By William Coleman
Riverside Caravan Park really did see out 2018 with a massive wave of successes one after the other as they win a prestigious tourism awards and get the non from a local MP. Congratulations were in order this November when North Yorkshire MP Julian Smith took time out to visit Riverside Caravan Park in the village of High Bentham.
Mr Smith was invited to the park by the Marshall family to inspect the latest tourism developments taking shape, and which will help draw even more visitors to the region.
Thomas Marshall told the MP that this summer had been one of the busiest in Riverside’s 49-year history, and that its staff had helped the business achieve a number of important awards.
Earlier this month, the park was named as one of the top holiday providers in North Yorkshire in the finals of the county tourist board’s White Rose Awards 2018.
Also in autumn, national tourist board VisitEngland presented the park with its rare and prestigious 2018/9 Gold Award for its outstanding standards of excellence.
In both awards, said Mr Marshall, the high standards of hospitality and professionalism shown by Riverside’s staff team played a big part
Julian Smith, who represents the Skipton and Ripon constituency and is the Government’s chief whip in the House of Commons, said that everyone at the park deserved hearty congratulations.
Mr Smith took a tour of Riverside’s sister-park called Wenningdale Escapes which adjoins the 18-hole Bentham Golf Course, also owned by the park.
It’s here that a £1 million-plus development is taking place featuring new luxury holiday lodges for sale and rent with contemporary design and picture-postcard views, plus glamping accommodation.
Mr Marshall said the family was delighted that Julian Smith was able to visit their park, and added that the MP clearly understood the value of visitor spending to North Yorkshire’s rural economy.
Award Winning Effort
Inspectors from VisitEngland have told a North Yorkshire family that its holiday park is “off the scale” in terms of quality – and has warranted a rare award.
Riverside Caravan Park in High Bentham now boasts the national tourist board’s prestigious 2018/9 Gold Award for its outstanding standards of excellence.
Fewer than 50 of England’s 3,000-plus holiday parks have been granted the accolade this year, putting Riverside among an elite of top-performing park businesses.
VisitEngland says its gold standard can only be achieved if a park exceeds all of the requirements necessary to gain a top five-star rating during its annual inspection.
Even then, the park must be visited by a “mystery shopper” before the award is officially confirmed.
Owned by the Marshall family for almost 50 years, the park is currently putting the finishing touches to a new development of luxury holiday lodges and glamping accommodation.
These are based on Riverside’s sister-park called Wenningdale Escapes which adjoins the 18-hole Bentham Golf Course, also owned by the park.
Thomas Marshall said that the VisitEngland honour was very much the result of a team effort:
“The award is especially important to us because it recognises not just the quality of the park’s facilities and surroundings, but also the levels of hospitality and service provided to guests.
“It’s our staff team which deserves the lion’s share of the credit for this, and they do a great job in making everybody feel welcome and helping them enjoy their stay.
“We can now look forward to starting the season next year with a new range of luxury holiday homes, and a real feather in our caps from VisitEngland!” said Thomas.
Thomas and his wife Jane are helped in the running of their business by their daughter Isabel.
There is more information about the park at www.riversidecaravanpark.co.uk
