by Joe Jeffrey
Conservative MP, Nicholas Soames, today visited The Caravan Club’s brand spanking newly-renovated offices in East Grinstead, Mid-Sussex, this afternoon and the CaravanTimes had the pleasure to be there to witness everything.
Nicholas, MP for Mid-Sussex where The Caravan Club’s office are located, said of today’s visit: “I’m delighted to say The Caravan Club is part of East Grinstead’s infrastructure and am glad they decided to stay and renovate, rather than relocate.”
The former defence minister, who visits The Caravan Club HQ once a year within an official capacity, continued: “I’m deeply impressed with the work carried out; The Caravan Club is very skilled at using the resources made available to them. They employ a number of very good, talented people here and, frankly, the improvements made to the office today are an improvement for good.”
“The Caravan Club is a very prestigious organisation and is a great addition to East Grinstead,” he said. “One of the great things they’ve done is open up a whole new world to landowners and people who wish to utilise their land in a creative way, who would like to give access to people with caravans. Frankly, there is only one organisation in the world that can deliver that,” he continued, referring to certificated locations, where landowners are able to offer their grounds out for up to five caravans a pop.
As futuristic as the refurbishment looks, it didn’t stop Nicholas reminiscing about his childhood joy of caravanning, prior to being given a personal tour of the building by Nick Lomas, The Caravan Club’s Director General, and meeting some of the staff that help make what the Caravan Club is today.
“My parents and I used to drive past a site on Loch Naver in Scotland when I would holiday as a child. Every day we drove the length of the river, past the caravan site, and I remember saying to my father, ‘Please can we have a holiday in one of those caravans?’. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. It was a view of unparalleled beauty, which is what The Caravan Club is all about. They make use of these wonderful places and do it in an orderly way and – if it was done in a disorderly way, it would be of great disadvantage to the countryside and the people that live there.”
The Caravan Club’s offices, which moved from Central London to East Grinstead House in 1975, have had a major overhaul and remains to be the town’s largest private sector employer, with around 300 staff, 200 of whom live within the immediate vicinity.
Work on renovating the club’s offices, which started in October 2012, has seen 11 departments moved – that’s 362 members of staff. A gazumping 4,237 gallons of paint were used during the process (not exactly a slap of paint) and 460 power sockets were installed to ensure The Caravan Club is always on hand to answer your queries and remain at the forefront of the caravanning industry.
The Caravan Club’s Maxine Soghmanian said of today’s visit: “We have several thousand Caravan Club members in our constituency, as well as several sites and the club brings in money to the local community – the average spend for visitors is £40 per person, per day, visiting local attractions and giving back to our community and also provides for landowners to boost their income which is great.”
We second that, Maxine! Not only are caravan holidays an integral part of UK tradition, but they also give something back to the community. Who could ask for much more?
