80 New Homes for Dorset Holiday Park

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By William Coleman

The ever growing demand for holiday homes has no sign of stopping anytime soon. The industry is in a boom right now and thousands of Brits are staying home for their holidays, as well as hordes of holidaymakers from abroad choosing the UK as holiday spot. This Dorset park has responded to the demand and is eagerly awaiting 80 news caravans.

Shorefield Holidays are getting their staff at Oakdene Forest Park, near Bournemouth, following their major investment for the fleet of new homes. The delivery of the new luxury caravans will happen just in time for the beginning of winter.

2017 saw a record breaking number of staycation visits for the company. Now the group is giving holiday guests some of Southern England’s most highly specced and luxurious to stay in. With the industry coming on in leaps and bounds I am seeing that the quality of rental homes are becoming better and better each year. What was thought as luxury 5 years ago is now somewhat of an industry standard. So now with a new wave of luxury homes coming out you will not want to leave them.

Shorefield Holidays is a family run company which is preparing to celebrate their 60th anniversary next year. The company own own seven multi award winning holiday parks in Dorset and Hampshire.

The Oakdene site, which is set in 55 acres of idyllic countryside near the Hurn and Avin Forest, is very popular with families and has perfect access to sandy beaches for those sunny days where sand castles have to be built.

Each park comes with a wide range of on-site facilities and activities for all ages. The Oakdene site has a bar/restaurant and a popular showbar which host many different professional acts and singers in their nightly shows.

The 80 new holiday homes are due to arrive very shortly include high end models from the UKs top manufacturers, some include a staggering 4 bedroom and others with their own private hot-tubs.

Simon Pollock, chairman and MD of Shorefield Holidays, said: “This investment underlines the continued success of all our parks, both for holidays and holiday home ownership.

“The popularity of the staycation looks set to continue, and we look forward to welcoming even more families as we add to our fleet of accommodation,” he added.

Established in 1958, the company has invested many millions of pounds in its parks’ accommodation and facilities over the past five years – with more to come.

In this autumn’s Hoseasons awards, the group’s Shorefield Country Park was declared the overall Diamond award winner in the South of England category.

Oakdene Forest Park also gained honours as one of the top three South of England parks in the “relax and explore” category.

There is more information about the parks at www.shorefield.co.uk

Marina Sails Its Way To Green Award

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By William Coleman

We all love the UK and all its wildlife and creatures. As tourers we are all responsible for looking after the environment to ensure we protect all the animals and insects we come across. Derbyshire’s Mercia Marina is taking the initiative and has won praise from David Bellamy for giving the wildlife the same VIP treatment as its visitors.

The marina, which prides itself on providing luxury holiday lodges for sales and rent, has now been given the top award, the David Bellamy Conservation Award, for the seventh year in succession. On top of that there was an extra honour for Mercia when Professor Bellamy declared it a “Honey Bee Friendly”. This is all part of the new initiative to help protect the critters as they are now becoming a threatened species, which would be extremely destructive to the environment if we lose the honey bee.

Professor Bellamy had special praise for the sites wildflower hedgerows where high nectar bearing blooms are providing lots of valuable pollen foraging for the honey bees as well as a plethora of other creatures like butterflies.

A lot of companies are now fully committed to becoming green and furthering their efforts to keep environments and wildlife protected. The marina continued commitment to running their business based on forward looking sustainability policies makes it a stand out for green efforts, says David Bellamy.

“Winning seven golds in as many years is a fantastic achievement for Mercia Marina,” he said.

“The whole team deserves a big pat on the back for all their wonderful and imaginative initiatives to protect the natural environment.

“Well done to you all, and keep up the good work!” David Bellamy declared.

Robert Neff, general manager of Mercia Marina, said everyone was thrilled that the marina had once again received the ultimate gold award:

“We are delighted that the hard work of our staff and volunteers has been recognised once more by Professor David Bellamy, and we would like to thank them for their fantastic efforts.

“Mercia Marina is committed to improving habitats and encouraging wildlife to thrive across the grounds, and this is just one of the reasons that we attract so many visitors,” said Robert.
The inland marina, near the Derbyshire village of Willington, is a major regional tourist attraction which draws more than 800,000 visitors a year.

Work is currently being carried out to develop a new three and four-storey £3m piazza building at the marina which is scheduled for completion in December.

You really cannot put enough effort into protecting nature. It is fantastic to see so many companies and organisations putting so much more in to make sure we keep our country, and ultimately the planet, clean and green.

New Cumbrian Tourist Chief Support Pledge

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By William Coleman

Last week saw a meeting of the Lake District Holiday Park owner in Ambleside to meet the newly appointed head of the Cumbria Tourism, who pledged her support for their businesses moving forward.

Gill Haigh, who recently took the position of Managing Director at the destination management organisation has recognised the importance of the tourism industry of the country and its vital impact on its economy.

Gill appeared as the special guest at the meeting of the Cumbria branch British Holiday and Home Parks Association which was attended by around 100 different parks, most of which are independant family owned sites. The event was held at the award winning Skelwith Fold caravan site which is just outside Ambleside and is the current holder of the Cumbria Tourism’s Holiday Park of the Year title.

Gill had a very warm welcome at the meeting and was introduced by branch director and business owner Henry Wild who acquired the Skelwith Fold twenty years ago with his father Syd. On stage Gill addressed park’s Sustainable Development Centre and said that she herself was a fan of the industry and has many fond memories of caravan trips with her family.

With Cumbria being such a vibrant area for holiday makers Gill explained that guest to the area have the right to expect the high quality of hospitality. She went to to say that Cumbria’s park industry delivers just that and has proved how capable they are of ensuring that the best holiday experiences are delivered.

This had even greater resonance, she said, now that Cumbria has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status and could truly be described as a world-class destination.

Henry Wild pointed out that guests staying on holiday parks in Cumbria make a huge financial contribution to the region’s tourism economy.

According to independently produced figures, he told Gill, Cumbria’s parks are responsible for approximately £73.5 million of spending each year in the county.

The vast majority of this sum, said Henry, is fed into the local economy, helping to support many other smaller businesses in Cumbria and sustaining the jobs which they provide.

Following her talk, Gill joined other branch members on a tour of the 130-acre grounds of Skelwith Fold which have received a number of major environmental awards.

Henry Wild said he was delighted that Gill was able to take time to engage with holiday park businesses in the county, and he looked forward to his sector working closely with her in the future.

This is great news for the Cumbrian leisure industry. It seems like it’s in very good hands with Gill Haigh at the helm.

Family Charitable Lifeline To Rural Parks

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By William Coleman

When on holiday it is always handy to take a good first-aid kit with you. For those moments where you cut your finger on the tin of beans or one of the kids takes a tumble and grazes their knee. There are those instances where you may need a bit more than some TCP and a bandage. This family run holiday park group have just spend £5,000 on defibrillators for their 7 sites in the Midlands and Wales.

The move by Hillandale Caravan Parks is to increase the chances of survival and well being of someone who could suffer a cardiac arrest. Heart issues are extremely common and can sometimes come out of nowhere with no real sign or symptoms beforehand. Having defibrillators can be the difference between life and death.

One of the main features of the Hillandale sites are their remote hideaway locations deep in the wilds of the countryside, which means they are not exactly a stone’s throw away from a medical facility. So having these life saving tools on hand can save vital minutes in delivering treatment to a guest while professional assistance arrives.

Having 7 sites with more than 1,000 holiday home and touring pitches means that’s the number of guests at any one time can be that of a village or small town, says Charles Lloyd Jones of Hillandale Caravan Parks.

With a lot of holiday home owners, he adds, being in a higher ar-risk age bracket which is statistically more likely to require the use of a defibrillator.

The defibrillator is one of the best life saving first aid kits available. The equipment has come on in leaps and bounds with the new generation of automatic ones that do around 90% of the work for you. The new one have very clear instruction and built in sensor that detect if the placement of the pads are correct, preventing any kind of accident. In the event of the defibrillator needs to be used it is the most effective when used immediately following a heart attack so waiting for a medical team can be life threatening.

The defibrillators are being supplied by industry leading medical equipment specialists Physio-Control who have provided training to the teams as each park on when and how they should use the the new life saving tools.

Charles, who is a third generation of his family, help move the company in a direction of caravan manufacturing in Wednesbury, West Midlands. The company has been operating for 70 years and has grown to a 7 award-winning holiday parks which are located in placid locations in Shropshire, Worcestershire, Mid Wales and the Welsh Coast.

“Having defibrillators immediately to hand could make a crucial difference, and especially in summer when travelling times are lengthened by traffic volumes,” says Charles.

“The equipment is, of course, something which we hope will never be needed – but we are mindful of its life-saving potential, especially in a remote rural areas.

“Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a major killer in Britain, and a close-at-hand defibrillator on the park could dramatically increase a person’s life chances.

“We’ve already received fantastic feedback from guests, including those who know someone who is vulnerable due to their medical history,” he added.

All seven of the parks are award winning sites and the David Bellamy Conservation Award is among the many accolades they have amassed over the years.

Hillandale’s English parks are Lickhill Manor and Lincomb Lock near Stourport-on-Severn, The Coppice near Worcester, and The Glen in Shropshire.

In Wales, the family owns Borders Hideway near Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Riverbend in Llangadfan near Welshpool, and Morfa Bychan near Aberystwyth.

It is fantastic to see a holiday park company taking positive steps to ensure the safety of it members and guests. Always stay safe when touring and ensure you use responsible sites who care about your well being so you can carry on camping.

There is more information about the parks at www.hillandale.co.uk

Caravan And Camping Club Site Opens For Christmas

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By William Coleman

As winter slowly creeps towards we are all faced with preparing our touring homes, with a tear in our eye, for the cold months. Do not fear as there are now a lot more opportunities for winter camping as The Caravan and Camping Club are opening nearly 30 of their sites across the UK over Christmas. Many of the sites will be holding special events for visitors and what’s more there will be a mixture of pitch types available.

To make the Christmas adventures more festive you can have a nice glass of mulled wine and a few mince pies at the Canterbury and Boroughbridge Club Site or get involved in the special merry celebrations at Bellingham Site in the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park. So you really do have a great christmas selection to choose from this year.

The Bellingham Club Site, which boasts an impressive 70-pitch site on the end of the Northumberland National Park, is a top base for walking. The popular Christmas festivities this year, with mulled wine flowing in the recreation room on Christmas Eve, a Christmas Games Night on 28th December and then a New Year Fizz reception to see 2018 roll in in style. Once you have recovered from the New Year’s Eve antics you can spend a nice New Year’s day at the quiz and film night with popular films shown on the big screen.

For those of you who love to venture, or infact live in, Scotland you can travel to Loch Ness Shores Club is their annual Ceilidh on Hogmanay, while campers at Moffat are invited to join an evening of games and quizzes.

Bob Hill, Sites Director at The Camping and Caravanning Club, said: “Modern camping units are well-equipped to make pitching up year-round even easier and more appealing. Our Club Sites have plenty of hardstanding pitches to make the process of arriving and pitching up easier, so campers can get on and enjoy their festive break sooner.

“There’s nothing better than wrapping up in a blanket to do some stargazing, or taking to the countryside for a good walk during the Christmas period. Our Club Sites are a perfect base to start these adventures and explore something new.”

Advance bookings for Christmas and New Year across the site network are up 31 per cent compared to this time in 2016.

The Camping and Caravanning Club continues to invest in its network of UK Club Sites and build more hardstanding pitches, ensuring more of its 750,000-plus members can be accommodated year-round. It plans to invest a record amount of £7.5 million in its site network ahead of the start of the 2018 camping season.
Camping in the Forest, a partnership between the Forestry Commission and The Camping and Caravanning Club, also has four sites open over Christmas, including Bracelands in the Forest of Dean, Setthorns in the New Forest, Glenmore in the Cairngorms National Park and Postern Hill in the Savernake Forest.
For more information on year-round camping with the Club visit: www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/year-round-sites

For inspiration and advice on where to pitch up for a winter touring break visit: www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/festivecamping

To find out what’s happening on a Club Site near where you live, visit the Club’s What’s On listings: www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/whatson.

To search and book campsites, visit: www.siteseeker.co.uk

Glamping War At Warwick Castle

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By William Coleman

Glamping is great fun for all ages no matter what your interests are. Warwick Castle has a special medieval twist where you get transported to the dark ages for an amazing glamping experience. This Warwick glamping experience has now come under threat from a fierce competitor. Despite the new threat from from a heritage organisation the glamping will continue at Warwick Castle.

The Conservation Area Advisory Forum tried to block the introduction of more luxury tents to the site. The new tents would be located on Foxes Field in the grounds of the castle during the summer months, the block would stop this from happening for another five years.

In 2015 the tents were first introduced have been reduced to 43 to 37 with the shower block number also being reduced from six to three. The Advisory Forum, which happen to have Warwick Society and the Warwickshire Gardens Trust amongst its ranks, said they will still have a destructive effect on the nationally and internationally significant Grade 1 registered castle park.

The fear is that the increased activity will actually hard the site, grounds and overall appearance of the castle and its grounds. The combination of the permanent lodges and the detrimental glamping crowds would result in “an over-intensification’ and give a ‘potentially squalid’ appearance of the site.

There has been a lot of work and thought gone into this proposed development. The Warwick District Council planning officers has said that the potential hard to the castle’s heritage assets has been measured against the potential public benefit. After looking into it thoroughly it was concluded that these new glamping lodges ‘would not adversely affect the historic integrity, character or setting of the listed building or the registered park and garden’.

Nick Blofeld, divisional director of Warwick Castle, said:?“We are delighted to be able to continue offering our seasonal glamping accommodation to visitors to the area.
“Our research shows the castle’s overnight visitors actively engage with local businesses through meals, shopping and entertainment, helping the local economy as well as allowing us to invest more in the preservation of the castle.”
On top of this new development the castle is now considering building a hotel on its grounds. If there was this much hooha regarding the introduction of glamping huts I am sure that a hotel proposition will cause a bit of a battle with the locals.

CAMC Sites In Bloom Award Winners

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By William Coleman

There is nothing more British than a flower show, and that’s a fact. The Caravan and Motorhome Club recognises this and has awarded the Tewkesbury Abbey Club Site in Gloucestershire and Bromyard Downs Club Site in Herefordshire the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s ‘Sites In Bloom’ 2017 Awards.

The award winning site is a short walk away from the delightful town of Tewkesbury, The site is said to be one of the most impressive of the CAMC network. The flourishing site clipped all the competition to bag the prestigious Site In Bloom award in the ‘multi-couple’ category (a set of site staff and two sets of assistant site staff).

There is more than just amazing flowers on display, the site gives easy access to the War of the Roses Battle Trail and boat trips on the river. The site is surrounded on all sides by the amazing greenery of the UK countryside with the famous Abbey towering above. The area is so perfect with mature trees lining the area making it a perfect escape from the day to day grind.


In first place for the ‘single couple’ category (one set of site staff), Bromyard Downs is a pretty woodland getaway in Herefordshire. The site is nestled between the cathedral cities of Hereford and Worcester and offers walks with stunning scenery across the Bromyard Downs straight from the site.
Gowerton Club Site near Swansea took second place in the ‘multi-couple’ category, whilst Kinlochewe Club Site in the Scottish Highlands was runner up in the ‘single couple’ category.

Harvey Alexander, Director of Marketing at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “All of the sites across our network have beautiful grounds, thanks to the incredibly high standards and hard work of our dedicated staff, so the competition is fierce. I would like to thank everyone who took part and wish congratulations to the winners and runners up.”
The Sites in Bloom Awards were introduced in 2003 by Caravan Club Life Member, the late Alan Payne OBE, who wished to recognise the creative and horticultural skills of site staff and volunteers, and to showcase their success in making their sites colourful and welcoming.
The displays were evaluated using criteria including layout and creative use of space, variety, innovation, flair and colour coordination, with particular attention being paid to economy and low maintenance. The geographical location of the site is also taken into account by the judges and the fact that plant species are chosen to suit the local environment.
I have far too many memories from my childhood weekends spent at my aunts who spent years putting together her back and front garden. I saw planted thousands of bulbs and flowers so I know the effort that goes into the designing and upkeep of a flower bed. Well done to the winners, you’ve earned it.

The £1.2M Luxury Motorhome

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By William Coleman

What can you do with £1.2 million? Buy a mansion, buy everything you’ve ever wanted, start a business or buy a luxury 40-foot Volkner Mobil Performance S? It has to be the 40 foot motorhome with a built in garage to store your luxury sports car.

This high end luxury touring vehicle is something that dreams are made off and with a price tag like that you do get something crazy. The mammoth motor is decked out with every spot of luxury you could with for a touring hom and the garage underneath the motorhome where you keep your car is simply amazing. So when you’re touring and fancy a spin around town just a button push away is your car which is shifted onboard with an electro hydraulic lift. You can jump into your sports car and off you go.

The one thing that stands out to me is the space inside. I am used to smaller motorhome and campervan conversions. This giant has its own full sized master bedroom with a wall mounted TV, for those nights where you want to stay in your million pound plus tourer.The kitchen is fully kitted out with a good size dining table, floor to ceiling high storage for your crockery and silverware. The kitchen is almost as large as one you’d find in a normal home and is angled around the motorhome which utilizes the space available very well.

“It is a house on wheels,” says Stephanie Volkner, director of Volkner Mobil GmbH. “Our clients normally have big companies. They want to travel freely. They want to decide when they start their journey, where they can go, not before. ‘They look at the weather and start. They want to live in their own, very personal area.”

So if you do manage to get your hands on be sure to get yourself one of these bad boys. Once you’ve got the keys come and get the CaravanTimes team

(Picture: Volkner Mobil / Caters)

CAMC Announce Certificated Location Award Winners

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By William Coleman

The Caravan and Motorhome Club have announced the winner of its Certificated Location of the Year Award. This year’s winner is Low Moor Head Farm situated in the picturesque Cumbrian countryside. The two runners up are the Meadow Bank Farm on the edge of the New Forest and Welltrough Hall Farm in the Cheshire Countryside.

Certificated Locations (CLs) are privately owned sites that have a maximum five van capacity, which are located across the UK. These sites are open exclusively to Caravan and Motorhome Club members. The CLs are situated in remote locations such as farms, country estates and beside inns.

The CL of the Year Awards are voted for by Club members, something the Club is very good at is interacting and listening to its member. By getting members involved the Club always gets the best of the best because the public vote in their masses, which means you always get a great impartial opinion. The best part about these awards is that they recognise the hard work the owners put into their sites to ensure guests have the best experience possible.

The awards are presented at the House of Commons in recognition of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act (1960) which enables the Caravan and Motorhome Club to grant certificates to landowners to operate CLs.

Grenville Chamberlain, Caravan and Motorhome Club Chairman said: “We are proud to recognise the important part CLs play in both our members’ experiences and as a sustainable form of tourism. Visitors to CLs across the country help contribute towards the local economy by bringing income to the area; many owners have diversified into operating CLs as a means of generating additional revenue. The awards recognise those owners who really go the extra mile for members and provide them with a truly memorable experience. My congratulations go out to all this year’s winners.”

Winner – Low Moor Head

Low Moor Head Farm Certificated Location was opened in October 2005, a tranquil site, set on a working beef and sheep farm with land running from the Duddon Estuary to Kirkby Moor just six miles from the city of Carlisle. The site is exclusively for adults and offers the perfect location for visiting many historic attractions both in England and Scotland, being between two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Northumbria ‘Hadrian’s Wall & the Lake District National park. Guests come from as far afield as New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Holland.

The Site offers five hard standing spacious pitches, set within one acre. It is open all year round and encourages visitors to get out and visit surrounding areas, helping sustain the local economy. There is very good vehicular access with a parking area for both guests and visitors; excellent digital TV reception and free organic free range eggs. Facilities also include heated toilet/ shower and disabled facilities, cycle racks and recycling point.

Low Moor Head Farm also has available an adult only ‘Pheasant Lodge’ luxurious ‘5 star, self-catering accommodation complete with hot tub, for friends! No stranger to winning awards, Low Moor Head was voted second place in the National Award in 2013 and winner of the Regional Awards in 2009, 2010, 2015.

Chamberlain continued: “Low Moor Head Farm consistently goes that extra mile for visitors with the provision of free range eggs, lots of local information and faultless facilities. Owners Owen and Adele have really strived to provide everything guests could possibly want and that includes a very warm welcome – this is a very well deserved win for an incredibly well run site.”

Record Breaking Sales For Salop At The NEC

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By William Coleman

It’s no real surprise that a lot of records were broken at this year Motorhome and Caravan Show. Not only were attendance records smashed but so were sales figures for Salop Leisure.

The industry is in the middle of a boom with touring caravans and motorhome sales up by 45% from last years figures for the Shrewsbury based Salop Leisure. Their new customers came from all over the UK and included a lot first time buyers. On top of all the new customers there was also a lot of existing customers who decided to upgrade their touring homes.

The Salop sales team were out in full force at the show. The team members George Harris, Paul Simpson and Stuart Edwards were on the Swift Group stand to help customer with their buying journey. They were selling new models of the Sprite, Challenger, Conqueror and Elegance touring caravans and Swift motorhomes.

“Our sales team achieved their best ever level of sales on the Swift Group stand,” said Salop Leisure’s operations director Mike Harris. “Their preparations in advance of the show and genuine hard work paid dividends.

“The success at the NEC follows on from our own West Midlands Caravan and Motorhome Show in Shrewsbury earlier this month where sales in the touring and motorhome division were 38 per cent up on the same event last year.

“We are attributing the sales success partly to Swift’s improved range of 2018 models along with the popularity of staycationing due to the weak pound, which are making foreign holidays more expensive and our efforts to ensure that we deliver the highest level of customer service.”

This years show was a huge success for everyone involved and had added a lot more momentum to the already impressive growth of the leisure industry.

Create Your Own Motorhome With Auto Trail

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By William Coleman

Touring all about freedom and the amount of different options available to you when you’re on the open road. You can tailor make your own holiday any which way you want. Now, thanks to Auto Trail, you can create your own motorhome. With so many options available what will you create?

You can now create your motorhome to suit your needs and lifestyle. If you want to go rock climbing at Wyndcliff Quarry for the weekend or take the family on a highland adventure in Loch Lomond you can craft your leisure vehicle to suit all your needs while you’re touring.

When it comes to choosing your touring home it takes a very long time to pick the right one. The time spent on researching what is right for you can almost be a full time job in itself. With so many options and variations you need to be sure what you’re buying is right for you. Auto Trail know all too well what goes into choosing the right one. They are now leading the way on making the choice that much easier.

Auto Trail have now developed a straightforward, user friendly solution that makes finding and tailoring your ideal model an enjoyable and simple process. This is the first time a service like this has been introduced into the industry. “Your Auto Trail” is an added feature on Auto Trail’s website which helps you to decide which motorhome is perfect for you.

Using the filter options available you can go through the different selections and decide on your preferred price, the berths, number of seatbelts and the gross vehicle weight, to then focus on the models that are best suited to you.

After you have found the right motorhome for you it’s time to go through the add ons and upgrades. There are many options at this point, you can choose from engine upgrades, media packs, soft furnishings and leisure batteries.

It is very easy to miss hidden weights that are applicable to a motorhome when making it fit for purpose. For example, when adding an extra passenger, you must consider the weight of the passenger and their personal allowance. This is why Auto Trail’s motorhome builder is so unique and efficient – because the weight calculator will do all of this for you.

Not only does Your Auto Trail add up the combined weight, it also totals up your spend. As you
select your add-ons the calculator will total up the value – so you are always in the know when it
comes to pricing.

Your Auto Trail gives you the option to download and print your specification, providing you with a unique code which your dealer can then access, so they know exactly what you want from your motorhome. Don’t worry, if you change your mind you can always log back into your account and edit as you wish, Your Auto Trail will always save your original build.

The motorhome builder will show you your nearest dealer and allow you to send your specific
requirements to them through the unique code – communicating your necessities quickly and
Efficiently. Your Auto Trail ensures you receive everything you want from your motorhome, keeping it within your preferred requirements and safeguarding you from hidden weights and costs.

This is a great move for the industry, to be able to customise and adapt a motorhome to your specific requirements. This is a game changer for sure.

8 Mile Wildlife Larder Wins Green Gong

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By William Coleman

A Cumbrian holiday park is taking the green initiative seriously and are now part of the small elite group of tourism businesses to win a special green award.

The ground keeping staff at a South Cumbrian holiday park have been dubbed “hedgerow heroes” by television botanist David Bellamy and were given a very rare accolade following their efforts to keep the area as green and luscious as possible.

The Silverdale Park is one of only 15 sites, out of around 3000, to have gained the Special Distinction from Professor Bellamy in his annual conservation awards. What efforts did the site go to, to get this sort after award? The Silverdale site were honoured with the award after they planted 8 miles of new hedgerows throughout 2017 as part of their major environmental project.

David Bellamy has had high praise for Silversale’s initiative. The new greenery that has been planted has given Cumbria’s wildlife “a living larder of rich pickings”, says David Bellamy. It also provides a new breeding habitat for some of the UK’s most loved species like hedgehogs, red squirrels, dormice, butterflies and birds.

Silverdale is one of 6 sites owned by the Holgates group who received the top gold DAvid Bellamy Conservation Award in this year’s round of green honours for the tourism industry. With all 6 sites winning awards it was actually the Silverdale’s 8 miles of new shrubs and trees that were the standout achievement, said David Bellamy.

It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get this award. A lot of manpower and a lot of hours over a 9 month period. Over this time period there were more than just new animal species introduced. There was a wide range of trees planted including the hawthorn, hazel, ash and the oak.

Michael Holgate, whose family business last year marked its 60th anniversary, said the importance of hedgerows could never be understated: “What we see on hedgerows are the nectar-rich blossom in spring and the red berries in autumn – and both, of course, provide valuable food resources for wildlife,” he said.

“But hedgerows also help prevent soil erosion, store carbon to help combat climate change, and help capture pollutants such as agricultural chemicals which run off from fields.

“They are also homes for many birds, animals and insects, and provide vital links across the countryside for wildlife to move about freely which helps keep populations healthy.

“We’re delighted to have joined the small elite of parks with special distinctions, and the award is being dedicated to our hard-working staff who carried out this amazing project,” added Michael.

The Holgates efforts to maintain our green and pleasant land does not stop there. In addition to its own conservation efforts Holgates work closely with bodies such as the RSPB and local red squirrel protection groups.

In addition to its own conservation initiatives, Holgates also works closely bodies such as the RSPB and local red squirrel protection groups to make its parks havens for many protected species.

There is more information about the group’s parks at www.holgates.co.uk