David Amess, MP, has hailed the Caravan Club as “the finest club in the world” as the House of Commons threw open its doors once again to host the Certified Location of the Year awards.
Introducing the Club’s annual awards ceremony at Westminster Palace, Amess added “it’s very cool to caravan now”.
Grenville Chamberlain, the Caravan Club’s Chairman, reiterated the need for celebration, announcing their plans to open an Olympic Park in Essex to serve as a temporary campsite in August, but also warned of the affects that higher petrol prices would have on the club.
Certified Locations are privately owned sites which hold no more than five caravans at a time. Often situated in remote locations, sometimes near farms or stately homes, they generate significant income for the surrounding area.
Also on hand to present the awards themselves, was Dan Jarvis MBE MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, no stranger to caravanning himself he praised the British pastime; “Caravanning has been a way of life for generations of people and long may it continue.”
The winners this year were first time attendees to the annual ceremony, Tony and Maria Potts, from Walnut Lakes CL, in Algarkirk, Boston. Located within the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside their CL is often visited for fishing but the surrounding area has plenty to offer including an award winning village, Sutterton, and a bird watching hotspot.
The couple have been running their site for five years now and stunning views across the water have ensured visitors often stay in touch and revisit.
Runners up were Bruce and Ann Regimbal from Hillcroft CL, near Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire, returning for their third award. Third place went to Keal Lodge CL, also in Lincolnshire and run by Keith and Alison Rogers bringing the site’s total to eight awards in 15 years.
After presenting the awards, Jarvis also highlighted the Caravan Club’s economic value, emphasising the annual £400m local expenditure by Caravan Club members. The Caravan Club has more than 1million members and he quipped that is “the kind of membership that political parties can only dream of”.
