by Tom Leaning
The Caravan and Motorhome Club are today celebrating 110 years’ of building a community of caravan or motorhome lovers who love having adventures around the UK and abroad.
Founded in 1907 with a handful of members, the Club have evolved into one of Europe’s biggest touring organisation over time, but the vital founding values, of bringing adventurous people together, are still very much at its heart.
Representing more than one million caravan, motorhome and trailer tent users, the Club operates the largest privately owned network of quality sites in the UK with a choice of some 3,000 destinations worldwide.
In the beginning.
The Club was set up by J Harris Stone in London on Friday, 14 June 1907. Stone wanted to revitalise caravanning holidays as a popular pastime, taking his inspiration from the first purpose-built touring caravan, The Wanderer (pictured). The Club was built on the core values of bringing together people interested in “vans as a pastime”, improving and supplying suitable vans, arranging camping groups and preserving the pastime by publishing lists of campsites and books for its members.
The Club has witnessed many changes throughout its history. From the 1920s when the car replaced the horse, to caravans being enlisted to play their part in World War Two in the 1940s, it wasn’t until the 1950s that British Caravanning really took off as a popular holiday choice. HRH Prince Philip has been the Club’s patron since 1952.
Today.
The Club rebranded
as the Caravan and Motorhome Club in February 2017, acknowledging the fact that 40 per cent of its more than one million members are now motorhomers.
Nick Lomas, Director General of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said that: “We are very proud of everything the Caravan and Motorhome Club has achieved throughout its history and we’re excited about its future. We will continue to provide people with opportunities to experience great adventures and build lasting memories. For the past 110 years our community has been passionately sharing its collective knowledge and experience of touring holidays and we look forward to this continuing for the next 110 years.”
