Caravan Times reader spots The Queen at Braemar Gathering

Posted by

by Robert W Reed

Every year in September Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family depart to Balmoral, and during their stay enjoy the festivities at the Braemar Gathering. The event in Aberdeenshire is where thousands of locals, tourists and royal-watchers gather to watch traditional Highland Games including tug-of-war and the tossing of the caber.

Her Majesty is the patron of the Gathering and took her place alongside the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. All stayed to watch performances from Highland dancers accompanied by 11 pipe bands.

This year Caravan Times reader Robert W Reed was in attendance, and he recalls the events of a special day.

I attended the rally organised by the Northern Section of the Caravan Club on the field adjacent to Braemar Castle, which coincides with the Gathering every September. We had been staying at the Invercauld Caravan Club Site earlier that week, and had to move off to the rally field on the Friday as the site was fully booked for that weekend.

My wife and I were in the public stand adjacent to the Royal Enclosure which enabled me to take some great photos of the Royal Family. The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence arrived to warm applause and took their seats in a heather-clad Royal Pavilion. Camilla, the Duchess of Rothsay had another engagement and was not present.

The games were a fantastic event featuring competitions for all ages; young children’s sack races etc, athletic track events, fell races, Scottish and Irish dancing, alongside the usual tossing the hammer and caber. The day also featured an Inter-Services competition of athletics and a tug-of-war.

It was a very full day from 9:30am to 5pm with ongoing entertainment by 11 pipe bands. The town was closed to all but emergency traffic all day, and the 14,000 people in attendance created a friendly and lively atmosphere. I can confidently say that a great day was had by all.

At the end of their visit the Royal party were escorted from the arena in a spectacular parade led by a muster of the eleven massed pipe bands. And as President of the Scottish Caravan Club, the Duke of Edinburgh traditionally slows his car when passing the rally field on his return journey to Balmoral to give the Rally a friendly wave.

Do you have a story that you would like to share with the Caravan Times readership? If so you can click here to get in touch with our news team.

Caravan dealer Salop Leisure posts record sales

Posted by

by Chris Malone

The success of the caravan industry in recent times has been underlined by the latest figures from a Shropshire and mid-Wales-based dealership.

According to the Shropshire Star, Salop Leisure reported record earnings of £4 million for the month of October.

It sold in excess of 100 touring caravans and motorhomes and a similar number of caravan holiday homes last month.

Part of the success may be down to the West Midlands Caravan and Motorhome Show, which the firm hosted during October.

The ten-day event attracted more than 12,000 visitors from around the UK and abroad and was considered a great success.

In other news, the Hartlepool Mail has reported that a derelict caravan has been used as a dumping ground after its owners were evicted six months ago.

The newspaper revealed that a former councillor has complained about the mobile home, which is located at a property on Waverley Terrace.

Swift Challenger caravan stolen from driveway in Witney

Posted by

by Chris Malone

Caravan owners should make sure that their mobile home is fully covered in the event of theft or any other stroke of bad luck.

The case for doing so was once again highlighted last week when a £15,000 caravan was stolen from a home in Long Hanborough.

According to the Witney Gazette, the Swift Challenger 540 was taken from a driveway on Witney Road at 12:55 GMT last Tuesday (November 2nd).

Police are seeking information regarding the crime, which has been linked to a dark blue Vauxhall Zafira.

“This vehicle was seen in the vicinity at the time of the theft and was last seen heading along the Witney Road, towards Witney,” PC Laura Pagan told the newspaper.

She asked anyone who can provide information to come forward while it is still fresh in their mind.

The policewoman added that this could be anything from a sighting of the caravan being towed to being offered the chance to buy the mobile home.

In other news, X Factor contestant Cher Lloyd has revealed that she was brought up in a caravan by her parents who are descendants of Romany gypsies.

Caravan club raises cash for charities

Posted by

by Chris Malone

A caravan club has raised hundreds of pounds for charity as part of its anniversary celebrations.

The Freedom North East 2000 Caravan Club is now in its tenth year and recently held a three-day rally to mark the occasion.

According to the Northern Echo, it conducted a number of fund-raising events and brought in more than £624, which will be donated to the mayor of Durham’s charity fund.

It is not the first time Freedom North East 2000 Caravan Club has raised money for charity.

The club has a history of donations to bodies including the Great North Air Ambulance and Hartlepool and District Hospice.

A check will now be presented to mayor Mamie Simmons at Durham Town hall later this month and club secretary Elaine Bell told the newspaper that the politician’s charity was chosen after members heard of the good work she was doing when she visited the celebration.

“The club’s donation to my charity appeal is very generous and I am grateful to everyone who took part in the fundraising activities,” Ms Simmons told the Northern Echo.

“The money will be well spent by St Cuthbert’s Hospice and Diabetes UK.”

In other news, X Factor star Cher Lloyd has revealed that she spent part of her childhood living in a caravan.

X Factor star Cher Lloyd was raised in a caravan

Posted by

by Chris Malone

X Factor hopeful Cher Lloyd may enjoy performing songs on the show with her own urban twist, but she has revealed that her roots lie not in the city, but in the Welsh countryside.

The young singer spent the early years of her life living in a caravan as a Romany traveller, just as her family had for generations.

Cher is said to have spent some of her childhood in a second-hand tourer from Buccaneer Caravans that was parked in lay-bys around Wales. As a result, children at her school used the playground taunt “pikey” to disparage her Romany lifestyle.

The road to stardom

Aged just 17, Lloyd has already made a name for herself on the show with her fierce renditions of urban classics and her penchant for rapping. She is considered among the front runners to scoop the lucrative record deal prize offered to winners of the X Factor.

However, her uncle Jessy Smith told the Daily Mirror that the star’s upbringing was far-removed from the glitz and glamour she is currently experiencing.

“Cher was just a few months old when they moved out of her mum’s,” he said.

“[Her parents] Diane and Darren bought an old Buccaneer six-berth caravan with plastic windows and a battered Ford Transit Mark II pick-up for £200.”

Mr Smith explained that life was not easy for the young family, but spoke with pride that his niece had made it so far in her quest to become a pop star.

Camping and Caravanning Club win three gold rosettes for 2011

Posted by

by Marcus Dubois

The Camping and Caravanning Club has triumphed again in this year’s David Bellamy Conservation Awards achieving three gold rosettes for 2011.

Club Sites that were lauded for “the exceptional lengths they have gone to in order to protect and enhance the natural environment” are Corfe Castle (Dorset), Delamere Forest (Cheshire) and Oban (Scotland).

The Friendly Club also received a silver rosette for the Chipping Norton Club Site in Oxfordshire.

“A commitment to environmental excellence”

Awards assessor Tom Pridmore commented on the success of the Cheshire site and noted “the commitment to environmental excellence at Delamere Forest is evident on arrival with the park obviously an integral part of the adjacent forest park. The managers are clearly striving to develop and improve the park in harmony with nature.”

Meanwhile, Oban and Corfe Castle Club Sites were also commended by their respective assessors for being good neighbours, as well as for their sustainability and ecological management.

Bellamy himself added: “2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and the sites can be proud of the fact that they are doing vital work for Britain’s environment and wildlife.”

Caravan sites for conservationists

An impressive seventy-seven percent of the Club’s site entries have achieved gold rosettes since the Club first entered the Awards Scheme in 2002.

Bob Hill is the Sites Director of the Friendly Club, and he was proud of the “fantastic achievement” for the Club while immediately looking to the future.

“We are continuously working to develop our site facilities to ensure that they are environmentally friendly and this is a great indication of our efforts so far.”

David Bellamy Conservation Awards are given to those sites that have shown the steps they have taken to; support their local community, manage their land as a haven for wildlife, lessen their use of energy, water and other resources and reduce, reuse and recycle the waste they produce.
The David Bellamy Conservation Award scheme is one of the longest running green tourism awards in the UK and is a joint partnership between the Conservation Foundation and the British Holiday & Homes Parks Association.

If you’re interested in staying on any of the Club’s gold rosette-winning sites, then inquiries can be made via the Club’s Contact Centre on 0845 130 7633 or 024 7647 5426. Alternatively via the website: campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

Next generation of speed cameras to catch multiple offences

Posted by

by Holly Tribe

A new generation of speed cameras is being developed which can detect up to five driving offences at once.

On top of license plate recognition and speeding offences, the Advance Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport (ASSET) cameras can check if the car has valid insurance and road tax cover, and distinguish whether the driver is tailgating and wearing a seatbelt from up to 150 ft away.

Caravanners beware

The developers of the Asset camera are also designing an automated overload control system. Using pads in the road to weight axles and wheels even at high speed and it can determine whether the vehicle is overloaded.

AA president Edmund King, tentatively welcomed the cameras, but indicated that he hoped they would not be deployed as a money making scheme.

“Tailgating is more dangerous in most cases than speeding so I think most motorists would welcome it.”

‘But it needs to be a safety measure, not a money-making machine,’ he added.

How does it work?

Connected to police computers via GPS, the trailer mounted devise can potentially detect misdemeanours and issue a fine instantly.

Two 3D cameras takes multiple images before sending details back to a central database via a satellite system. Images over a month old or that don’t detect any traffic violations are destroyed.

The development of the camera is being funded with £7.1 million of European Commission money and it is currently undergoing trials by the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland.

If tests go well, the camera which is currently mounted on a trailer, will be converted to fit inside police vehicles and used on UK roads from 2013 at a cost of £50,000 per camera.

Ricky Gervais sidekick Karl Pilkington recalls first caravan holiday

Posted by

by Chris Malone

TV and radio funnyman Karl Pilkington has recalled his first memory of a caravan holiday with his family during an interview with the Independent.

The producer told the newspaper that his earliest recollection of being on holiday was at a caravan site in Cornwall with his parents, brother, sister and some cousins.

“It was a battered old caravan that we couldn’t all sit in at one end at once, because it would tip up,” he said. “It was like the end of The Italian Job.”

The comedian explained that Wales is his favourite British travel spot thanks to his frequent visits as a child.

Pilkington added that “messing about on the beach and in arcades” with friends he made on the site was great fun as a kid.

He noted that Rome is his favourite city, thanks to the fact that you can walk around and see lots of famous and interesting sites for free.

Karl Pilkington is perhaps best known for his work with Ricky Gervais and has appeared in numerous shows alongside him.

Caravan fires in Wales highlight need for safety and insurance

Posted by

by Chris Malone

The need for caravan insurance was highlighted by arson attacks in north Wales over the weekend.

According to the Daily Post, police are looking for information on two incidents, which saw caravans in Kinmel Bay and Towyn torched.

The mobile homes were located at Sunnyvale Holiday Park and Whitehouse Leisure Park respectively.

Fire crews attended both incidents, but they were too late to save either caravan.

Both attacks occurred within three miles and 60 minutes of each other, leading officers to believe that they were related.

A third, unrelated attack was reported in Bangor, where a derelict caravan was torched by vandals.

Whitehouse Leisure Park owner Mark Whitehouse called it an “upsetting incident” and revealed how the owner of the caravan was present before the fire started.

“We thank our security guard, staff, residents and the emergency services for their response,” he told the newspaper.

In other news, a family is hoping to use images from Google Street View to help them catch the culprit who stole their caravan.

Caravan theft pictured on Google Street View

Posted by

by Marcus Dubois

Police are appealing to the public for help in tracing a man over the theft of an Abbey caravan – after he was pictured next to the tourer on Google Street View moments before the theft.

The owner of the stolen Abbey Aventura spotted the potential suspect while looking at his house on Google Street View.

The unnamed middle-aged man was recorded by the online search giant’s mapping cameras standing next to what appears to be a forest green Vauxhall Frontera 4×4. Derbyshire Police have issued the snapshot of the large, bald man with spectacles in an attempt to trace him for interview.

Stolen in broad daylight

According to Sky News last year Rebecca Soanes returned to her house in Linton, Derbyshire to find her caravan had been stolen. The white Abbey Aventura was towed away from Cauldwell Road in Linton sometime between the hours of 9.30am and 2pm on June 5th last year. She believes the Google image may have been taken sometime before the theft occurred.

After the stolen caravan worth £7,000 was reported there was initially little evidence to help Derbyshire Police. A forensic examination of the wheel-clamps that had secured the caravan took place, but the investigation failed to reveal any suspects.

Eye in the sky

Yet a stroke of good fortune has helped re-open the case after the owner’s son looked up the family house on Google Street View and spotted the stranger and the 4×4 on the driveway.

Neither Rebecca Soanes or her husband recognise the man and a neighbour who saw the stranger at the time has since said they thought he was a friend of the family.

Unfortunately for the couple vital information contained in the picture is unavailable to the investigation. Mrs Soanes told Sky News Online that police could not obtain the numberplate information from Google. The search engine firm reportedly said unblurred imagery from StreetView is retained for 12 months as part of a process to improve “blurring quality” before it is permanently altered to obscure details.

PC Adrian Mason is investigating the couple’s case and said “It is amazing that we have such a clear image of a man who we think will be able to give us information that would help the police enquiry. It was an amazing co-incidence that the Google Street View car was passing at that time.

“I’ve made extensive enquiries since the image was discovered but because the registration plate of the 4×4 is blanked out we have been unable to trace the man through his car.

“That is why we are appealing for the public’s help.”

Anyone who recognises the man should contact PC Adrian Mason on 0345 123 33 33. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Caravan site generator causes problems

Posted by

by Chris Bryant

A generator installed at a Yorkshire caravan park has caused residents to complain about excess noise.

According to the York Press, tenants at the Osbaldwick caravan park are unhappy with the electrical device, which was installed by the council.

The newspaper noted that residents have asked the local authority to upgrade the electrical supply, but claim it has refused to comply.

One caravanner explained: “The generator breaks down a lot, and we’ve had no hot water since Friday. It’s next to where my kids sleep and it’s quite loud, so when it works, it keeps them awake.”

Problems have reportedly been ongoing for months and include a black-out on Christmas Day last year.

City of York Council explained that it was trying to resolve the problems as quickly as it could and has applied for funding for an upgrade project.

In other news, travel agent Tourdust.com has noted how Scottish camping holidays are becoming more popular.

Family caravan holidays from £101

Posted by

by Chris Malone

Caravan enthusiasts will be given the chance to enjoy a family holiday in the north-west of England next year from just £101.

South Lakeland Parks is offering customers the opportunity to stay at one of its nine sites in the Lake District, Ribble Valley and Morecambe Bay at a discounted rate if they book early.

Those who secure their holiday before January 2nd will be able to do so with a low deposit and will receive a further £10 discount if they book online.

Holidaymakers will also be able to choose their own pitch, meaning that those who book early will be able to stay wherever they wish.

Ideal for families and holidaymakers on a budget, the offer applies to both caravans and lodges, with bedding and fuel supplements included.

Visitors will be able to make use of the heated indoor pools, entertainment, children’s play areas, bars and restaurants during their stay.

Meanwhile, caravanners heading north of the border may be interested in Visit Scotland’s recently-published list of the country’s most haunted venues.