Artist Draws Donations At Cumbrian Park

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By William Coleman

A lot of people I know have monthly direct debits to certain charities to ensure that they are doing their bit to help others when and where they can. A lot of other people are a bit more active and actually arrange charitable events just like a local artist has done at a Lakeland park.

Melissa Elizabeth, who is a south Cumbrian artist, has used her skill set to help raise funds for two local animal charities at Silverdale Holiday Park this summer.

Silverdale hosted an exhibition of Melissa’s acclaimed pet and wildlife studies at their park which was also part of a major regional creative festival which featured 90 different Lakeland artists.

To help raise funds guests and visitors could not only admire the artwork, they could also purchase Melissa’s coloured pencil drawings. The one big seller was the prints of a red squirrel which Melissa recently completed and there was a raffle for one of her pet portraits.

100% of the raffles proceeds, as well as 20% of the print sales funds raised will go to the Westmorland Red Squirrels charity, which is also supported by Silverdale, and Lancaster based dog rescue centre Wolfwood.

With high hopes in mind Melissa is confident that once all the sales are finished the figures will top the three figure mark.

A resident of Warton near Silverdale, where she was born and now lives with her partner, Melissa has won a large and growing fan-base for her highly detailed animal drawings.

But the 26-year-old only first started seriously putting pencil to paper three years ago when she took a year out in Australia after studying design at Lancaster and Morecambe College.

In between exploring the country, and funding her odyssey with jobs such as cleaning yachts and working in cafes, Melissa began making drawings of Australia’s wildlife.

Back in England, she took up a part-time post at Silverdale Holiday Park, and found that she also had a talent for creating lifelike drawings of dogs, cats, horses and other animals.

Staff at the holiday park began asking Melissa to create drawings of their own pets – and soon she was receiving commissions from other people living in the community.

Taking her business online, she now creates her pet portraits for owners from much further afield, and is currently working on an Alaskan Malamute for a Norwegian customer.

“Although I still love drawing the native wildlife of Cumbria, I find that domestic animals make absolutely fascinating subjects,” said Melissa.

“Each has an individual character which, if possible, I’ll try to discuss in advance with the owner as this can help me give a sense of its personality in the drawing.

“It was great being a part of this year’s Silverdale and Arnside Art and Craft Trail, and it’s amazing just how much creative talent there is in this area,” she added.

Park director Michael Holgate said he was delighted to provide exhibition space for Melissa at Silverdale, and that weekend visitor were clearly very impressed with her work.

Meet The Renters With Camplify

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Camplify is more than just a “try before you buy” service. It is the new way to book a staycation holiday. The weather in the UK during spring and summer is good enough to use your holiday time in the UK and there is so much to do in the the winter that you do not necessarily need to go abroad.

One of the stand out things about Camplify is how diverse their range of touring accommodation is. The family in this video chose a luxury high end American 5th Wheel for their trip away with the kids.

So if you want to try something wacky like a fire truck van conversion of something high end you can without too much fuss.

There are a lot of people out there who have not towed before and maybe do not have the confidence, yet, but still want to go on a caravan holiday, and it is a great way to see if you want to invest and purchase a touring home.

If you want a fun and cost effective get away with friends, a partner or the whole family then Camplify is the service for you. Once you enter your details and requirements the website will tailor the ideal holiday homes for you within minutes.

The Pampering Paradise Holiday

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By William Coleman

Pampering is not something that springs to mind when you are planning your next getaway. Now it would seem that is will soon become the norm as a “pampering paradise” opens its doors at a Pembrokeshire holiday park.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the Welsh tourism minister, has recently opened the newest chapter in luxury holidays.

Celtic Escapes, who are based at the Noble Court Holiday Park near the market town of Narberth, promises to deliver their guests a pampering experience like no other.

The grand opening took place in front of more than 200 VIP guests where Lord Elis-Thomas welcomed the £1 million venture and congratulated the family owned business behind the enterprise.

The Lord was also given a tour of the development which includes high end holiday lodges that come with their very own private hot tubs. The site also includes safari tents with all the creature comforts you’d need and want from a home away from home. Accompanying Lord Elis-Thomas was Celtic Holiday Parks’ Managing Director, Huw Pendleton.

Huw’s business, which employs around 50 local people, owns three holiday parks in Pembrokeshire with a raft of awards for their quality standards and environmental care.

Noble Court was one of the first parks in Wales to introduce the concept of glamping five years ago, and its cosy “log pods” quickly won an enthusiastic following from guests.

But now, says Huw, the experience has been taken to a new level with luxury lodges and safari tents designed to appeal to comfort-loving couples and families: “Pembrokeshire and its gorgeous coastline is a stunning place to come on holiday, and is a world-class destination by any standards,” said Huw.

“We wanted to create a match for these surroundings with a range of high quality accommodation in which guests can enjoy a first-class holiday experience.

“Advance booking are already extremely strong for both the Hampton Lodges and the safari tents, and I suspect that many guests will want to return to try both!

“We were delighted that Lord Elis-Thomas was able to take time out to visit Celtic Escapes, and to officially launch this exciting new expansion phase of our business,” added Huw.

The minister made his visit in support of this year’s annual Wales Tourism Week which is designed to put the spotlight on Wales’s £5 billion tourism sector.

There is more information about Celtic Holiday Parks, and the accommodation and holiday home ownership opportunities provided, at www.celticholidayparks.com

The Caravan And Motorhome Club Introduce Try Before You Buy

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By William Coleman

If you do not currently own a caravan or motorhome, or even if you are in the market for an upgrade, can be a very expensive investment. Extremely worthwhile but it does come with a price tag. So why not try before you buy with the Caravan And Motorhome Club?

Once you’ve seen the amazing locations dotted around the UK and just how easy it is to have a 5 star get away you will go from try to buy in a heartbeat.

The new initiative has been introduced to inspire outdoor enthusiasts to take the plunge and purchase a new caravan or motorhome.

Recognising that buying a new motorhome or caravan is a big decision, especially for those purchasing for the first time; the Club is offering the chance to experience the best of the great outdoors and test the waters by trying it out before they commit.

Starting from £190 for two nights hire, for those who decide to buy up to seven days’ hire cost is deducted from the final price.

Not only is there the opportunity to try out a brand new caravan or motorhome, including the iconic Airstream, but at the same time there is the chance to experience some of the UK’s most beautiful outdoor locations.

Whether its mountain climbing, cycling, surfing, a simple ramble followed by a pub lunch or exploring the iconic London sites; there is nothing like being in the great outdoors and the Caravan and Motorhome Club helps members experience it at its very best.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club is working with trusted dealers to offer this and so far has three partners on board offering the service in Cumbria, Shropshire, Manchester, London, Dorset and Sussex. Further locations are also expected to be added in 2019.

Airstream renters will have their caravan on a choice of three sites and those trialling other models will have their caravans delivered to site local to the dealer, free of charge.

Motorhomes are available to drive straight from the dealer. The Caravan and Motorhome Club are on hand every step of the way to offer technical advice and answering any questions potential caravanners or motorhomers may have.

Harvey Alexander, director of marketing at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “The Caravan and Motorhome Club is truly unique in offering the “try before you buy” concept. We know that buying a new caravan or motorhome is a big decision and we want would-be purchasers to feel as comfortable and as confident as possible, in all aspects of this type of holiday.

“It’s not just about trialling a particular model and layout but also experiencing the lifestyle as a whole before making a final commitment. We are confident that once they try, holidaymakers will see exactly the amazing benefits and outdoor experiences they can have by being a caravan or motorhome owner.”

The “try before you buy” caravans and motorhomes are kitted out with everything somebody would need for a stay. On the first day of the hire, the customer will be greeted and shown around the caravan or motorhome and given a demonstration of how everything works to ensure a totally stress free introduction to their new home away from home.

Poorly Run Site Lands Hefty Fines

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By William Coleman

The nightmare holiday is not an uncommon story to hear when a friend or family member return from their travels. The travel agents or hotel owners never really do too much when things go wrong and do not seem to care either. But when it comes to caravan park site owners they are not big enough to hide behind their company and, thankfully, this park owner and management company are being held accountable for their actions.

The owner of a village caravan park have been dished out fines that are in the thousands after failing to fix ongoing issues that have left holiday makers with a less than stellar holiday experience. Guests at the site were faced with smells of raw sewage and intermittent water supplies during their stay.

Not wanting these kind of experiences to continue, and be profited from, Horsham District Council took action. The Council went on to say Luckista Grove Caravan Park failed to provide adequate living standards for residents.

The site also had issues with narrow roads that were littered with potholes that fill with water which lead to floods of muddy water whenever the heavens would open.

10 months after the order was given the work was still not done. The council felt that 10 months is more than enough time for the repairs to be completed. During that 10 months only 4 of the 12 works that needed competed were finished.

Royston Cooper who is the director of Frankham Real Estates, who own this site, was issued with a compliance notice back in 2017 due to the ongoing issues. Mr. Cooper and the estate agent admitted, in court, to the offenses of not fixing the issues. On Friday 22 of June they were fines a total of £15,000 plus legal fees as well as victim surcharges.

Tricia Youtan, Cabinet Member for Community and Wellbeing, said: “I was dismayed and disappointed to hear of these breaches. The council will not accept poor standards on caravan sites; they are the homes of residents and need to meet the established standards to ensure that they provide a pleasant and safe living environment.

“We gave the owners advice and guidance for over a year before the continuing poor standards led to the decision to take legal action. We will continue to closely monitor all such matters district-wide.”

It is good to see a council taken action against things like this. I just feel bad for people who had chosen the site for their leisure time.

The Leisure World Group Trend

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By William Coleman

Owning a caravan is an exciting thing. Once you’ve decided on what brand, model and make you want you then get to start having the real fun, customisation! Leisure World Group have reported an increasing trend of customers who want to customise their caravans with more and more accessories.

As the demand for more customisation grows the support by Leisure World Group improved to meet the needs of their customers. To make the most of your home away from home the company is offering Wild June offers which include a free £500 accessory shop voucher with any new caravan purchased in June. You can take advantage of this offer by visiting any of their three sites in Catterick and Tyneside.

Matthew Kinsell, director of the group, commented: “We know from talking to our customers that everyone wants to make their caravan unique, and there are so many fantastic products coming on to the market all the time, so we thought this was the ideal way to give people a helping hand.

“Buying a caravan is a significant investment without the added addition of accessories, so this way we hope our customers can get all of their accessories to kick start the summer of touring in style and comfort.”

In addition to the accessory shop vouchers Leisure World is also offering over £6,000 off selected new caravans to celebrate the British weather finally turning for the touring season. These offers are only available until the end of June.

Leisure World Group’s three sites are conveniently located across the North of England and each offers new and used caravans and motorhomes, as well as large jam-packed accessory stores. All three dealerships are also NCC approved service and repair centres.

Leisure Award Industry Win For The Caravan And Motorhome Club

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By William Coleman

The Caravan and Motorhome Club, based in East Grinstead, has been handed a prestigious award in recognition of its practices and achievements in helping its staff get home safely at the end of the working day.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club has achieved a Winner of the Leisure Industry Sector in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.

They were presented with the award during a ceremony at ExCeL, London on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.

The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Sean Turner, Health and Safety Manager at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. Health and safety has to be a total priority for us and this means in everything we do, starting with our head office and employees who work there. It is a real accolade to be recognised as the best organisation in the leisure industry for health and safety management performance.

To be successful, our application drew extensively on evidence from across the Club of good practice in health and safety. The judges look for organisations that can demonstrate a culture which understands risk and expects high standards in the precautions taken to protect our members and employees. The win is a recognition of the continuing care and effort from people at all levels across the Club to keep people safe.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of qualifications, awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most highly-respected in the health and safety arena, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, and allow organisations to prove excellence in the workplace, demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of not only employees but all those who interact with it.”

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Gold medals, president’s awards, orders of distinction and the Patron’s Award are presented to organisations sustaining the high standards of the gold level over consecutive years.

Competitive awards go to the best entries in 24 industry sectors including construction, healthcare, transport and logistics, engineering, manufacturing and education.

There are specialist awards for health at work, environmental management and fleet safety, and excellence trophies for the best international, new entry, workforce involvement and organisation operating or based in Scotland. RoSPA’s top accolade is the Sir George Earle Trophy.

Headline sponsor of the RoSPA Awards 2018 is NEBOSH – the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health – for the 13th consecutive year.

The 3 Peaks Challenge With The Marquis Randger

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By William Coleman

The world touring fits campervans perfectly, the camper make for the perfect vehicle to get out on the open road and get stuck in to challenges, tours, holidays and escapes. In this video presentation Martin Dorey took 2 of the brave CaravanTimes crew members on the 2 Peaks Challenge with the all new Randger by Marquis. 3 adventurer, 3 countries, 3 mountains all in under 24 hours? Randger to the rescue.

Martin Dorey was an integral part of the mission as he was preparing the food for the guys and driving them from mountain to mountain. As you know eating is a massive part of any challenge. If there is no fuel in the body you move as far as a car without diesel. To to ensure that the challenge was completed at around the 22 hour mark Mr. Dorey whipped up a breakfast feast.

The great thing about the Randger campervan is that it is perfect for motorway driving to make up those miles between mountains, not to mention the spot on kitchen and sleeping area.

As you can see the challenge is not to be taken lightly. Little to no sleep, thousands of feet to climb and hours or driving between each location. I would say the word “challenge” is putting it lightly.

And those Martin Dorey pancakes look special!

Fife MSP Cuts Red Tape To Open New Holiday Homes

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By William Coleman

Fife’s tourism industry received another boost this summer when Willie Rennie MSP took time out to launch a new development of leisure homes at Elie Holiday Park.

The MSP, who is Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said the 20 Castaway forest holiday homes would make a valuable extra impact on the local tourism economy.

Mr Rennie was the VIP guest of Abbeyford Leisure which has owned Elie Holiday Park for over 30 years, investing continually in new guest facilities and attractions.

Its latest initiative at the East Neuk of Fife park creates an additional area of high quality homes available for holiday rentals by families staying in the region.

Set on the edge of Elie forest, guests will enjoy not just first-class accommodation but also picture-postcard views across the surrounding countryside.

The development has been made possible by a partnership between Abbeyford Leisure and Elie Estate which own the land on which the holiday homes are located.

Cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony, Mr Rennie said that both organisations should be congratulated on working successfully together to further bolster Fife tourism.

Abbeyford Leisure, he added, was already responsible for generating a large amount of tourism spending in the area which benefitted many other smaller businesses.

The new holiday homes at Elie Holiday Park has almost tripled the number of properties available for hire, and complements its existing popular beachside Castaway holiday homes.

Located on Shell Bay near the village of Elie, the park also provides luxury holiday homes to own, a lodge with hot tub, plus pitches for campers, touring caravans and motorhomes.

As well as drawing thousands of visitors from across the UK and overseas, Elie Holiday Park also provides free entry to local people in the area.

Attractions include its family-fun Robinson Crusoe Adventure Park which celebrates the area’s literary connections with Daniel Defoe’s famous novel.

Abbeyford Leisure chairman David J Evans said he was delighted that Mr Rennie was able to come along and declare the new holiday homes open for business:

“Both Elie Estate and ourselves wanted to ensure that this development met the very high quality standards with which tourism in Fife is associated,” he said.

“This area has always had a very special appeal to people with a love of natural beauty, and these new holiday homes provide a wonderful window on that world.

“Elie has been fortunate over the years to have won many awards, including those recognising our environmental care, and I am proud that these new homes reflect our values,” added Mr Evans.

Family Fuel Business Success

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By William Coleman

The enthusiastic and ambitious team at Don Amott Caravan and Motorhomes is celebrating success in the Derby Telegraph Business awards. The company was named Family Business of the year at the awards ceremony on Wednesday 13th June.

Don Amott Leisure triumphed over strong competition to take the title which is judged on how well a company demonstrates sustained success whilst maintaining family values and proof that current and future family generations will be involved in the growth of the business.

“We’re extremely pleased to have won this award which fully supports our commitment to following the company’s family values in everything we do,” commented managing director of Don Amott, John Broderick. “We’re a close-knit team, and while it is a cliché, everyone is part of the family. Many of our staff have been with us more than 25 years – that in itself speaks volumes about the company.

“We work hard to create strong bonds with our customers, so it’s fantastic that the whole team has received this recognition for their excellent work and relationship building.”

A True Family Story

Taking home the Family Business award is very fitting for Don Amott. The business was founded in 1963 by Don Amott senior, his son joined the business on leaving school in 1965 and officially took the reins in 1975. The third generation of the family is now involved and the strong foundations of the business have paved the way for future growth to be sustained.

John Broderick, managing director who has been with the company for over 25 years continues to uphold the founder’s philosophy to offer excellent quality, the lowest possible prices and viewing customers as friends.

Shaping the East Midlands

In addition to the awards win, the company has further cause to celebrate having made this years’ Grant Thornton East Midlands Top 200 list for the fastest growing companies. Don Amott’s sustained growth over the past three years has seen it make the list for the first time and importantly has had a strong positive effect on the local economy which has been recognised in this listing.

“The recognition by Grant-Thornton of our business success validates our company’s ethos of delivering excellence and a great customer experience,” said John.

I would like to thank our staff and business partners in helping us move forward in a competitive marketplace to become one of the region’s most dynamic companies.”

Does The Rise Of The British Staycation Increase Risk

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By William Coleman

The industry has been in a real boom over the last 18 months, even winter has seem huge numbers of touring holiday makers, and does not look as though it will slow down anytime soon. As the demand and popularity grows so does the risk of theft or vandalism toward motorhomes and caravans.

Tracking specialist AMI Group is urging caravan and motorhome owners to enhance security this summer following reports that only 3%* of stolen caravans are successfully recovered (*Club Care Insurance figures).

Data from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) indicates that there was a 54% increase in the number of caravan thefts last year compared to the previous year.
Peter Stockton, Operations Director of AMI Group said: “Caravans and motorhomes are more susceptible to theft in the summer months, whether they are parked on home driveways or parked at service stations. With the rise of the great British ‘staycation’, it is more important than even before for caravan and motorhome owners to remain vigilant and take proper measures to prevent thieves from taking advantage.

“We have noticed a marked increase in the number of owners protecting their caravans and motorhomes with tracking devices, so in the event that they are stolen, we can provide exact location data as to where they can be recovered from, potentially saving owners thousands of pounds. Having a tracking unit fitted could make the difference between an owner’s valuable caravan being taken and never seen again, to it being found and returned to its owner within hours of it being reported as stolen,” he continued.

Stolen caravans and motorhomes often ‘disappear’ into an illicit network of buyers and sellers, ending up for sale in classified adverts and online. When a caravan is found by the Police, it is common for all identifying marks to have been removed by thieves. Historically most thefts occur from home or commercial storage sites, but thefts can also occur from caravan sites, dealerships, repairers, car parks or lay-bys. Thieves do not necessarily target new caravans, in fact those that are about two or three years old are more likely to be stolen.

AMI Group offers a number of tracking devices ideal for protecting caravans and motorhomes against theft, such as the AT5 – a self-contained, battery operated tracking device which utilises state-of-the-art GPS (Global Positioning System), GSM (Global System for Mobile Frequency) and digitally encoded RF (Radio Frequency) technology. Tiny in size, it is covertly hidden with no aerials or antennas, so criminals don’t even realise it’s there. Even when stolen caravans are hidden in garages or shipping containers, AMI’s technology can be used to successfully recover them.

The All New Marquis Randger Campervan

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By William Coleman

Marquis, who I am sure you know, are the UK’s largest dealer network have launched the all new Randger campervans.

The addition of this new range enhances the already strong and comprehensive portfolio of motorhomes.

The Randger is an all new brand of campervan which has been designed the meet the high demands of day to day living as well as the needs of touring adventurous. The design has been given a modern and fresh approach to keep up with the times as well of providing all the classic benefits of a camper.

These vehicles are ideal for families and couples alike. These compact, fuel efficient and car-like all-purpose campervans are ready for whatever life throws at them. Martin Dorey writer, surfer and campervan guru says “This is campervan living at its best!”.

The R499’s expertly designed interior features a classic rock and roll rear seating layout which creates a spacious living area with plenty of room for four to lounge and socialize whilst the R535 boasts a classic campervan layout with front dining/lounge area, rear bathroom with toilet/shower and kitchen area.

Based on the powerful Fiat Talento 1.6 Ecojet 125bhp 6 speed engine, available in three external colours; standard spec includes Sat Nav/DAB/MP3/Radio with Bluetooth, Cab air con, Cruise control, ABS, ESC, Hill holder, Traction+, Alloy Wheels, innovative space saving storage and quality durable furniture.

Alan Buckwell, Sales Director of Marquis, comments: “Marquis are delighted to have created the impressive Randger range. These stunning campervans perfectly complement our extensive range of motorhomes and offer customers a winning combination of individuality, quality and style at an extremely competitive price.”

Marquis are hosting a Test Drive event 29th June – 1 st July across the 12 branches nationwide, visit the website to make an appointment and receive a FREE Bluetooth Speaker* when you complete your test drive of the new range – www.randgeruk.co.uk/test-drive