Keeping Fit While Touring

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By William Coleman

Trying to stay in shape is hard work, trust me I’ve been trying for years. Yes it can be physically hard but the mind is tough part. Whenever you think “oh I need to exercise” its common, for me, to just shut off and not what to do it. But what if you make it fun and incorporate it into your holiday and touring activities..?

Activities are a main part of my trips away and they are becoming a lot more active the older I get, maybe there are more things to do now days. There are so many different things to choose from and a lot of them can be as easy or as taxing as you want. Make staying healthy fun and you will not want to stop.

Walking/Jogging

This may seem like an obvious one but walking can sometimes be as good for you as a run. Walking is a big part of touring holidays and a fantastic way to see the surroundings of where you’ve chosen to stay.

A lot of sites, especially the Caravan and Motorhome Club, have lots of walking paths and woodland locations that are ideal for nice long relaxing walks.

Pick a day with glorious sunshine, find a route, pick a few fun places to stop on the way and then end the walk with a well deserved pint and a pub lunch.

When it come to the jogging side of it you really need to make sure the conditions are right. I decided once that it would be a great idea to go on a full blown run when the weather was in the high 20s with zero cloud. It did not work out very well.

So make sure the weather is right and you have the right footwear. A bad run can put you off for life.

Surfing

For those who love a coastal location I would always recommend surfing. Can I surf? Absolutely not. I have stood up about half way once before nose diving into the sea. Despite the amount of skill it requires to properly surf it does not take away from the fun that is falling off of a surfing board.

When trying to surf you also do a fair bit of swimming, which is one of the best all round exercises you can do. Even if you are no the strongest swimmer it will not stop you from diving in head first. You tend to stay in the shallows and you are physically attached to something that is impossible to submerge for more than 2 seconds.

If you have not tried surfing make sure you go out of your way to try. It’s fun and a great day out. Add on top of that the bonus of a good non strenuous work out then it’s a win win activity.

If you do want to dabble in some surfing I can strongly suggest the beaches of Devon. When I went I was given a board, a quick tutorial and a wet suit, which is worth is weight in gold, and then you’re good to go. Trust me, out of this list the surfing may be the most fun.

Swimming

Does your site have a pool or located on or near a beach? Make the most of the site and your surroundings. Swimming is good for the body in so many different ways. It is a low impact exercise that work almost every single muscle within the body.

Even bobbing around in the water with a float or a rubber ring will give the body a great workout without working up too much of a heart rate.

Not only is it good for the body but it’s a great way to spend time with the kids and or grandchildren. Not to mention it helps the little ones burn through their energy stores and makes for a peaceful evening for the adults.

Canoeing/Paddle boarding

Floating down a river taking in all the beautiful scenery and the wild life that line the banks is such a relaxing thing to do. There really is something tranquil about paddling across the water taking in the world.

This uses a lot of upper body strength while giving your legs a nice rest. And one of the best things about the rivers across the UK is that they are lined with great pubs and lots of pub grub.

I’d suggest to go with someone, just in case you turn over like I did. You live you learn I guess.

Mountain Biking

This may be the most popular outdoor activity, besides the BBQ. We all grew up with bikes and for me this was a huge part of my childhood.

Another great thing about this bike riding is just how easy it is. There are so many different paths and courses dotted all over the country that you will be spoilt for choice.

Even if there are not routes close to you, you can literally jump on the bike and head off without really have a set route.

A lot of companies and sites are investing in cycling and encouraging members and holiday makers to get more active and saddle up. The Experience Freedom CycleFest at this year’s National Rally was a massive success with hundreds and hundreds of men, women and children taking part.

The Definition Of Dangerous Towing And Risking Life

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By William Coleman

When it comes to cutting corners or bad practice there are certain things where is can be kind of acceptable. Not putting enough butter on your sandwich, not lifting the carpet when your vacuuming on a Sunday morning. When it comes to towing and keeping passengers safe there is zero margin for error. Something that two drivers neglected when they were pulled over by police to reveal children and babies left in the caravan while towing.

Rule number 1, well it’s not even a rule is its common sense, you do not transport people in a caravan while it is being towed. They are not designed that was and it is extremely dangerous to do it. So I have no idea why anyone would put their babies and small children in a caravan and then proceed to tow, it really is beyond me.

The children were found sitting on mattresses in the back of two separate caravans on the A55 near Bangor. The drivers had clearly not completed any pre towing checks as it was the fact that one of the caravans had no working lights which lead to the police pulling them over. What made it worse was they were driving down an unlit section of a dual carriageway.

A police office has said: it doesn’t bare thinking about!. Imagine the things that could have gone wrong in this situation. Not just for the poor babies inside the caravan but for other drivers using the road. How many times have you gone over a bump and thought “oh that’s gonna need cleaning up when we stop”?

To make matters even worse, a unbelievable more illegal, neither of the two drivers had to correct licence to tow the caravans with their vans they were using. Not a B+E in sight.

Another officer reported: “One caravan had no lights on it at all and they were travelling along a dark section of the A55 when we spotted them. One van had two children in the back just sat on mattresses and luggage.”

The madness did not stop there are the second van was checked to find 3 adults, 6 small children including small babies also not securely strapped in.

Both drivers were reported and will have to attend court for this reckless incident.

Swift Group Forms Charitable Partnership

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By William Coleman

The Swift Group have formed a partnership with military forces’ charity Mission Motorsport. Swift have donated a motorhome to the Armed Forces’ charity that helps veterans rebuild their lives, post service, by providing opportunities through motorsport. A charity effort that I am sure we can all agree is extremely important.

The brand spanking new Swift Bessacarr will be put to great use by Mission Motorsport as they travel to events all across the UK and even worldwide as part of the new partnership with Swift.

Mission Sport was launched 6 years ago and has done vital work with over 1,400 ex servicemen and women by providing 4,500 days of sport for them to take part in. They have also helped 120 wounded, injured, sick service leavers and veterans to find employment.

The charity said the “luxurious” motorhome will “make an enormous difference”. It plans to use the motorhome at over 100 events – including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the British GT at Brands Hatch, and the charity’s own Race of Remembrance held on Anglesey, North Wales, in November. The Swift Bessacarr will enable the team to rest between and after races in comfort and style.

The partnership started its engines at the Swift Group’s headquarters in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, when Swift’s Commercial Director Nick Page handed over the keys to Mission Motorsport CEO James Cameron.

Nick Page said: “We are delighted to partner with Mission Motorsport through the donation of a Swift Bessacarr motorhome. The work they are doing is incredible – helping our heroes to make a fresh start. We hope the Bessacarr can bring the team a little more comfort when trackside and contribute to the charity continuing its excellent work.”

James Cameron, CEO Mission Motorsport, said: “Our work in support of the Forces’ community sees us deliver a calendar that spans motorsport events across the country, from Elite level sport to low level, recovery events.

“With over 100 events planned in 2018, across the UK and beyond, this Swift motorhome will make an enormous difference in our ability to look after our guys and girls attending. We are hugely grateful to the Swift Group for this generous donation and look forward to getting on the road with this luxurious motorhome.”

The premium motorhome, the Bessacarr, is a luxury motorhome known for it’s high performance. 2018 saw a complete redesign of the model with a new streamlines low profile and modern plush interior.

As I have said before, motorhomes and motosports go hand in hand. Motorhomes are an important back bone of the whole industry. You cannot go to an event without seeing tons of motorhomes being used by both fans and race teams. Many competitors use them as a base, and Swift Bessacarr and Kon-tiki motorhomes can often be seen track-side.

The charity is also being backed by people that have had their lives changed by their time with the Armed Forces. Steven McCulley, who was injured by an IED while serving in Afghanistan, is one of Mission Motorsport beneficiaries. Unfortunately Steven was hurt quite bad in the incident when shrapnel tore holes in his chest which lead to major surgery and a serious lung condition.

Mission Motorsport have helped him to rebuild his life through racing and skills training. On the Steven has won first in class in the Race of Remembrance – an annual motorsport event run by the charity to honour the commitment of servicemen and women and their families.

Away from the track, Mission Motorsport helped Steven to achieve new skills in engineering and workshop management. He now runs his own business.

I really cannot express enough how amazing this charity is. The amount of ex army personnel that face extremely hard times on a daily basis is scarily high. For someone in our industry to step up and “Help Our Heroes” (not the same charity) is very impressive and deserves all the praise in the world.

Luxury Resort Recognised For Promoting Shrewsbury

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By William Coleman

The high end state of the art Love2Stay has recently celebrated its first birthday. With its first massively successful year in the bag the site has also been awarded the Shrewsbury Mayor’s Award for Tourism, so that’s one more top prize to add to the trophy cabinet.

The Mayor’s Award scheme officially recognises individuals, organisations, groups and
businesses for their efforts and achievements in bringing tourists and praise to the town of Shrewsbury.

The Love2Stay resort, which is the best way to describe it because it is so much more than just a holiday site, which is located next to, and owned by, caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure is no stranger to gold having won many awards in its inaugural year.

The site won the gold tourism award and the overall award in recognition of its achievements in bringing visitors the park and dealership, as well as Shrewsbury itself. Without a doubt this holiday destination is a top drawing spot that needs to be visited.

The award was presented by the Mayor of Shrewsbury herself, Councillor Jane Mackenzie, at a ceremony held at the town’s Guildhall.

Geoff Plumridge, who manages the resort with his wife, Laura, said: “Winning this award is such a great achievement so soon after the business started. Our aim has always been to promote Shrewsbury and bring more visitors to the area, so we are pleased that we have been able to make such a valuable contribution to the local economy. We are delighted that the Love2Stay concept has been so well received by everyone.”

Geoff estimated that around a staggering 56,000 people have stayed at the resort since it opened in May 2017. It has been so successful that they are fully booked each and every single weekend. The only time they were not fully booked was when the snow decided to blanket the nation, but I bet the snowy views were amazing.

Salop Leisure’s chairman Tony Bywater added: “The response to Love2Stay has been sensational because there is no other resort like it in the UK or Europe.”Love2Stay manager Geoff Plumridge and staff members Charlotte Auterson, Steve and Kay Gallagher and Brendan Leach with the Mayor’s Awards for Tourism.

Swift Employ The VIN CHIP System

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By ‘<' . strtolower('Array')>William Coleman

Unfortunately the theft of caravans and motorhomes is something that is far too common in the UK. It seems as though every time you turn around you speak to someone who has their touring vehicle vandalised or stolen. Swift are now fighting back with the VIN CHIP theft deterrent system.

The new system is now available for motorhomes and will be a standard feature on all the new Swift 2019 models.

So if you are buying a 2019 motorhome model you will get this additional piece of security as well as added piece of mind.

VIN CHIP is an established industry frontrunner in anti-theft identification system for touring caravans. The system has also been a fantastic tool for the police to track and find stolen vehicles. Getting back stolen goods has to be one of the best feelings, especially if the police have found the culprit.

Tim Booth of NAVCIS said: “This expansion to include Swiftmotorhomes will further assist in the work of police when called upon to positively identify a suspect motorhome. The advanced technology that VIN CHIPT provides is an essential part of the work to disrupt criminal activity”

When purchasing your Swift motorhome the VIN PACK will include concealed RFID chips so that the chassis and body will always be identifiable. Using the original Vehicle Identification Number – the 17-digit VIN – the RFID will be unique to that vehicle and records will link directly to the owner and their contact details.

Nick Page, Swift Group Commercial Director, says: “Swift takes customer security incredibly seriously. We already fit our proactive Swift Command tracker to all our caravans and motorhomes, and we are working with VIN Chip to further strengthen security – giving our customers added peace of mind.

“VIN Chip is already fitted to all caravans and we’re delighted to now introduce it to all Swift motorhomes. The industry standard in this type of security identification, VIN Chip uses state-of-the-art technology to prevent vehicles from being given new identities in the unfortunate event they are stolen.”

Sean Bailey, managing director of VIN CHIPT said: “This is great news for VIN CHIPT and we are delighted to expand our work to increase security of motorhomes.”

It is great to see such a large caravan and motorhome company taking steps forward to ensure their vehicles stay safe and secure. The aftercare factor from Swift, with the addition of the VIN CHIP, puts them to the very top of the list for me.

Pre Towing Safety Checks

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By William Coleman

I am sure we have all hooked up our caravan to our tow car a thousand times, so much so that it has now become second nature. Can you become so used to it that sometimes you can overlook things? After speaking with a keen caravaner who spotted two instances where the hitch lock lever was not locked in I thought I would put together a little chick list for a little refresher. Lord knows I have made a few mistakes.

The Interior

There is nothing worse than pulling up to pitch and having to spend an age putting everything back in its place. I have been guilty of rushing to get out the door and not making sure all the cupboards were securely closed and the doors shut. It may sound silly but it is a lot more common than you’d think.

I will never forget the time I did a full clean and in my excitement I did not correctly fasten and of the upholstery and when I pulled up it looked like the fold out bed had tried to make itself. Rookie move on my part.

Hookups

I know a lot of modern camper vans and motorhomes have systems in place to let you know that you are still connected, but what about caravans?

This is something that needs to be checked manually as there is no in cab system in place when you turn the ignition on. So ensure that you do a 360 of the outside of your caravan, it’s actually the first thing I do when I’m packing up.

Nose Weight

I always knew how important the nose weight was but it was certainly reinforced while I was driving around Europe. The driving habits of some of the motorits around Europe does leave a little bit to be desired, especially on the motorways. Even if you are slightly off those rough road conditions and articulated lorries can make for a very swingy caravan.

One thing that I did underestimate was just how heavy all the kit onboard would be. I have towed many times in the UK with enough onboard for 2 people, as well as having luggage and bags in the tow car. When there around 21 people with 2 caravans there is going to be a lot more onboard weight.

When driving in the convoy, with the caravan I had loaded the nose weight on, I was soon being told that we needed to pull over and adjust. This was totally on me as I had not checked what had been stowed away by others inside the caravan. So be mindful who has put what onboard and where they have put it. A little drop in communication can go a very long way.

There are tools you can use to make sure the weight is correct. You can use something as simple as set of bathroom scales or if you want something a bit more tailor made for the job you can use a spring loaded nose weight gauge. If you really want a state of the art setup you can attach a jockey wheel that incorporates a nose weight gauge.

Mirrors

When taking trips it’s always nice to share the driving, especially if you have a 4-6 drive like I do when I travel to Devon from London.

Taking turns for me means that every time you swap seats the first thing you need to do is make sure that the set up is right for you. In fact, that is the first thing that I was taught when I took my towing course and then once more when I took a towing refresh course.

If it is not right for you change it, otherwise it can be quite dangerous. So take your time, adjust the seating, mirrors and make sure you are comfortable before you set off.

This is not a complete list of checks but a few keys ones that I have recently seen neglected on certain sites. If there are any checks that you live by that you think our readers would benefit from let us know. You can email us directly on editor@caravantimes.co.uk or on our Twitter o Facebook.

Marquis Dealership Grand Opening

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By William Coleman

CaravanTimes have been field testing quite a few models from the guys at Marquis over the past few months. While we were putting their vehicles through their paces Marquis have been busy working away to bring you a brand new dealership based in Surrey.

Marquis Motorhomes and Caravans are the UK’s largest dealer network and the retail arm of the Auto-Sleepers Group. Back in September 2017 they purchased a 7 acre site in Gomshall with the idea of making the location one of their new dealerships.

Fast forward a mere 10 months of major reconstruction and changes to the premises and the site is now ready to open its doors. The dealership is stocked with a wide range or new and used motorhomes and caravans for viewing and purchase. With the addition of this new flagship store it brings to total amount of Marquis dealerships across the UK to 12.

The opening brings new job roles to the local community that will soon need filling, large investment in facilities and services offered. The site, which boasts a modern new look, is now open and fully operational. Heading up the dealership is the new General Manager Anthony Mullins who has worked at the site for the last 16 years.

Anthony is a familiar face in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to the branch – he commented “I am looking forward to the new challenge of taking Marquis Surrey onto continued success. It was great to see so many of our customers over the weekend and we hope to see you all again at the new look branch soon.”

The grand opening was an all star event with the Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Mike Parsons attending. Last Friday the Mayor officially open the dealership by cutting the ribbon across the refurbished office facilities.

Commenting on the event he said: “I was very impressed with what has been achieved including the very upbeat staff who were obviously committed to a high level of customer service. The additional jobs that you have created will be a huge boost to the local economy and we welcome you to our community and wish you the very best of success for the future.”

The branch continues to stock awnings from popular manufacturers Outdoor Revolution, Isabella, Ventura and Bradcot, the well-stocked shop can order almost any part or accessory for customers and normally have it delivered within a few days.

Marquis Surrey are stockists of prestigious brands such as Coachman, Auto-Trail, Auto-Sleepers, Benimar, Mobilvetta, Majestic, Lunar and Caravelair with access to over 650 vehicles in group stock.

Speaking of Marquis and Auto-Sleepers here is our latest reviews of the Benimar Tessoro Review 1 and Review 2

Interview With Lee Davey About His WW2 Caravan Adventure With His Son Charlie

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By William Coleman

A couple of weeks ago Lee Davey and his 10 year old son Charlie used their bank holiday to go on a time travelling adventure in a classic caravan to find out what their family members did during the Second World War.

When I spent 3 week with Lee on the Bailey Bristanbul tour I found our that he was a bit of a WW2 buff and had a real interest in the subject. During our 5,500 miles drive we spent a lot time talking about it, well it was more me asking lots of questions as my knowledge is shamefully low on the matter.

Lee told me about the trip he was planning to take over the second May bank holiday with his son Charlie. So now they are both back and fully recovered I got a chance to speak with Lee and see how they got on.

So, Lee, you recently went on a little time travelling tour with your son Charlie to retrace the footsteps of family members from the past.

We did. Charlie was learning about WW2 at school and we talked about it when we were fixing-up the caravan. This evolved into retracing wartime footsteps of our family in Kent, the New Forest and Normandy.

You went over the bank holiday weekend, how was the traffic?

Apart from the New Forest’s hotspot of Lyndhurst, we were incredibly lucky with the traffic. But, bimbling along at 55/60mph, we didn’t seem to catch the faster traffic!

What was the highlight of the trip for you?

Spending a week with my son doing something that will remain with us forever.

What did Charlie enjoy the most?

Charlie says his favourite bit was riding on the back of my bike as we followed the Normandy coastline. The bike is the same, or similar, to the one my dad rode as a Despatch Rider in WW2 and it gave us both an eerie feeling. Close second for Charlie was Camping Port’Land which we booked though The Caravan & Motorhome Club as it had swimming pools, three fishing lakes, games room and a restaurant.

You used a bit of a classic Bailey model did you not?

We bought a 1967 Bailey Maestro that had been sitting in a hedge for a decade or two and we spent 18-months getting her ship-shape again. When I bought ‘Gladys’, she was just a mile from the Bailey factory where she was made.

What kind of work went into updating the Bailey caravan?

We want Gladys (the Bailey caravan we used) to be usable all-year-round but we didn’t want any ‘mod cons’ to affect her 1960’s looks. We fitted a Whale Expanse water heater as it’s small enough to fit under the relatively low bed bases and a Whale underfloor heating unit fits perfectly between the chassis framework. We want to use it ‘off grid’ so we fitted a 100w Flexi solar panel on the roof. We also have a Dometic compressor cool-box hidden in the wardrobe which can be used on 12v, as can the heating and hot water when used with gas.

What’s next for the father son duo?

Where do I start? Our WW2 family history didn’t end at Pegasus Bridge as Charlie’s great-grandfather took part in Operation Market Garden and was part of the drive east towards Berlin. It’d be great to take Gladys on a Part 2 trip. We’re also touring a handful of countries by caravan this summer, with trips to the Isle of Wight and a 1940’s weekend in Weymouth added for good measure. Learning new skills during the restoration process has turned Charlie into a mad inventor and we have plans to build something that flies!

Camplify Want You To Meet The Owners

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By William Coleman

When I first took over the CaravanTimes news desk one of the first things I reported was the UK launch for a brand new peer to peer touring vehicle renting service. The company was being dubbed “The AirBNB” for the caravan world. Now they want you to meet the people you will rent from.

So if you want a traditional motorhome or caravan or if you want something bespoke and spectacular Camplify are the guys to deliver the goods.

As part of the service you meet the people who are renting you the touring accommodation. This way you know exactly who you are dealing with.

So if you have not bought a caravan or motorhome but want to take a touring holiday try this service. Camplify is the perfect way to try before you buy.

For more on the Camplify team you can read our previous article and visit them directly online Camplify UK.

Holiday Park Boss Insists On Fair Wages For Staff

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By William Coleman

Fair pay is something we all deserve no matter what industry your in. It seems as though, from what I have read, that a lot of the workers that make our industry so special are often very poorly paid. Is this a trend in the industry or just a few random cases?

One holiday park owner truly believes that the idea of underpaying staff is “ironic and perverse that this industry has so many well paid customers with such low paid staff.

These are the words of Patrick Langmaid, the owner of the family run Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park near Padstow. Patrick has been supporting the initiative of fair pay by ensuring his staff are on a real living wage and has done for years. His belief is that you get what you pay for and his business benefits from having well paid staff.

According to Patrick there were only 2, of roughly 10,000, sites in the UK that are fully accredited for paying their staff and realistic living wage. That shocked me when I read that!

In 2015 Patrick became a fully accredited living wage employer after trialling the idea out in 2014. One huge benefit that was apparent was how much it helped with recruitment in an industry that has a large seasonal turnover. Also the boost in moral of the staff went up and retention of staff went down. All these positives improvements reflected on the gustes experiences which in turn made revenue increase and added more return bookings.

“It’s a huge irony that tourism requires low wages to function, but you need high wages to go on holiday, go to the restaurant or do activities. For some businesses to think that their customers are well-paid, but it’s OK for their staff not to be is perverse.” says Patrick.

Patrick took the company over from his family in the 1990s. He wanted to make sure that the company was successful but not at the expense of the staff. After seeing what goes on Patrick felt uncomfortable with the way the tourism and hospitality sector works in regards to what staff get paid.

It would seem that there are some people/companies that are comfortable to pay a low wage so they can take a higher amount home at the end of the month. The thing that I have found in every sector I have worked in is that paying a poor wage does not help productivity, all it does is increase staff turn over.

Patrick said: “When I started running the business and took it off in 1996 I was totally focused on marketing and strengthening the business and the brand. But I did have a nagging feeling about my team. I wasn’t running the whole place on my own. The team was delivering the guests’ experience, not me.

“With that nagging feeling in my mind I cricked my neck in 2013 and, while seeing my osteopath in Padstow, I was reading the Guardian newspaper in the waiting room. I’m not a Guardian reader, but it had been left there and as it turned out to be on that quiet November day, it was Living Wage Week.

“I didn’t know anything about it but there were a lot of stories about the real living wage in the paper. It got me thinking. I got back to the site and looked at what we were paying our staff and what it would cost more to pay the Real Living Wage.”

Wanting to see if it was financially possible for him to bring up wage levels up Patrick visited his financial consultant. After looking into it he was shocked to find out he had the backing of both his money man and his parents are on the business’s board of directors.

“I thought I would have to champion the real living wage with my parents. I expected a full-on battle. But they welcomed it and thought it was a fantastic idea.

“I was already paying £7 an hour at the time and to pay the real living wage of £7.65 an hour it would have cost me £20,000. It was a real cost to the business, but it worked brilliantly.

“I find recruiting staff so much easier now. I can pick and choose who I recruit because I receive so many more applications,” Mr Langmaid said.

“I feel more empowered in that way too. Staff retention is less of an issue and we are now able to offer an even greater guest experience.”

When these changes were being made by Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park there were 800 accredited real living wage employees in the UK and now there are over 4000.

During the peak season Patrick employs 25 staff with a maximum of 15 all year round.

As I mentioned before fair pay should be standard practice for everyone who is employed. To see an employer taking a stand and drawing a line in the sand is very refreshing to see.

Pictures courtesy of Mother Ivy Bay’s Holiday Park and Oliver Vergnault.

Perthshire Park Takes Top Scottish Awards

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By William Coleman

There were cheers for Scotland’s park-owning Wood family this summer when their Blairgowrie Holiday Park in Perthshire took first place in a major awards final.

Blairgowrie was named as Scotland’s Best Caravan Site of the Year at the Scottish Hospitality Awards which took place at Crowne Plaza, Glasgow.

In front of VIP guests from Scotland’s tourism industry, members of the family and its management team stepped up to receive their honour from popular STV radio presenter Zara Janjua.

The annual awards highlight hospitality enterprises which offer exceptional standards of facilities and services, and take into account the feedback given by customers.

Wood Leisure started life just almost 40 years ago when husband and wife Colin and Margaret Wood acquired picturesque Blairgowrie Holiday Park.

The couple invested much time, effort and resources to create what is now one of Scotland’s most highly regarded and multi-award winning holiday parks.

Building on their success, Colin and Margaret then went on to develop five other parks using the same business formula of combining high quality surroundings with excellent customer service.

Their other parks are Corriefodly Holiday Park in Perthshire, Deeside Holiday Park near Aberdeen,
Lomond Woods Holiday Park in Ballock, and Campsie Glen near Stirling.

The family’s portfolio was added to earlier this year with the acquisition of Callander Woods Holiday park – formerly Gart caravan park – in Perthshire.

At Blairgowrie Holiday Park, guests have the choice of a wide range of accommodation options including luxury lodges with private hot tubs as well as touring pitches.

Not that the Wood family are any strangers to receiving accolades for their parks, and all have graded by VisitScotland at the top level of excellence.

At last year’s Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards, the group won the “Best Glamping Experience” prize, and it has previously taken the award for Scotland’s Family Business of the Year.

Among those stepping into the spotlight at this summer’s Scottish Hospitality Awards ceremony was Margaret Wood who spoke of her family’s gratitude:

“We are absolutely ecstatic to have won this award, and our team and family are delighted that their hard over the years has truly paid dividends.

“What makes the award extra special is that it is voted for by our loyal customers, and we can’t thank them enough for their support and loyalty,” said Margaret.

There is more information about the Wood family’s parks at www.woodleisure.co.uk

Travelworld Gains Prestigious Award

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By William Coleman

When it comes to receiving accolades and awards there is no doubt that the touring industry pull out all the stops to ensure they deliver the best to in turn receive the best. Now Travelworld have been awarded most prestigious accolade from the parent group of the brands it represents and will be rebranding the dealership and the business as ‘ERWIN HYMER CENTER – Travelworld’

The award followed after the development of Travelworld’s brand new state of the art Motorhome and Caravan dealership in Stafford. The relocation announcement came in early 2018 as the company decided to expand into new premises later on this year.

Having been given this award means that Travelworld are 1 of only 3 designated centre in the world to achieve this status.

Ross Edwards, managing director of Travelworld said: “As you can imagine, this was a big decision for us to make, but it’s simply a continuation of the strategy we have had in the business for the last five years: ‘ever greater ties with our supplier”

The group strategy is to build and strengthen their relationships with dealers and when possible make deals with dealers to offer them their products exclusively.

In 2017 Travelworld celebrated their 40th anniversary and became an exclusive EHG dealer in 2015. Since they they have flourished by focusing and specialising on one supplier.

Ross continued: “Although it is the logical ‘next step’ for us, achieving ERWIN HYMER GROUP status was not made easy. EHG has created a strict set of terms and conditions to qualify for CENTRE status, varying from logos to minimum brands in each price segment and Goldschmitt and Rent Easy partnership”.

Ross continued to explain that although the announcement is being made now with new adverts appearing soon to give people a glimpse of the new logo, the main rebrand will not be happening until the new dealership development is complete.

So it seems that 2018 is going to be a massive year for Travelworld and the Erwin Hymer Group. I can’t wait to see what they have on display at upcoming shows.