Cumbria Park Bright Ideas For Fundraising

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By William Coleman

Coming up with effective fundraising ideas are pretty much a full time job in itself. But this Cumbrian holiday park has created a great new way of raising money this autumn. The idea used some vibrant colours to bring the masses.

The staff at Holgates holiday park raised over £2,000 this autumn for two great charities. Pinks and purples were the theme used for the money raising efforts for Breast Cancer Awareness and Pancreatic Cancer UK.

The colourful couple of months saw team members organise a wide range of different fundraising activities all themed around the colours of the two charities. In the first effort the park’s staff turned up to work dressed in bright pink and decorated the park’s reception to match the staff which ran across a whole weekend of fundraising support for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Once that weekends success was over the second money raising leg started. The second effort saw the staff switch from pink to purple for national awareness day, highlighting Pancreatic Cancer UK.

The staff went to a lot more effort than a colourful wardrobe change. Once they were suited and booted in the right bright colours, the staff took part in a series of charity challenges to help top of the fundraising pot.

These activities included a sponsored hike around the local beauty spot Arnside Knott, still full embracing the pink and purple themed dress code. On top of that there was also a bake sale of homemade treats and goodies.

Many of the 150 staff at Holgates’ six holiday parks – including its flagship Silverdale park – gave up their time to help raise money for the local branches of the two charities.

One of them, Pancreatic Cancer UK, has been adopted as the Holgate group’s designated charity of the year, and has a special significance for the business.

That’s because Frank Holgate, the father of Michael Holgate who steers the group today, passed away from the disease almost three years ago.

Frank was an early pioneer of holiday parks in the Lake District, and his original business – Silverdale park – marked its sixtieth anniversary last year.

Fundraising, said Michael Holgate, has long been a tradition within the company:

“Many of the most amazing ideas for helping good causes have come directly from our staff, and we’re always delighted to give them our backing,” he said.

“They deserve a huge pat on the back for the time and energy invested in planning and putting the events into action, each of which has come up trumps.

“Their enthusiasm also encourages other members of the community and holidaymakers to get involved, such as with our sponsored walk in autumn.

“Now we’re challenging everyone to come up with more charity money-raisers for the festive period, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store!” added Michael.

Local organisers of both charities helped during the recent rounds of fundraising have sent their thanks to everyone concerned at the parks.

We are seeing a lot more sites and parks across the UK stepping up to spread awareness and raise money for charities. Every little helps when it comes to giving to charity. With so many of us using these holiday parks the word is really getting out there. Well done guys, an amazing effort.

CAMC Gets Get In The Spirit Of Christmas With FestiveFriday

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By William Coleman

With Christmas almost upon now is the time to take full advantage of all the offers available. In the true spirit of Christmas The Caravan and Motorhome Club are launching their new innovative #FestiveFriday competition.

In order to enter, members will simply need to answer a question via the online entry form and the winner will be announced the following Friday. There is a range of prizes up for grabs this festive season including a Paris city break tour; £150 Cotswold Outdoor gift voucher; training course offering advice on manoeuvring, hitching and towing safely; glamping holiday; one year’s membership with five Site night vouchers and much more. There is something for everyone this December with the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s #FestiveFriday offers!

Members will get the chance to win one of three prizes provided by the Club and partners, every Friday on the 1, 8, 15 and 22 December. Entrants can only enter the competition once. Terms conditions and prize restrictions apply, see the website below for full details. For those wishing to become a member now is the perfect time to join. With membership starting from just £49 per year for two people, take advantage of a whole range of offers, products and services available with the Club.

So if you fancy your chance of winning a fantastic Christmas treat be sure to enter this competition.

For more information visit: www.camc.com/festivefriday (does not go live until 1 December) or call 01342 318 813

Interview With Tiny Eco Homes UK

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By William Coleman

Earlier on this month I made my way to the Birmingham NEC for the Holiday Park Innovations show having a look round to see what excitings things people have in store for the 2018 holiday season. There was one thing that really stuck out to me and I had to find out more. Tiny Eco Homes UK had the most impressive touring home/glamping/towing innovation I had seen in quite some time. So I decided to have a catch up with the company director Chris March to find out more about his creation.

Hi Chris, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. How did you come up with the idea of the Tiny ECO Home?

liked the idea of having a caravan to live and travel in but didn’t find them very homely or practical for living in so decided I would build a mobile house that has all the home comforts and more.

How many sizes do the homes come in?

Road legal mobile tiny homes are 8ft wide and we build up to 23ft in length. We can also build static homes which are on mobile chassis that can be built 12ft wide to 32ft in length.

Yes the majority of our projects are built to plans that our customers have drawn up.

We saw you at the NEC this month, how was the public reaction the your product?

We always draw a huge crowd wherever we go, everyone can’t believe the space inside and the level of quality of the finish in our homes.

How do you power the homes if it is not connected on site?

As standard the homes come with a mains hook up point, we offer a fully off grid package where our homes come fitted with solar panels and a battery bank which provides mains power throughout the home.

What is the most fun build you’ve had?

We enjoy every build as we are all ways working on new designs.

These seem ideal for both static and mobile. Have you sold any to people or couples who will use them for static living?

Most people just park the home up and use it on a permanent site to be lived in full time.

How do these come delivered, flat pack or pre-built?

We proved homes in every stage from just a rolling chassis to a fully built home.

How much input would a customer have in the design of these homes?

We really like the customer to get involved with the build. We even have customers come to stay with us so they can even get stuck in throughout the building process

Where can we find more about your company and product?

You can visit us at our website www.mobilehouses.co.uk

As you can see by the images and what Chris has said these homes are totally bespoke to your needs and can suit so many purposes. I think this may be added to my Christmas list.

Yorkshire Site Run On Green Energy

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By William Coleman

Green energy is becoming increasingly more available throughout the UK and a lot of individuals are companies are seeing the merit of switching over. This North Yorkshire site have taken full advantage of the green energy and now power 100% of their park the green way.

Moor Lodge Caravan Park are now fully off the electricity grid and are one of the only parks in the UK generating 100% of its own power. Everything on site from the kettle to fridges are powered by energy produced from woodchips from sustainable forest timber.

It doesn’t stop there, the electricity that is produced at the site is also fed back into the national grid which helps reduce the need for fossil based fuels. The super-efficient gasification boiler than the site used is able to produce a good amount of energy for the site, so much so that they are able to share it.

The park is currently run by third generation director James Brown. The park has been family run and under the ownership of the same family for over 60 years. His family have always been very conscious of protecting the surrounding area which unspoiled and beautiful.

This perfectly located park provides 70+ privately owned holiday homes as well as touring pitches. All of which are situated with the 30 acre grounds which also include an ancient woodland, a must see for anyone visiting.

“We have always tried to ensure that our business has a minimal impact on the natural environment, and to do all we can to encourage the abundant animal and plant life,” said James.

“Now, thanks to our new boiler, the park leaves virtually no carbon footprint, and even produces enough extra clean energy to export to the UK’s national electricity supplies.

“Moor Lodge has long attracted holiday home buyers and touring guests with a keen interest in the natural world, and they are as excited as we are with what’s been achieved.

“We always try and use goods and service suppliers from within the region, and so we were also delighted to be able to find a local source for our woodchips.

“This is one of those rare situations where it really is a win-win all round!” added James.

Moor Lodge are firing on all cylinders with the efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Not only are they self sustaining with their electricity but they also supply themselves with heat. The boiler has a function that supplies heat for hot water and central heating.

The system has required an investment by the park of £400,000 – but James says that, over time, the cost is likely to be offset with renewable heat incentive payments from the government.

With all these self sufficient features at the site they are also gearing up to develop a number of new luxury lodges for sale with the eco friendly features to minimise the energy use.

Although Moor Lodge is positioned within a charming rural village, the park is located not far from the spa town of Harrogate, and only five miles away from Leeds City Centre.

It is also within easy reach of popular visitor destinations such as Harewood House, Fountains Abbey and York.

There is more information about the park and its facilities at www.moorlodgecaravanpark.co.uk

With so many more sites doing their best to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and shrink their carbon footprint it will be interesting to see how quickly this new green concept catches on. The more companies that get on board the better things will get for the Great British countryside.

Auto Trail Imala 732 Sneak Peek

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By William Coleman

It is shaping up to be an impressive 2018 Auto-Trail. They have a lot of new and exciting announcements coming up over the next few weeks leading up to the Christmas season.

Auto-Trail are getting ready to introduce the world to the new Imala 732. Auto-Tail have given us this video ahead of the full video article to share with you guys. Stay tuned for the full video coming very soon.

Imala Cornish Coast Teaser Trailer

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By William Coleman

Earlier this year we sent our very own Alessi out with celebrity cook and campervan enthusiast Martin Dorey in the Auto-Trail Imala to see if they could live off the land. See how easy it is to get fresh seafood and the finest veg available along the coast of Cornwall.

Check out our trailer ahead of the release of the full video. And stay tuned for a lot more exciting Imala content over the next few weeks

New Forest Park Win Tourism Award

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By William Coleman

The Dorset Tourism Awards took place earlier this month and made the staff and family owners of Shamba Holiday near the New Forest extremely happy honouring them for all their hard work and commitment to their guests.

Shamba Holiday Park, which is a five star caravan and camping site near Ringwood, was named by judges as the winner of the silver award in the parks category, in what was a very closely fought competition for the top spot.

The glamorous event where the Shamba site was crowning was announced took place at a ceremony held at The Lighthouse in Poole on 16 November and was attended by hundreds of Dorset tourism businesses.

Anne and Martin Gray stepped up to receive the award on behalf of the park. Anne and Martin’s family have own the park and is managed by their son who has been running it for over 20 years.

The win bring with it more than just a new level of prestige. Those who win the award get fast tracked to the South West Tourism Excellence Awards next February, and could go on to compete in the national VisitEngland finals of April 2018. So this win mean a lot to the park and could lead to a very impressive 2018 for them.

This years award win, which scores of Dorset’s park were eligible for, find itself next to placed next to one of many accolades that the family park has won over the years. Which include a top five pennant accolade from the AA and the DAvid Bellamy Conservation Award at its maximum gold level.

Their success does not stop there. Last summer the company bagged a top platinum accolade, by judges from the Loo of the Year Awards, for their swish amenity building.

However, Andrew Gray said that Shamba’s latest award from Dorset Tourism has a special significance for the business: “These awards put a strong emphasis on the hospitality and quality of service provided for holiday guests, and these has always been high on our list of priorities,” he said.

“Our aim is to provide first-class surroundings for visitors, and to exceed expectations by creating a warm welcome and a friendly atmosphere for people to enjoy their stays.

“This is often mentioned in our customer reviews, so naturally we are delighted that the Dorset Tourism judges were also impressed with what they have found here.

“A big share of the credit for this award must go to our team of staff who help us maintain our high standards, and do a great job of making our guests feel at home,” added Andrew

The site is open all year round and provides a wealth of facilities for families venturing to Dorset to make the most of its countryside and beaches. The site also boasts a 40 foot swimming pool with a retractable roof for when the sun in out in all its glory.

Once you’ve spent the day relaxing by the pool you can dance the night away in their modern clubhouse with professional entertainment and year round activities for all ages. Not to mention the bar, cafe-restaurant, shop and relaxation areas.

Shamba is a member of the Best of British group, a consortium of independent parks providing some of the highest quality standards and levels of hospitality in the UK.

There is more information about the park at www.shambaholidays.co.uk

Special Green Award For Family Park

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By William Coleman

With award season having just finished we are seeing all the great accolades that have been awarded to sites all across the UK. A family run site has done something amazing work to bag an elite green award for their site.

Moss Wood have been getting youngsters involved in wildlife discoveries which has earned the site a very rare environmental award. A great pioneering step for this holiday park to keep the youth interested in nature.

The family owned site is located in the village of Cokerham can now put the Special Distinction from botany expert David Bellamy in their trophy case follow his annual conservation award. This green achievement means that the park is one of just 15 elite sites to be awarded this accolade, out of around 3,000.

Bellamy was especially impressed with a hugely successful nature discovery day help this summer at the park. He also had high praise for what the site were doing, an amazing outdoor classroom where local children and holiday guests can connect with the magic of the natural world.”

The event was a great success with a large attendance of youngsters and families taking part in the nature hunt around rural Lancashire’s abundant flora and fauna. There is so much youngsters and adults can learn about the wild of the British countryside, and Moss Wood are keen on teaching.

There were loads of activities for everyone to get involved in such as expert led pond dipping in the park’s wildlife lake. Where children had a great time exploring their nets to see all sorts of critters from the water. Then there was the constructing of bird boxes and bug hotels.

Guests were also able to explore a recently opened 1.5km nature discovery trail, and a 3000 square-foot wildflower wilderness attracting honey bees and butterflies.

Environmental initiatives such as these have resulted in Moss Wood winning the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level for twenty consecutive years.

However, says the park’s Henry Wild, this year’s Special Distinction has been a source of particular pride for his family and staff:

“We’ve always tried to make Moss Wood a perfect fit to the beautiful and unspoiled countryside in which we are fortunate enough to be located,” said Henry.

“The park attracts people with a keen interest in wildlife, and we enjoy doing all we can to help both guests and the local community to be involved with our conservation work.

“For children especially, taking part in activities such as pond dipping is a fantastic way to become inspired by nature and to share in its wonderful secrets,” he added.

Moss Wood provides holiday homes to buy as well as pitches for touring caravans and motorhomes. There is more information about the park at www.mosswood.co.uk

It’s great to see so much attention being paid to nature by parks across the UK. If you believe in climate change or not there is obvious signs of damage being done to woodlands across Britain, and the world. So every little bit of support mother nature can get is more than welcome in my books.

Scottish Glamping Champion

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By William Coleman

Glamping is the new leisure industry craze that is sweeping the globe. Something that I initially thought was a joke created by ITV for the Only Way Is Essex is slowly becoming one of my favourite retreats. Now with winter almost upon it its have an even bigger appeal. Now sites are being nationally recognised for their glamping facilities and winning prestigious awards.

Lomond Woods Holiday Park, which is a family owned site, has been crowned Scotland’s premier glamping following a great win at a major tourism award scheme. Members of the family owned business proudly stepped forward to receive the honour at the finals of the 2017 Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards.

The idyllic site is based a quick walk away from the banks of Loch Lomond somewhere I have personally visited and I can safely say that it’s stunning. Surrounded by mountains, vast stretches of lakes and countryside views. The five star park attracts visitors from all over the world. If you have visited the site and the surrounding area it’s clear to see why this area gets so much attention.

Lomond Woods Holiday Park provides a great range of glamping accommodation. The judges of the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards marked the site out as an ideal venue for couples and families visiting the popular region. Alongside the glamping huts there are also luxury lodges, some with their own personal hot tub for those nights that need to be spent under the stars, as well as pitches for touring guests.

Lomond Woods is one of five top-rated parks in northern and central Scotland owned by the Wood family who first started out in business 35 years ago

Paula Smith, Park Manager at Lomond Woods Holiday Park said that everyone at the park was over the moon at its new accolade:

“Everyone has worked extremely hard over the last year to grow our glamping offering, and to ensure we provide customers with a variety of glamping options to suit every style.

“Our category had some very strong competition from other excellent parks in Scotland, so we are even more thrilled to have taken the overall accolade.

“We would like to thank our loyal customers who nominated us and to the award organisers for an absolutely fantastic evening,” said Paula.

Now in its second year, the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards highlight businesses making outstanding contributions to the country’s tourism industry.

Earlier in the year, the public were invited to vote for their favourite Scottish holiday experiences across 17 different categories – and more than 35,000 votes were cast.

There is more information about Lomond Woods Holiday Park and the other parks in membership of Wood Leisure at www.woodleisure.co.uk

Caravan and Motorhome Club announce the 2017 Caravan Design and Light Weight Leisure awards 2017

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By William Coleman

Caravan and Motorhome Club announce the 2017 caravan design awards and light weight leisure awards 2017

This is the 23rd Caravan Design Awards and 16th Light weight leisure awards from the Caravan and Motorhome Club. These awards are the most prestigious in the industry with the club representing over one million members. The awards are strictly judged and coveted by manufacturers and dealers. The video below gives an overview of the event, the winners and some of the industry reaction.

The work that goes in to judging all the entires is huge. There are 5 industry expert judges working tirelessly for 5 days at the NEC to get around andsee every model entered. Each judge focus’s on one area and all results are collated, added and reviewed by the panel. A design award for a model can increase sales and we have heard can even effect resale prices, so the club have a huge job making sure everything fully assessed.

For a full list of the winners and runners up along with a judges comment on each you can find these on the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s website

Lastly a note for anyone in the industry who does not enter, perhaps you are a smaller manufacture or even new – it doesn’t matter, the club they encourage manufacturers of all sizes from all over the world so enter your caravan or trailer next year.

Salop Leisure Are Having Charitable Merry Christmas

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By William Coleman

With Christmas just 5 weeks away we are all starting to gear up for all the festive activities and fun. Salop leisure are fully embracing the Christmas cheer and the spirit of giving. Very shortly hundreds of Santas will be journeying from the North Pole to Shrewsbury all in the name of charity. They will be raising funds for the Severn Hospice with a charity fun run.

The Salop Santa Dash on Sunday December 3rd is going to a full on fun event for the whole family. The Dash had two options for the daring Santas who are taking part. They can run one or two laps of a 2.5 kilometre course around Salop Leisure and the adjoining Love2Stay glamping and touring resort, which we actually covered in a previous article Love2Stay £5.5M site success.

There is a £10 entry fee which includes a Santa suit and all they money raised will be donated to Severn Hospice. There is a limit of 500 entry spots for the run and is on a first come first served basis. For more details please visit www.salopsantarun.co.uk.

The Salop Santa dash comes from the creative mind of Salop Leisure’s marketing manager Ed Glover who is being helped by Simon Macdonald from Love Fitness at Salop Leisure who organised the most successful Mercedes Benz Shewsbury 10km run and UK Mud Run. On top of that the event is also be supported by Rybrook MINI Shrewsbury.

“It’s a huge honour to host the first event of this kind at Salop Leisure,” said Ed. “We enjoy coming up with new ways of raising money for local charities and hope everyone gets behind this event to help us raise a significant sum for Severn Hospice.”

Simon added: “We think it will be a great family event in the lead up to Christmas and our advice is to book your places early, as there is already huge interest from people wishing to take part.

“Run, jog or walk with hundreds of other wannabe Santas and enjoy a well-earned mulled wine or hot chocolate at the end!”

For those fitness lovers or for those who want to preparing physically for the winter months can visit Love Fitness at Salop Leisure. They will be welcoming members of the public to visit their boutique fitness studio and purpose built bootcamp training facility where you can run an assault course in the run up to Christmas, burn some pounds off before we put a load on after eating turkey and Quality Street by the ton.

Emma Robinson, marketing co-ordinator for Rybrook MINI Shrewsbury, said: “We are very pleased to be supporting the Salop Santa Dash to raise funds for such a fantastic local cause.”

Charity work is a very difficult thing. A lot of companies rely massively on the contributions of the public. Lucy Russ, Severn Hospice’s manager, explained that the charity needs to raise £7 million a year which equals £24,000 a day to provide services to more than 2,000 people across Shropshire and Mid Wales annually.

“We support local people and their families when they need it most, either in the hospice or in their home,” said Lucy. “Severn Hospice is delighted to be the chosen charity for the Salop Santa Dash and we are looking forward to getting people involved in celebrating Christmas whilst at the same time raising funds.”

The Salop Santa Dash is just one of many action packed Christmas events planned by Salop Leisure and Love2Stay to make Christmas 2017 one for the books. Other highlights will be a 16×9 meter ice rink for the skaters among us and there is the Shropshire Handmade and Vintage Christmas Fair with a special Santa’s Grotto.

The gift fair will kick off the festive celebrations on November 25-26 where there will be up to 60 stalls selling many different types of handmade and unique craft and giftware for Christmas. The 2016 festivities at Salop had an attendance of around 10,000 people.

The Grotto will be open every weekend leading up until Christmas on selected evenings so make sure the kids are on their best behaviour and have their Christmas list ready. You can evening sit down and have a nice cup of tea with Santa on selected dates between 3-6pm on selected dates.

The new ice rink will be located at Love2Stay and will be open to the public who will park at Salop Leisure and be transported on a festive land train to and from the resort. Schools will be invited to send groups of children to enjoy the ice skating and other facilities.

For full details of the Salop Leisure’s Christmas events programme, visit www.salopchristmas.co.uk.

Scottish Caravan Show Rides Back Into Town

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By William Coleman

Caravan shows are more than just an industry highlight. They are a place where everyone comes together to see what’s new, meet like minded people and plan their future holidays by looking at both new vehicles and destinations to visit around the globe. Now Scotland’s largest exhibition is making a grand return to Glasgow from 8-11 February 2018.

The Scottish Caravan, Motorhome & Holiday Home Show, will once again be sponsored by Scotland’s leading motorhome dealer BC Motorhomes. The show will take over the entire SEC in Glasgow once more to welcome over 200 exhibitors and outdoor experts across the four day leisure event. For anyone is Scotland who has a passion for the outdoors this show is the place to be.

The 2018 event is poised to be bigger than ever with an even bigger family camping area, more accessories and hundreds of models, layout and specifications all in one place. Not only is this event great for the season staycationer but it’s the perfect launching point for all new comers to the industry.

Jamie Taylor, Group Show Director QD Events, said: “With more people than ever before choosing holidaying at home over travelling abroad, the show is the ideal place for visitors to learn about the new adventures on offer on their doorstep, and further afield in Scotland and the UK.

“With record visitors to the show last year we anticipate even more visitors in February. There truly is something for everyone, from those who already have an interest in the outdoors, to first timers.

“The Scottish Caravan, Motorhome & Holiday Home Show is a must-stop destination for all outdoor lovers and we are delighted that BC Motorhomes are joining us as sponsors again this year. With so many exhibitors, exclusive visitor only deals and expert advice all in one place it shouldn’t be missed.”

The show will be highlighting the first sightings of brand new 2018 models from a variety different holiday types such as luxury lodges, eco pods and holiday homes. There will be big brands on display such as Airstream, Swift Elddis, Lunar, Bailey, Roller Team and Rapido. There really is something for everyone at the show.

Back by popular demand, visitors will also be able to purchase the ‘must have’ tents and accessories for their outdoor adventures at the Accessory Superstore. On show will be marine products including jet skis and dinghies, as well as other marine accessories.

On top of all the great brands and products on display guests will also be able to wander through the Holiday Park Village where staff will be on hand to provide advice and offer suggestions to make sure their caravanning experiences is the best it can be.

In addition, a number of clubs, associations and holiday parks will be there to help you pick out your next destination whilst free caravan towing or motorcaravan maneuvering sessions are on offer from the Caravan & Motorhome Club.

Tickets on sale now, book yours and find out more about this year’s exhibition at www.caravanshowscotland.com