Malvern Caravan Show 2015 promises fun for the whole family

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by Alice Scarsi

Head to Malvern this October to enjoy the last weekend of the 2015 season

Even though October seems some time away, it’s pretty surprising how quick the months pass by – we can’t believe it’s March already.

The above said, it’s always good to plan ahead and this year’s Malvern Caravan Show, taking place between 2 – 4 October in Malvern, is no different.

Visitors to the show will have the opportunity to see the latest line-up of motorhomes and caravans for 2016 whilst enjoying entertainment and attractions ideal for the whole family, including events including lawn games and the annual dog show. And, with the option to pitch up for the night, entertainment from the likes of Elton John and Abba tribute acts are certain to get you tapping your feet and singing along.

Furthermore, Warners Exhibitions, the organisers of the Western Motorhome Show, are going to cooperate with the Three Counties Showground in Malvern to assure that the 2015 Malvern Caravan Show will be bigger and better than ever.

Different types of tickets, with both day and night options are available to purchase now, including overnight bundles as mentioned above. To find out more, click here.

Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015 breaks attendance records

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By Joe Jeffrey

Figures released by show organisers reveal record breaking attendance figures and record sales for many exhibitors

Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show organisers have released attendance figures for 2015 and it was a record breaker.

During the course of the six-day event, 86,625 visitors passed through the doors of the NEC in Birmingham to check out all the latest offerings from the leisure vehicle and camping industries. To put that into perspective, that’s the equvalent filling up the O2 arena in London four times over and then some.

This year’s event, launched by TV’s Ben Fogle and Matt Baker, was strengthened by new industry campaign ‘Freedom to Go’ which is supported by both The Caravan Club and The Camping & Caravanning Club with the aim of encouraging more members of the public to experience leisure vehicle holidays themselves; traffic to the ‘Freedom to Go’ website increased by 30 per cent during the course of the show.

Another positive for the show this year was the publicity garnered by Ray Mears’ appearance on BBC programme Room 101, where he revealed a bitter dislike for caravans, despite being scheduled to appear at the show as special celebrity guest. Originally reported here on CaravanTimes and subsequently reported across the national press, Mears’ foot-in-mouth moment certainly provided show organisers with a great deal of free publicity following the termination of his services which saw the celebrity survivalist forfeit a five-figure attendance fee.

Saturday 21 February proved to be the busiest day, which saw almost 20,000 visitors attend the largest start-of-the-season holiday showcase there is and many exhibitors including Swift and Lunar reported record sales figures throughout the course of the show.

Andrew Whalley, Managing Director of NCC Events, said: “I am delighted that such a bumper audience attended The Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015. It was the busiest ever since we began organising the event in 2012 and the atmosphere in the halls was electric. With double digit growth for 2014 new caravan sales and motorhome registrations, this increase in visitor numbers is reflective of how buoyant the market currently is.”

Did you attend the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015? If so, let us know below if you managed to bag a bargain and what you thought of this year’s event.

The NCC highlights the importance of caravan industry in Parliament

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by Alice Scarsi

The NCC held a briefing in Westminster to raise awareness about the importance of the leisure vehicle sector in the UK economy

Members of the National Caravan Council (NCC) held a briefing session in Parliament earlier this week (24 February) to discuss with MPs the work of the trade association and its importance in the British economy.

22 MPs listened to the talk held by the NCC about the importance of the industry that contributes £6 billion a year to the UK economy.

The popularity of the caravan industry throughout the UK was also highlighted more recently with the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015 attracting a record number of visitors to the NEC earlier this month.

With around 95 per cent of touring caravans in the country made in the UK, the caravan sector represents a manufacturing success story, employing about 130,000 people. In 2013, over £2.4 billion was spent on UK caravan holidays and more than 51 million nights were spent in caravans.

In addition to the impressive numbers regarding the leisure vehicles in use within the UK – 550,000 touring caravans and more than 205,000 motorhomes – there are also more than 330,000 caravan holiday homes spread across the United Kingdom.

The NCC’s deputy director general, Alicia Dunne, stressed the importance of the leisure vehicle sector, saying: “Tourism is hugely important for the UK economy. Holiday parks provide good value, family – friendly addition to ‘staycation’ tourist accommodation and touring in a caravan or motorhome is a fantastic way to explore Britain.

“Ahead of next month’s tourism week I am pleased that so many MPs came out in support of our sector. Working together, we can grow our businesses and provide more employment opportunities and deliver outstanding holiday experiences. Already well over two million people take a caravan holiday each year – if we can increase this, we can support British manufacturing and bring additional income to many areas, particularly rural and coastal ones.

“Similarly, residential park homes offer a unique and affordable housing choice for thousands of people across the UK and working with local authorities we can help make this a more accessible housing option/lifestyle.”

The NCC runs a series of services and initiatives that were presented to the MPs alongside the figures mentioned above. These include the NCC Approved Code Scheme which provides additional consumer protection, the NCC Training Academy that aims to enhance skills of those working in the sector, and the Central Registration & Identification Scheme (CRiS), the national register for UK touring caravans, which provides a service similar to that of the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for leisure vehicles.

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Beamish Museum visits Teesside in a 1950s vintage caravan for new project

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by Justine Iorga

Beamish Museum plans to build 1950s town in new campaign featuring retro caravan

Beamish Museum in County Durham has hot the road, bringing with it a vintage caravan from the 1950s, providing the general public the chance to see what a caravanning holiday was like 60 years ago.

The refurbished Wanda caravan, equipped with striped deckchairs and traditional bunting is definitely a blast from the past. The cupboards are packed with retro pantry items such as Omo washing powder and CMS custard for starters.

People visiting the classic caravan are being guided by Beamish Museum volunteers Frank and Margaret Jefferson, who are on hand to provide more information about it and the caravan has already visited Redcar, Middlesbrough, with its next stop on Saturday (28 February) finishing up in Stockton.

But why a 1950s caravan? Well, Beamish hopes to encourage people to nominate their homes or childhood homes to be replicated as part of a 1950s town exhibition at the museum. The organisers of the museum project also really want to hear the stories that come with memories from that era, and want people to help with building a collection of select items to go inside the homes.

Beamish’s director, Richard Evans, said: “We’re extremely excited to be offering people this unique chance for their home to become part of history, being recreated at Beamish.

“Our 1950s town will tell the stories of the North East’s communities during an important decade of change. What better way to do this than by recreating the real homes of real people, to be shared with more than half a million visitors each year?”

The project will be called Nominate Your House and will ask people to help decide which 1950s semi-detached social housing should be built in the planned town.

The chosen house will be decided by public vote and the lucky winner will get the chance to stay overnight in the finished exhibit.

Beamish has already received £10.75m in support from the Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

To find out more information on how you can get involved, click here.

Outstanding sales figures for Lunar at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2015

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by Alice Scarsi

Lunar’s sales predictions for 2015 are brighter than ever

Lunar Caravans has announced an impressive set of sales figures following the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015.

Figures revealed indicate a ten per cent increase in sales compared to last year’s show profit – which was already a record for the Lancashire based manufacturer. The news comes following an unprecedented sales performance at January’s Caravan & Motorhome Show at EventCity in Manchester.

All Lunar ranges retailed well, with particular strong sales performance with Clubman and Delta ranges, increasing by 28 per cent.

Lunar’s impressive growth is sure to have been helped by the launch of new, long-awaited, models including the four berth, twin-axle Delta TS and six berth Quasar 646 and by the restyle made on its entry level range, Venus, which has sold four times more than it did during last year’s event.

Lee Roberts, Lunar’s national sales manager, described Lunar’s presence at the Caravan, Camping & Motorhomes Show with enthusiasm, saying: “People came to buy, or came as first time caravanners looking for a reliable source of advice and we were very happy to assist. It was rewarding to note how many of them had seen our new video campaign, ‘Heart of the Holiday’ and chose to visit the stand as a result.

“The continued strong performance of our Clubman and Delta models is also gratifying as the range is attracting purchases from caravans who currently own other brands, as well as retain our loyal Lunar customers. We’re hopeful that this interest in the Lunar range will continue throughout the year, and for many years to come,” he added.

Such a good start to the season represents a solid prediction of an expected sales upturn for the industry in 2015, which is great news for the whole leisure industry for 2015.

Swift Group reaches record sales figures during Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2015

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by Alice Scarsi

Following an already good trimester, sales in Birmingham prove exceptional for Swift

Swift has announced record sales figures following the leisure vehicle manufacturer’s attendance at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2015 which saw high sales levels of all products.

According to information released, Swift’s tourers had their best performance in over five years, with sales of the Swift Sprite range – the company’s entry-level range – increasing by over 70 per cent compared to last year.

Motorhomes sold well too – in particular the all-new Rio – with Swift’s ranges being overall 43 per cent ahead of last year, indicating that investments made by the company in the motorhome ranges with the addition of SMART construction in all coachbuilt ranges has certainly gone down well.

The record of sales had in Birmingham follows impressive figures for 2014; in September the manufacturer received the largest ever holiday home order, and the Motorhome and Caravan Show held at the NEC in October 2014 continued the trend of a healthy final quarter.

Swift Group commercial director Nick Page commented on the last figures, saying: “It is clear that with confidence back in the market, customers are continuing to choose Swift Group as the company of choice in all our key markets.”

“Customers are recognising the incredible value for money on all our ranges which are packed with features and innovative design,” Page continued. “It is also great to see the amount of new people coming into the industry to take a look at leisure vehicles with a view to purchasing in the future.

“We are delighted with the results which have shown an encouraging sign of resurgence in the caravan market, right from entry level to the top of the range. Sales have been so good our order book is almost full for the year. With the changes in pension regulations this year, some people will be able to access more of their money which will enable them to afford a high ticket purchase, something they may not have been able to do before. I think the industry will benefit from this and could see some buoyant years ahead,” he added.

Did you visited the Swift stand at the NEC? Tell us what do you think about their new product range for 2015.

Botanist David Bellamy invites caravanners to tweet about their discoveries

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by Alice Scarsi

If you’re planning to spend your holidays surrounded by nature and have a twitter account, you may be the person David Bellamy’s looking for

The David Bellamy Conservation Awards Scheme has launched a new initiative that aims to discover and deepen the knowledge of different species of wildlife – and David Bellamy needs you.

In a era where internet users take to Instagram and Twitter to report about everything the stumble across, the British botanist has decided to take advantage of the power of social media and has invited holidaymakers to share news, info and pictures about their wildlife sightings on a new Twitter account, in the hope that a large number of followers could possibly bring to light new species’ or information about those discovered that we don’t know much about.

So if you’re planning to spend your holidays at one of the 530 sites that have been honoured with the David Bellamy Conservation Award to recognise work done to protect the environment, you could become an important contributor of the studies of famous botanist David Bellamy.

“Thousands of families will be staying on awarded parks this year,” said Rufus Bellamy, son of the world-famous botanist and a wildlife adviser to parks taking part in the scheme.

“We hope that many will act as our unofficial nature wardens in spotting both animals and plants which they come across, and taking a quick photograph. Some pictures may be of familiar species, whilst other users of the Twitter account may be able to help put a name to less common flora or fauna.

“We hope park managers and staff will also take part, and it would be great if this helped to create an interactive platform for sharing experiences and making new discoveries,” Bellamy jr. continued.

“At the same time, it will also help us as scheme organisers to get a broad snapshot of park-based wildlife activity to be seen across the country,” Rufus added.

The initiative shows a smart use of social media and also how important your role in protecting and preserving the wilderness that surrounds us when we go on holiday is. What do you think of the new initiative? Will you tweet about your discoveries in the wilderness?

Weekend caravan show announced for Northam Farm

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Claire Lawson

Northam Farm Caravan Sales Ltd to host weekend show in March

Northam Farm dealership will host a weekend show at their site in Somerset next month.

Those in attendance at the show, which takes place between 6 – 8 March, are set to stumble across a number of big deals on offer for new 2015 models from brands such as Elddis, Buccaneer and Xplore, all of which will be on display. And considering they are all sold with SoLiD Construction and free ten year body integrity and water ingress warranty, you’ll be guaranteed to drive away with no worries at all.

If you’re after something a bit different, many pre-owned caravans will also be for sale, and with over 100 vans on offer for you to choose from you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Not only is Northam Farm offering great prices on the caravans, but they will also be offering a complimentary free short stay on the holiday park site with each caravan purchased.

Children will be catered for too, with activities such as face painting and glitter tattoos thrown inf or good measure. A Northam Farm hog roast will also be available during the weekend so no one will go home unhappy, plus all the proceeds made from acitivities on the day will go to local charities.

For more information on the show, visit Northam Farm’s website by clicking here.

Caravan Gallery exhibition hosted by Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale to be held in Sunderland next month

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by Justine Iorga

Caravan Gallery exhibition set to provide locals the opportunity to combine their love of caravans with their creative side

For all you quirky caravan lovers out there we have an event for you that might be worth getting involved in.

Artists and photographers Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale will be touring Sunderland next month for a six-week residency where they will be hosting an exhibition and competition all from the inside of a 1969 mustard-coloured caravan. What’s more, the photographer and artist in residence will also be inviting ,members of the public to break out their cameras to feature their work in The Caravan Gallery exhibition.

Now Jan and Chris aren’t just looking for any photographs to feature inside their caravan, they want to see the parts of Sunderland that makes the people proud to live there. So anything from hidden spots, little-known locations, the secrets of the town, photos that capture how the people feel about living there, their favourite place to go, or even just a simple sign that brings joy.
Jan gave a bit of advice to those that want to enter, saying: “Show us what’s special, unusual or perhaps typical of everyday life in this part of the world.
“We want to encourage the people of Sunderland to view their city with fresh eyes, to astonish and surprise us with their observations from a local and personal perspective.
The caravan will be moving throughout the area throughout the six-week residency displaying the Pride Of Place project, with some of the confirmed locations including Arts Centre Washington on 7 March and outside the Bridges shopping centre on 21 March. For those that enter into the competition, the lucky ones chosen will actually have their image along with other winners’ images displayed in their own exhibition.

A creative hub where all artists can meet locals will also be set up, as well as an information centre where residents can tell visitors about their area or show off the great things about where they live, happening throughout the month of April.

If you choose to enter make sure you look with fresh eyes, find the weird and wonderful, take notice of those unnoticed aspects of life, and most importantly have fun with it. The age limit is nonexistent; everyone in Sunderland and its surrounding areas are encouraged to enter. You never know if your photograph could be featured.
Entries should be emailed before 5pm on March 21; you will be able to find more information along with the email here.

Airstream Rally 2015 Coming This April

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Airstream to host annual rally during April in the Cotsowlds

Following the success of previous years’ shindigs, Airstream‘s annual rally weekend is set to return to the UK on 24 – 26 April.

This year’s venue, the Cotswold View Touring Park in Oxfordshire, looks set to provide a tranquil setting where scores of Airstreamers (and pets!) will descend with their Airstreams in tow to enjoy a weekend of great food, drinks and music with plenty of time for
relaxing and soaking up all the rally has to offer.

A host of activities will be offered during this spring getaway, including opportunity to mix with other Airstreamers over drinks and nibbles and live entertainment during the evening. There will also be time to explore all the beautiful setting that is the Cotswolds has to offer.

The Airstream tech support guys will also be on hand to help you with any troubles you have with your very own Airstream, so, all-in-all, what else could you ask for?

For more information and to find out how you can get involved, click here.

Auto Trail takes a big win at The Caravan Club Motor Caravan Awards for 2015

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by Justine Iorga

Auto-Trail sweeps the board at the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015

If you attended the NEC Caravan Camping and Motorhome show that took place in Birmingham last week then you probably saw well-known motorhome manufacturers Auto-Trail displaying their latest offerings within the leisure vehicle industry.

It wasn’t all about sales at the NEC last week though – it was also about awards. And Auto Trail managed to pick up quite a few, by way of The Caravan Club Motor Caravan Awards 2015.

In fact, Auto Trail managed to scoop 12 awards in total, over nine different categories, as well as receiving recognition inthree major brands: Auto-Trail, Tribute and Rollerteam.

The Auto-Trail seemed to be very popular taking away 5 awards in 4 different categories:

  • Van conversion over £50,000 Joint Winner – V-Line 610
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes £45,000 – £50,000 Runner up – Imala 715
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes £50,000 – £60,000 Winner – Tracker EKS
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes over £60,000 Winner – Delaware
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes over £60,000 third place – Comanche

    • The Tribute took away a total of 5 awards in 3 different categories:

  • Van Conversions up to £40,000 Winner – Tribute 670
  • Van Conversions up to £40,000 Runner up – Tribute 669
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes up to £40,000 Runner up – Tribute 615
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes up to £40,000 third place – Tribute 625
  • Coachbuilt Motorhomes £40,000 – £45,000 Running up – Tribute 715

    • Roller Team was also able to see some success taking away 2 awards including:

  • Coachbuilt Motorhome £40,000 – £50,000 Winner – T-Line 590
  • Overall Winner of the Caravan Club Motor Caravan Awards 2015 – T-Line 590

    • Auto-Trail, grateful for the recognition received, said: “We’re extremely proud and honoured to receive these awards and would like to thank everyone who worked hard in achieving this.”

    Oscar A-List celebrities set out to go on luxurious glamping trip in the US

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    by Justine Iorga

    This year’s Oscar goodie bags filled with a few little surprises including a high expense glamour camping trip

    As most of you out there already know, the 2015 Oscars were held this past weekend. Every year some of the most prominent people in the world attend the most prestigious award show there is, and every year they receive a swag bag filled with over-the-top gifts. As if they can’t afford it already?

    Well, much to our surprise, one of the gifts this year was a $12,500 (approximately £8,100) glamping trip for two. The trip, in conjunction with TerraVelo Tours, offers a seven-day stay in Northern America, taking in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, as well as southern Utah.

    The glamping trip will include three gourmet meals a day, canvas tents that include memory foam beds with high-end linens, as well as a masseuse and astronomer on hand to cater to film stars’ every whim, as well as wine and juice on tap courtesy of their very own private bar. If that wasn’t spectacular enough, the itinerary also includes hot air ballooning, surfing, horseback riding and more. At the end of the day they’ll be able to step into a nice hot shower in the ‘transportable luxury bathroom’ that will come stocked with top-of-the-line toiletries and towels.

    Talk about glamping to the extreme – this is one trip most would want to partake in. But how many of you out there think some of these A-listers will actually attend the trip? It’s probably a bit too much nature for some of them.

    Let us know what you think of the whole ‘glamping’ thing and if you think these A-list celebrities will be willing to get their hands a little dirty in the outdoors.