everywhere, the Loo of the Year Awards crowned winners in sixty categories, from shopping centres through to camping and touring sites at the 28th annual Loo of the Year Awards ceremony on Friday 4 December. The event helps to focus attention on the thousands of washrooms across the UK and promotes the highest standards.
Each toilet block entered into the scheme is rigorously assessed on strict criteria, which includes signage and communication, décor and maintenance, security and cleanliness.
Franchisee Lyn Forbes welcomed the latest award for the busy site, saying: “We wanted to improve the economy of the area, in a way that wouldn’t impact on the environment and believed a touring campsite was the way forward.”
The opening of the Loch Ness Shores site marked a culmination of a decade of work by the Forbes family, who were tenant farmers for generations before buying Foyers Mains Farm on which the campsite was built.
The campsite has been open for two years and serves to drive traffic to other attractions locally, including Foyers Village Shop, Waterfall Café and new businesses including Cameron’s Tea Room and Morag’s Crafty Bothy.
The Loo of the Year Award is the latest achievement for Loch Ness Shores, coming hot on the heels of a win in the 2015 Green Tourism Awards, when the site won gold in the best Environmental Management category.
The site has also been awarded 5-star certification by Visit Scotland.
Bob Hill, the Club’s Sites Director, said: “I’m delighted that the 2016 Eco Friendly Loo of the Year Award now joins many others won by Loch Ness Shores Club Site.
“Lyn and Donald have taken great strides to make their campsite sustainable, including a solar thermal system and a pioneering water-to-water pump that heats the water for both buildings on site.
“This recognition is a fitting reward for all their hard work.”
The Club’s Skye site also won a Platinum Award and the National Category Award for Camping & Touring Sites in Scotland at the Awards Ceremony.
For more information on the Loo of the Year Awards, click here.
