Caravan tax protestors threaten Westminster road block

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by Tom Lowenstein

With the caravan tax protests now gathering pace, protesters from Scotland have threatened to take their holiday homes to London and form a road block at Westminster if the government refuses to reconsider its controversial budget decision.

Campaigners recently met Russell Brown, the Labour MP for Dumfries and Galloway, to get advice on how best to get the government to reverse its decision.

Following Mr Brown’s advice, they have decided to petition other MPs to gain support for the Early Day Motion set to be presented in the House of Commons, but have not ruled out taking direct action if necessary, ITV reported.

It is thought that if 20 per cent VAT is added to touring caravans it could decimate the industry, cutting sales and potentially costing thousands of jobs in the tourism industry.

Speaking after the “very fruitful” talks with the Labour MP, Duncan McCready from D&M Leisure Parks told the national broadcaster that they would not back down.

“This campaign’s not stopping here. We will take these caravans to London,” he said.

“We will have the city of London blocked up and this Prime Minister and his coalition government must take notice.”

Meanwhile, the Hull MPs who launched the Downing Street petition against the caravan tax recently extended the deadline to gather signatures before the Early Day Motion goes before the Commons on May 25th.

At the time of writing, the petition against the proposed rise in caravan tax had attracted 10,393 signatories. To add your name to the petition, click here.

Portsmouth ‘Arson attack’ destroys two caravans

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by Tom Lowenstein

Police in Portsmouth are investigating the cause of a fire that completely destroyed two caravans and threatened to spread to nearby cars.

Neighbours watched in horror early on Monday morning after the caravans, which were parked together on a residential driveway, were engulfed by a fireball and their tyres exploded.

It is believed that they were deliberately set on fire at around 6am, Portsmouth News reported.

Lorraine McLeod, who lives next door to the caravan owners, told the newspaper that they were shocked to wake up and find the caravans ablaze.

“We rushed to move the cars out of the way,” she said. “The fire was right next to them and I was worried they could catch.

“It was really roasting and there’s hardly anything left of the caravans.”

Eight firefighters from Southsea rushed to the scene to put out the flames, spending around half an hour tackling the fire.

The case is now with Hampshire Constabulary, who say they are investigating it as suspected arson.

VIDEO: Why luxury spec comes as standard on the Elddis Aspire motorhomes

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by Chris Jefferies

When it was launched back in 2010, the Elddis Aspire motorhome range certainly turned heads, with its bold modern styling.

Looking beyond the looks, there is plenty to pine after in this range – with luxury features such as air conditioning, Alde central heating and even reversing cameras with night-vision.

With some luxury motorhomes you have to pay extra for these premium touches, but Elddis has made a point of ensuring that everything you could ask for comes as standard.

In this video special, CaravanTimes heads to Elddis HQ in County Durham to find out how this premium range came about and how it manages to keep discerning motorhomers happy.

Rob Quine, Managing Director at Elddis, explains the thinking behind the range, while R&D Manager Alan Bateman talks us through some of the luxury specifications that all come as standard.

Prices in this luxury motorhome range start from £43,899 for the two-berth Elddis Aspire 215, rising to £49,999 for the four-berth Elddis Aspire 265

What kind of job does the typical caravan owner have?

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by Tom Lowenstein

Teachers are the most likely of all professions to own a caravan, a new study has revealed.

Insurance database manager The Trading Floor analysed information about 8.8 million motorists in the UK, comparing their occupation and vehicle ownership to come up with the top ten jobs of caravan owners.

Perhaps surprisingly teachers came out on top; with engineers, company directors, police officers and civil servants making up the rest of the top five.

The Trading Floor’s managing director Chris McDonald said that the results showed just how popular caravan holidays are with a diverse range of people.

“There are many stereotypes associated with caravan owners but our figures reveal that there is a real cross section of people who have fallen for the charms of caravan ownership,” he said.

Around two million caravans go touring around the UK every summer and, while many caravanners are retired, the professions of those still working shows that the unlimited range of different holidays on offer makes the pastime popular with all kinds of people.

The rest of the top ten was made up of nurses, builders, factory workers, sales assistants and mechanics.

Elddis to bring Crusader Diamond Jubilee caravans to NCCW

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by Tom Lowenstein

The countdown to Diamond Jubilee weekend (June 2nd to 5th) is now well and truly underway, and thousands of caravanners across the country will be heading off to celebrate the event at their favourite site.

In amidst the royal celebrations and events that will be taking place, the weekend coincidentally falls at the start of National Camping and Caravanning Week so the Camping and Caravanning Club has decided to attempt a new Guinness World Record at its sites across the country.

Caravanners at each of the Club’s 130 sites will be asked to attend an event and wear a celebratory paper crown, in a bid to set a record for the most number of people wearing one in multiple locations.

With the club set to orchestrate the record attempt from its Sandringham site, Durham caravan maker Elddis has announced that it will be bringing its coveted Crusader Diamond Jubilee Special Edition caravans along to the Royal Estate.

As the company’s marketing and communications manager Rachel Moncrieff explains, the timing could hardly be better.

“These touring caravans exude cutting-edge style inside and out and have so many innovative features and creature comforts they’re not just a home-from-home – they are more like a palace,” she said.

VIDEO: Dunster House explains the three clever Concordia layouts

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by Chris Jefferies

Space and layout are key considerations when choosing a caravan for your holiday, so you may be pleased to learn that the latest layouts for the Concordia range of luxury caravans promise to be Dunster House’s most practical yet.

CaravanTimes has travelled to Bedford to speak to Dunster House and find out what makes their new layouts so good.

In this video Matthew Rickard explains how the new layouts have been created, based on feedback from the previous Stealth Caravans range and using all the most popular elements in the new Concordia designs.

The range features the two-berth Harmony, the four-berth Serenity and the five-berth Tranquility, all of which have improved layouts to ensure everyone on board has plenty of space.

Prices in the Dunster House Concordia range start at just £17,000 and MTPLM weights range from 1,300kg to 1,500kg.

For a virtual 360-tour of the Dunster House Concordia Serenity, click here

Survey names Sheffield as the caravan capital of the UK

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by Tom Lowenstein

A new survey by caravan insurance experts Safeguard UK has named Sheffield as the country’s caravan capital.

According to the study, more people own caravans and motorhomes in the South Yorkshire city than anywhere else in the UK and the research also found it to be the perfect spot for a touring holiday, the Press Association reported.

The city’s proximity to the Peak District National Park, North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales also makes it stand out as a top destination for caravanners, the study found.

After Sheffield, caravans are most popular in Portsmouth, with Nottingham, Peterborough, Bristol and Birmingham following behind.

Speaking to the news agency Andy Leech, head of Safeguard UK, said that one of the reasons for the success of caravans in Yorkshire is that residents live a long way from the coast so they are more likely to take a touring trip to seaside areas.

“Residents in central London probably struggle to store a caravan or motorhome as space is limited in the capital, so it’s no surprise that there is such little concentration of caravanners in those areas,” he added.

Whitby caravan explosion leaves two in hospital

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by Tom Lowenstein

A man and woman in their 50s are being treated for severe burns following a caravan explosion at a farm in Goathland, North Yorkshire.

Police suspect that a gas leak was responsible for the explosion, which completely destroyed the touring vehicle when it happened on Monday last week.

Neither of the victims have been named, but police confirmed that a 55-year-old man from Whitby was rushed to Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary with burns covering 30 per cent of his body.

The woman, 51, was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough. Her injuries are not thought to have been as severe.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police revealed that the explosion occurred inside the caravan.

“A joint police and fire service investigation has begun to establish the cause of the explosion,” they said.

“However, at this stage it is not being treated as suspicious and no one else is being sought in connection with the incident.”

VisitEngland winner heading off on 70-day campervan tour

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by Tom Lowenstein

A nationwide search for England’s Biggest Fan has found its winner and the lucky lady is now packing her bags in preparation of a 70-day all-expenses paid tour of the country.

Lancashire lass Rachel Kershaw, 30, won VisitEngland’s Fan in a Van competition after demonstrating her unparalleled love of all things England and her prize is the epic trip, complete with courtesy campervan from O’Connors Campers.

Starting her journey in Land’s End next week, Rachel will travel the length and breadth of the country thanks to the national tourist board, parking her motorhome in many different Camping and Caravanning Club Sites along the way.

“This is the challenge and opportunity I’ve been waiting for,” Rachel said.

“I can’t think of anything better than travelling around England in a vintage camper van and discovering new places.”

Judges including author Martin Dorey and travel journalist Sally Shalam chose Rachel out of sacks of entries because of her contagious enthusiasm for England and staycationing.

“Her enthusiasm and passion for her home country is truly infectious,” said VisitEngland Chairman Lady Cobham.

Rachel will be will be blogging and tweeting about her adventures as she goes, so follow her at @faninavan or visit www.visitenglandblog.com to keep up to date with all her goings on.

REVIEW: Charming caravan e-book offers a glimpse into 1930s touring habits

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by Maeve O’Donnell

A Caravan Holiday in 1932: A trip down memory lane on two wheels is a great little book for anyone that has ever been on a caravan holiday in recent or far gone years. The book is based around Len Smith’s diary of a trip taken with his wife and two friends in the summer of 1932 and tells of their travels across the country.

Len Smith was an illustrator, both commercially and during the war, and the illustrations he uses to decorate his diary entries are a great addition to the story.

Setting off on August 27th from Woodford, Len and his fellow caravanners make their way through Alysbury, Gloucester, the Forest of Dean, Weston Super Mare and Lyme Regis, pitching up on various farmers and getting to know the locals.

A very detailed account of each meal is provided, because as Len points out “this is real”, unlike a story where people are never shown to eat. Or perhaps Len is just showing where his priorities lay on the trip.

Unfortunately their summer trip is cut short when one of Len’s friends falls ill: “With good health and good weather a caravan holiday is marvellous. When illness comes and it’s wicked weather.well.”

Despite this, it is clear the group have enjoyed their time caravanning and this book is a really great insight into the simple pleasures of a caravan holiday, as experienced 80 years ago.

The backdrop of this diary is interwar Britain, a surprisingly good time for the caravan industry.

The 1930s saw the production of caravans double and in just ten years the trade went from quirky and pricey to a popular way to escape the “grim realities of interwar Britain”. The outbreak of the Second World War did halt production but by that time caravans had established themselves as a popular way to holiday.

The diary is supplemented with drawings, recipes and the occasional advert from the time, as well as the short history of caravanning which all together make the perfect piece of nostalgia for anyone who has ever stayed in a caravan.

A Caravan Holiday in 1932 is available as an e-book from the Amazon store for £4.99. To find out more, click here.

MPs extend caravan tax petition deadline

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by Tom Lowenstein

MPs campaigning to overturn the government’s widely condemned caravan tax have extended the petition’s deadline and called on people across the country to back the move.

Seven MPs from Hull are leading the Early Day Motion and have launched a petition on the Downing Street website, with thousands of people signing their names so far.

Yet with the House of Commons not due to hear the Early Day Motion until Friday May 25th, they have extended the deadline on the petition in the hope of gathering national support for the campaign, the Hull Daily Mail reported.

Over 40 members of parliament from across the political parties have signed the motion, but Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart has called on people nationwide to sign the petition and write to their MPs in a bid to force them to add their names too.

“What we need is for constituents across the country to start lobbying their MPs by signing the petition,” he told the newspaper.

“MPs listen to their constituents. Their letters are always at the top of my in-tray and if people can be mobilised to sign the petition that will make their representatives sit up and listen.”

It is feared that thousands of jobs could be lost in the caravan industry and the nation’s tourism industry would be profoundly damaged if the government’s move to add VAT to caravans goes ahead.

The move would affect all static caravans and some touring caravans, such as the Bailey Retreat and the Welsh-made Fifth Wheel tourers. As a result, the VAT on these items would be raised to 20 per cent.

What’s more, research suggests that as many as 7,000 people could be made unemployed if the caravan tax gets the go-ahead, with much of these lost in East Yorkshire where many manufacturers are based.

At the time of writing, the petition to scrap the proposed rise in caravan tax had attracted 9,788 signatories. To add your name to the petition, click here.

Caravan Club National Rally 2012 cancelled due to waterlogged site

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by Maeve O’Donnell

The Caravan Club is sorry to announce that due to recent weather this year’s National Rally is cancelled.

Preparation and set-up for the rally was due to begin this week but since the site is waterlogged, after heavy rainfall, it has been impossible to start building the necessary infrastructure, the Club said.

The situation has been so bad that no vehicles can currently manoeuvre across the site, they added.

The forecast for the National weekend (4th and 5th June) was for more rain which confirmed the Club’s decision to cancel the much-anticipated event, which was due to take place at Eastnor Castle in Ledbury.

The Caravan Club has issued a statement saying: “We have made this decision in the best interests of members and The Club as a whole.”

If you have already booked to attend this event The Club is offering a full refund in fees and entertainment ticket costs.

However, they were keen to reminder caravanners that there are still spots for the Bank Holiday weekend at Certified Location spots and Centre Rallies across the UK.

In other news, the Club has announced that the 2013 National Rally will take place at Belvoir Castle in Grantham.