Caravanners are the happiest people in the UK according to recent findings

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by Daniella Almeida

Recent survey conducted by The Caravan Club prove that caravanners, motorhomers, and campers are happier and less anxious than the rest of the population

Caravanners rejoice! Your favourite hobby is keeping you healthy and contented.

Recently, members of The Caravan Club were asked to rate their ‘happiness’ on a scale of one to ten. And an impressive 42 per cent answered with a nine out of ten. Compare that to when the British public were surveyed by the Office for National Statistics who posed the same question, and only 33 per cent of the rest of the British public answered as cheerfully.

When surveyed about their ‘satisfaction with life’, 41 per cent of Caravan Club members answered with another nine out of 10, again refusing to pale in comparison to the rest of the UK, of whom only 27 per cent agreed. It might just be time for a few more Brits to go out, buy a caravan, and enjoy the great outdoors!

The survey also noted that caravanners proved to be less anxious than most. But who wouldn’t be with the freedom to travel wherever and whenever they want? 47 per cent of members rated their anxiety at one out of 10. That’s nothing compared to the 39 per cent of the rest of the nation that claim to be less anxious.

Of the findings, fellow caravanner and celebrity Rowland Rivron told The Caravan Club: “I would definitely say I was a happy chap, and I definitely love our gorgeous caravan. It’s something about knowing you can just go wherever and whenever it takes your fancy. Everything, bar throwing a few clothes in the bag, is ready to go. It’s knowing we have that potential for being outside, free from constraints of a package holiday, at any time. And at very little cost!

“Freedom always makes people happy; and being outside makes people happy,” Rivron continued.

Having looked at the results of The Caravan Club’s survey, we’d certainly have to agree with Rivron and it should be noted that members of The Caravan Club feel more worthwhile. When asked to rate their feelings on the matter, 48 per cent of members responded with a nine out of 10 (only 33 per cent of the population answered the same way).

We here at CaravanTimes think it’s about time the rest of the British public joined the club and lead a much happier life! What do you think of these statistics? Let us know why you enjoy caravanning so much in the comments below.

Marquis Motorhomes relocates head office to accommodate successful growth

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by Jessica Almeida

Success in the company leads to relocating and expansions

The UK’s largest motorhome dealership network, Marquis , is relocating its head office facility from its origins at Marquis Hampshire to larger facilities at Marquis Lancashire, in Preston.

The relocation is due to the company’s successful growth over the past few years with an aim to meet future expansion plans. Marquis Lancashire’s all-new facilities will include an extended administration and aftersales team to supply increased service for both the business and its customers.

Within the group’s network, Marquis Lancashire is one of the largest sites. In recent years it has seen expansion and refurbishments, with the new location said to be fitting to support the growth of the business in the North of England.

The company has made significant investment to advance its integrated computer systems to further improve administration across all 11 nationwide branches.

The relocation will take place during the month of September, which is when training will take place for the new team, as yet unannounced. Within the next few weeks information about the new head office team will be made available.

For updates and more information visit the Marquis website here.

Caravanning profits on rise with caravan popularity

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by Daniella Almeida

Profit, turnover, and employment for leisure vehicle insurance company proves caravanning is here to stay

A surge in caravanning holidays over the past year has seen not only more people hitting the roads to explore the great outdoors, but has also meant many caravan insurance companies have been reaping the benefits associated with the popular pastime.

According to documents filed at Companies House, one caravan-related insurance company, Caravan Guard, has reported a 51 per cent increase in profits for the year to the end of March 2015 to £1.14m.

Within the twelve-month period documented, the insurance company, which provides insurance for touring caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents and other types of policies pertaining to the caravanning and holiday industry, recorded a profit of £757,450.

The company also recorded a turnover of £7.16m for the year – a 10.8 per cent increase from last year’s turnover of £6.46m. The documents revealed that the number of people employed by the firm increased from 92 to 109 within the last year.

With an increase in the number of caravanners looking to explore the great outdoors – perhaps more so than ever before – the future’s certainly looking bright for the caravanning industry; long may it continue.

The Caravan Club offers last minute getaways to France

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by Jessica Almeida

Explore the picturesque campsites in France’s famous wine-producing region, but act quickly – they’ll be gone before you can crush a grape!

Families interested in exploring the best of France’s famous wine-producing region as a last minute treat to themselves are being invited to contact The Caravan Club now, in order to secure some brilliant last minute offers.

One of The Club’s recommended campsites currently advertised is Château de l’Epervière, situated between Beaune and Mâcon, in the heart of Southern Burgundy.

Getting there is easy, with direct routes form Dover to Calais with DFDS Seaways, following which a short trip should see you hitching up in no time.

A last minute seven-night stay at Château de l’Epervière, where families will be able to enjoy exploring all that the region’s countryside has to offer, with swimming and fishing onsite, as well as local cycling path ‘Voie Verte’ passing vineyards and villages, costs just £439 based on two adults and two children (under 12), and includes one car and a caravan (caravan up to 8m in length), ferry crossing and, of course accommodation for the duration.

For couples who want to enjoy more of what France’s wine region has to offer, The Caravan Club’s fully escorted tour, entitled Wines of Burgundy, might just be for you. The tour, which will see friendly Caravan Club hosts take care of you throughout your holiday, will also offer the opportunity to enjoy wine tasting at the onsite château, as well as allow for a visit to local vineyards and more, whilst spending seven nights at Château de l’Epervière. The tour runs through 26th August to the 4th September and is priced at £699 for two adults.

If you are interested in booking contact The Caravan Club directly on 01342 488713 now. With deals that appealing on the palette, we might just have to raise our glasses to that.

Changes to the Vehicle Excise Duty coming into full effect in April 2017

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by Daniella Almeida

Low CO2 emissions cars may prove to be less cost effective in the future as changes are made to the VED bands according to road users’ opinion

Three out of five AA members agree that the change in the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system, set for introduction in April 2017, will have an adverse impact in the sale of low CO2 emissions cars.

Presently, there are 13 CO2-based VED bands in the UK which range from A (paying zero in tax) to M (at a cost of £505 in tax). Starting in 2017, however, cars that emit no CO2 will pay nil, whilst all others will be required to pay £140, which is currently the standard fee.

Drivers become subject to the two-tier system after one year following the purchase of their car, with the VED applicable for the first year is at a banded rate. If your car is registered before the April 2017 start date, these changes won’t apply to you just yet.

With these changes comes the stipulation that drivers purchasing cars over £40,000 must pay an additional £310 supplement for five years.

The current system, which was introduced in 2001, drastically changed CO2 emissions in the UK as drivers began to opt for more fuel efficient cars. At the time, average UK new car emissions were 178 gCO2/km which dropped to 173 gCO2/km by 2003. Since then, it has dropped to 125 gCO2/km.

These new changes may just raise that number again. Members of the AA believe that drivers should just take the standard £140 tax rate and buy any car of their choosing.

Of the changes, AA President Edmund King said, “Whilst our members realised that the system needed to be reformed they think that the proposed system will not encourage the take up of lower emission vehicles.”

The purchase of fuel efficient cars may just become obsolete soon. What do you think of these changes to the system?

Fifth Wheel taking leave from Motorhome and Caravan Show 2015

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by David Bates

Welsh caravan company providing alternative exhibition

Welsh caravan manufacturers, Fifth Wheel, will not be appearing at the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2015.

Notable absentees from the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2015, at the NEC Birmingham between 13 and 18 October, Fifth Wheel will instead be allowing potential customers to visit their North Wales factory, in a bid to offer a more comprehensive and exclusive insight into their products.

Visitors will be able to experience towing a Fifth Wheel tourer, combined with the advice and supervision by members of their team, which the company hopes will highlight differences between their product line and more traditional caravans, something Fifth Wheel state will not be immediately perceptible in Birmingham’s NEC.

Fifth Wheel staff will also be on hand to offer their expertise whilst offering visitors the opportunity to survey the North Wales factory, as well as see firsthand the manufacturing process which the Welsh company employs.

For the more competitive in attendance, there will also be a driving skills competition, including a reversing challenge.

Along with company representatives, former customers will be on hand to provide live experiences with Fifth Wheel products.

Booking is necessary, so to find out more, click here.

Book your tickets now for an Open Weekend at Elddis

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by Daniella Almeida

The Freedom to Go Campaign joins Elddis in bringing caravan fans and aficionados together for a weekend of fun

What sounds better than spending an entire weekend with your family getting to know other fellow caravaners and learning the ins and outs of caravan construction courtesy of one of the leading UK manufacturers? Now you can, as Freedom to Go, in conjunction with Elddis, looks to bring all caravan and motorhome enthusiasts a weekend full of exciting events.

Guests in attendance will also be in good company, alongside other members and representatives of The Caravan Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club– so any questions you may have will be answered by the experts themselves!

Visitors to the event will also get the opportunity to take tours of the Elddis factory and watch just how a caravan is built. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, visitors will be given the exclusive opportunity to view all 2016 Caravan and Motorhome ranges from Elddis, Compass, Xplore, and Buccaneer. Should you choose to buy a new model, you will receive a special event package worth up to £1,195.

Guest speakers at the event include Freedom to Go ambassadors, including the Meek family and champion surfer, Melodie King. King, a motorhome enthusiast herself, joined Freedom to Go earlier this year, as previously reported on CaravanTimes.

Book your tickets now here and don’t miss out on this opportunity.

NCC Launches TowCheck

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by Joe Jeffrey

TowCheck scheme launched by NCC to help caravanners and dealers find the perfect combination

It goes without saying that one of the most important things to consider when it comes to towing your vehicle is safety. And now, the NCC (National Caravan Council) has launched TowCheck – a new service to help caravan dealers match a car and touring caravan combination for their customers to ensure safe and legal use on UK and European roads.

TowCheck, which is owned and operated by industry trade body the NCC, costs less for NCC dealer members to use and looks set to revolutionise the way safe and legal car and caravan combinations are identified for customers.

Key highlights of TowCheck include: the use of Vehicle Registrations Marks (VRM’s) so searching a car/caravan combination has no reliance on knowing the exact car make and model; a refined search function to generate lists of suitable caravans for a given car; assistance in providing advice on suitable makes and models when I comes to purchasing a new car; the ability to download personalised reports; as well as the automatic download of car data every quarter.

Touring caravan data for TowCheck is collated from within the industry as well as Central Registration and Identification Scheme (CRiS), the National Register for UK caravan keepers. Car data comes from the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence, JATO Dynamics. These datasets mean TowCheck features more than 1.5 billion car and caravan combinations.

Of the new scheme, David Whitehead, NCC technical director, said: “We’ve put a lot of hard work and time into TowCheck, Beta testing and refining it against feedback to ensure it offers a truly user friendly and useful service.

“We’re confident that TowCheck will help dealers quickly and easily identify the right touring caravan for any given customer, giving consumers peace of mind before they make a purchase.”

For more information, TowCheck’s website can be accessed here. Furthermore, visitors to the Motorhome & Caravan Show 2015, taking place between 13 to 18 October, can find out more about TowCheck and carry out free checks on the dedicated pod in Hall 19 during showtime.

Resounding success for Caravan Club Leisure Vehicle Survey

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by David Bates

Huge response to survey conducted by The Caravan Club

The Caravan Club has extended it’s thanks to those who participated in this year’s Leisure Vehicle Survey.

The survey, which examined everything from usability, to quality and reliability, in both brand new and used caravans, was completed by almost 40,000 people which, according to The Caravan Club, makes it the largest survey of leisure vehicles ever conducted.

The Club wanted the survey to be a mutually beneficial interface between customers and manufacturers and the massive response has ensured the best possible chance of a productive industrial response to the user commentary.

Each entrant had the chance to win a share of £1,500 too, and the winners of prizes which included gift cards to the value of £500, £250 and £100 for M&S, Halfords and Sainsbury’s, have all now been notified.

The Caravan Club will release its first article on the survey in their November magazine.

Wales quickly becoming the domestic destination of choice

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by David Bates

Figures show tourism on the rise in Wales

Welsh tourism is in rude health as travellers from both the UK and abroad are heading to the valleys in their droves.

According to figures published by the Welsh assembly, the number of overnight trips to Wales from January to March 2015, has seen an increase of seven per cent when compared to 2014, which itself was a record-breaking year, to 1.62 million.

The ever increasing popularity of staycations following the 2007/2008 economic crash has certainly contributed, however, Wales is gaining ground on traditional domestic favourites including Cornwall and Dorset – and not just as a cheap alternative; those crossing the Severn are spending more than ever.

Whilst caravans remain eternally popular, travellers are increasingly opting for upmarket hotels and glamping sites. Mid-range hotels in central Wales are proving especially popular, providing a comfortable point from which to explore South Wales’ beaches and Snowdonia’s peaks.

Ken Skates, Deputy Tourism Minister, is enthused by this growth, but is not resting on his laurels. He said: “Following a record breaking year in 2014 we are working with the industry to sustain these excellent figures. Tourism is in a strong position.”

British enthusiasm for Wales is obviously contagious, with an increase too in international tourism and more cruise ships than ever docking in Wales.

Asian staycations boosting UK caravan exports

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by David Bates

British caravan trade expanding into Asian market

British caravan manufacturers are experiencing a rise in international demand, with the Asian market set to boom.

Hull-based company Swift has reported an increase in export sales of a third, to £12 million. The consistently popular markets in the Netherlands and Germany remain integral to Swift’s overseas success, but the Yorkshire manufacturer have witnessed a marked boost in Asian customers.

In China, caravanning remains very much a peripheral pastime, however, the government are set to invest heavily in promoting domestic holidays. As a result, Swift is searching for a Chinese industrial partner to exploit the projected surge in caravan popularity.

Nick Page, Swift’s commercial director, explained: “The market is very small, but even getting 0.1 per cent of the Chinese population would explode our business.”

Swift had an annual turnover of £200 million, having made 8,500 touring caravans and 2,500 motorhomes last year, yet the Chinese market offers a potentially huge expansion of their £12 million in exports.

The domestic market is on a reciprocal trajectory, with a 40 per cent rise in those looking to live in British residential caravan parks.

Dean Westmoreland, chief executive of luxury holiday home makers Omar, said: “We see park homes as a solution to the housing shortage in the UK, and it’s becoming popular for people who have retired and looking to downsize”. He is however, aware of the limitations which restrictions on planning permission for caravan sites could impose.

Nevertheless, demand for their homes, which sell for between £75,000 and £500,000 has outgrown their current facilities and their Brandon Headquarters are undergoing a 40,000 square feet expansion.

COMPETITION: Win one of five Kilrock bundles worth £50

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by Joe Jeffrey

Sorry, this competition has now closed. Be on the lookout for more great competitions coming soon!

By now, no doubt, you’ll either be planning your latest summer escape or be in the midst of it. But, all good things must come to an end, and it’s pretty true to say those cold winter months, where many caravans and motorhomes will sit idly just waiting to hit the road again, is just – perhaps quite sadly – months away.

Unfortunately, with many caravanners and motorhomers opting to store their leisure vehicles away for the winter months comes issues pertaining to mould and damp, but that’s where our latest competition may just come in handy – after all, there’s nothing like a bit of forward planning.

CaravanTimes has teamed up with Kilrock to offer you the opportunity to fix those pesky damp and mould problems faced by many, in our latest competition where we’re giving away five monster damp and mould blasting bundles worth £50.

The bundle contains everything you could ever need to keep your precious caravan or motorhome clean, dry and damp free, including:

Damp Clear Moisture Trap – an effective, hassle-free solution for the removal of excessive moisture in your caravan. It uses hydroscopic crystals to trap and absorb moisture and the new high air flow design makes it 45% more effective than other moisture control products. It protects against mould, mildew and damp and improves air quality by combatting must odours. Damp Clear lasts three months and is refillable.

Blast Away Mould – to combat mould and mildew. Available as a spray or gel, professional strength Blast Away Mould is ideal for use on door and window seals, corners of shower units, sinks and WCs. Simply apply, leave for 30minutes then wash off. Blast Away Mould’s bleach based action will do the trick on even the most stubborn of stains leaving your caravan looking spotless and smelling fresh. Try it on plastic furniture too – in fact, anything blighted by mould!

Bar Keepers Friend – a specialist, multi-surface cleaner first launched in America in 1882 that cuts through grease, grime, rust, and stains to give gleaming results every time. Use on steel, ceramics, copper, brass, chrome, glass and more.

Kilrock-K Multi Purpose descaler – a brand leader that totally clears heavily scaled appliances in five minutes. Ideal for tackling limescale desposits in small appliances such as kettles, irons, shower heads, coffee machines and more.

Kil-Block Drain Unblocker – a powerful, fast-acting multi-purpose drain and plughole unblocker. It cuts through water to quickly digest and dissolve almost any blockage.

Winners of each bundle will receive all of the above products, which are also available for sale at many retailers including Robert Dyas, B & Q, Homebase, Lakeland, Waitrose, independent homeware stores or directly from Kilrock here. Each bundle will include:

Damp Clear Moisture Trap x 2
Blast Away Mould x 3
Bar Keepers Friend x 6
Kilrock K x 2
Kil-Block x 2

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning the above bundle, worth £50, is like our Facebook page by clicking here and complete the form below before noon on the closing date of 21 August. Winners will be announced in our newsletter on the same day.

Good luck!