Plastica: Your Partner in Energy-Efficient Pool Management
With increasing global emphasis on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions, many pool owners are seeking smarter ways to lower their environmental impact while saving energy. Plastica, a trusted name in the swimming pool industry for over 50 years, is helping lead that change. With a highly skilled UK-based manufacturing team, Plastica specialises in producing high-quality, made-to-measure reel systems and thermal pool covers for both domestic and commercial applications. Their decades of experience, combined with a commitment to craftsmanship and innovation, allow Plastica to deliver bespoke solutions that help improve energy efficiency, reduce heat loss, maintain water cleanliness, and enhance overall comfort for pool users. Which Cover is Right for You? Plastica manufactures a comprehensive range of heat retention covers, designed specifically to reduce energy loss and minimise evaporation from the water’s surface. 8mm Premium Cover The Plastica Premium Cover, at 8mm thick, offers excellent heat retention, making it an ideal choice for both standard and hydrotherapy pools. It features a tough, blue top laminate made from 100% polyolefin woven fabric and a clear 100-micron embossed film underside. This durable construction ensures years of reliable service. Reinforced hemming around the edges enhances wear resistance and creates a smart finish. Supercover significantly reduces heat loss and chemical evaporation, with proven energy savings of up to 3023%. Most customers experience a return on investment within two years. A streamlined version of the Piggyback, the Mobile Reel System features: Service ContractsPlastica provides 1, 3, and 5-year commercial service contracts to ensure long-termperformance, safety compliance, and cost-effective operation. Contracts include:
Back to back at the Installer Show for SFA Saniflo and Kinedo
SFA Saniflo has gone bigger and bolder again this year at the Installer Show. Stand 4F22 will once again showcase the company’s range of pumps and macerators on one side, with the Kinedo range of shower products on the other. A huge range of products will be on display, including some stunning new additions to the range. On the aesthetically pleasing Kinedo stand, the new range of Solo Design + walk-ins will feature strongly. As well as black, brushed stainless steel and gold frames, there will be examples of some beautiful new glass options, including fluted glass, Mondrian and Art Deco patterns and privacy screens. Accompanying the walk-ins is the new Kinediva shower tray. T his latest cuttable tray in the range includes a striking marine blue version which will be teamed with a new patterned Kinewall Shower panel, Frangipani. The revamped Kinemoon Style shower tray is being showcased alongside additional Kinewall designs that are new to the range. They include the funky Giraffe, the trendy Subway and the stylish Tropical Tile patterns. Whilst more practical in nature, the Saniflo side of the stand will have at least as much interest thanks to the launch of the new Clearwater range of jet pumps, horizontal multi-stage centrifugal and domestic booster pumps. The new Sanijet, SaniMHP and Saniboost pumps have been introduced to provide solutions for the management of clear water. Saniflo has used 70 years’ experience in designing innovative black and grey water discharge solutions to develop a range of products that meet the need to collect, supply and distribute clear water; whether from rivers, ponds, pools, wells tanks and from domestic homes. Sanijet is a range of 5 stainless steel centrifugal surface pumps optimised by a Venturi (jet) system for increased suction up to 8m. Automated for on-demand and self-priming for a simple start, the pumps have a max head between 50 and 54m and max flow rate from 3.6m³ up to 5m³. The SaniMHP is a 10-strong range of multi-stage surface pumps ideal for irrigation, rainwater use and water supply. From the 4-40 through to the 9-50 PC4 model offering max head ranges from 40m to 52m and max flow from 4m³ to 8.7m³, there is a model that will tackle pretty much every clean water movement requirement. With 4 models in the range and max head capacities between 40 – 54m, the new Saniboost range is a domesticbooster pump ideal for optimised and smooth water supply. Max flow from 3.6m³ to 5.2m³ ensures there is a model to increase and regulate the pressure of water collected in most sizes of domestic water tank and the units operate automatically and are particularly suited for low-flow consumption. A Saniboost booster includes a buffer tank that limits the frequent starts and stops of the pump to which reduces noise disturbances. Each model offers guaranteed service pressure on drip irrigation installations or automatic flush mechanisms. Saniboost Smart is a pressurisation unit equipped with a variable speed multi-stage pump, an integrated electronic pressurisation control and a hydraulic shock absorber. A multifunctional water supply system, it can be installed in apartments as well as houses for increasing water pressure and for irrigation. As well as the new Clearwater range, a comprehensive selection of Saniflo’s world-leading range of pumps, macerators and sub pumps will be on display with some working models to demonstrate how quiet and efficient Saniflo products are. Saniflo is looking forward to welcoming current and new customers to stand over the three days of the show. https://www.saniflo.co.uk
Save water, save money
Well-designed and energy-efficient washroom facilities can significantly enhance the overall customer experience for holiday park visitors, while clean, comfortable and modern environments can lead to positive reviews and save water, and save money says Richard Braid, Managing Director of Cistermiser. Offering premium, comfortable and energy efficient washroom facilities sets a holiday park apart from competitors. With more customers becoming environmentally conscious when it comes to choosing holidays and parks needing to manage their impact on the environment, it becomes a key selling point to attract more visitors and increase occupancy rates. Incorporating eco-friendly washrooms can help reduce the environmental footprint of the holiday park while minimising water and energy usage, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism practices. Energy-efficient washrooms can also lead to significant cost-savings over time. The Vecta+ infrared tap and shower ranges from Cistermiser, are modern and smart, designed to curb excess water flow and deliver significant financial savings for customers. The taps combine infrared technology and practical design for a touchless, hygienic experience. They cleverly enhance hygiene, curb the spread of germs and embody efficiency and with an intelligent safety shutoff after 60 seconds of continuous use. Helping to prevent any water wastage or potential flooding, they’re the ideal choice for holiday park operators. With the Vecta+ shower range, customers are investing in lightweight, surface mounted and pre-plumbed shower panels which are ready to be installed. A flow duration set for -30 seconds, means holiday park operators can help to reduce wasted water and save energy, while maintaining reliability and high performance. The range features the Vecta+ Sensor Tap, a deck mounted single supply basin tap and Vecta+ Sensor Spout, designed for wall or panel installation, both include an external solenoid for straightforward maintenance. The Vecta+ Sensor Mixer Tap, is equipped with a side-mounted control for temperature adjustment. Toilets Many holiday parks still waste huge amounts of water – often through outdated and inefficient flushing systems. Uncontrolled urinal flushing, leaking toilets and inefficient cisterns all contribute to rising water bills and unnecessary consumption. One of the biggest culprits of water waste are urinals that flush on a timer, regardless of use. Many older systems are set to flush automatically at regular intervals – often three times per hour, every hour of the day. This means that even when the building is empty, water is being flushed away needlessly. A single urinal with a 7.5-litre cistern can use up to 197 cubic metres of water per year, costing an average of £417 per year. Larger cisterns waste even more. Across many park properties, this can add up to hundreds of thousands of litres of water lost every year. With water costs rising, uncontrolled urinals are becoming an increasingly expensive and unsustainable choice. Installing intelligent urinal controls is one of the most effective ways to eliminate waste and cut water bills. Instead of flushing at set intervals, sensor-based systems only activate when needed. The Cistermiser Direct Flush system, for example, uses infrared PIR sensors to detect when a urinal has been used, triggering a flush only when necessary. It removes the need for the auto-flush cistern and associated plumbing used in traditional urinals. The infrared sensor detects the user at the urinal and flushes two seconds are they depart. The only time the Direct Flush flushes without a user is if there has been no use of the urinal for 12 hours – then the system automatically runs a hygiene flush to prevent odours and the build-up of uric acid in the pipework. Installing Direct Flush is a simple switch that can save up to 182,000 litres of water per urinal per year and pays for itself within nine months. Install 10 and you can expect to reduce costs by £5569 and cut 0.62 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. Beyond urinals, toilets are also a significant contributor to water waste. Leaking cisterns are a widespread issue, often going undetected for months or even years. According to Waterwise, between 5-8% of UK toilets are leaking, wasting an average of 400 litres of clean drinking water per day. A leaking toilet is often caused by seal degradation in flush valves. Traditional drop valves are prone to failure due to scale build-up, wear and tear and debris, leading to constant trickles of wasted water. It’s an issue that’s very easy to miss until a significant leak develops – often only detectable once the leak reaches 300 litres per day and results in higher bills. A simple ‘trickling’ toilet, often difficult to spot, can waste over 200 litres a day while a ‘rippling’ toilet can waste 600 litres at a cost of almost £500 a year. The Cistermiser EasyflushEVO system is a sensor activated dual flush valve that is easy to install in a newbuild or retrofit and has been specifically designed to save water. There is no flush seal below the waterline, so unlike traditional WC flush drop valves, it won’t leak due to scale, debris or degradation of the seal. It saves 146,000 of water per year and £448 per unit. For anyone looking to lower their water bills and reduce maintenance issues, upgrading to direct flush systems offers an immediate and long-term solution. For more information and to view the Vecta+ infrared tap, shower panel and EasyflushEVO range visit https://www.cistermiser.co.uk/
The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show 2025 Returns
To NAEC Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, CV8 2LZ Sponsored by ‘Berkeleyparks’, The UK’s leading dedicated outdoor show for the Park and Leisure Homes Industry returns to the beautiful Stoneleigh showground in Warwickshire on Thursday 5th June this year with the ‘Preview’ day for Parks, Press & Trade, before opening to the Public on 6 – 8 June. Open to Park Owners and Operators, Landowners looking for development opportunities and other Trade visitors working in the Park and Leisure Industry. The exclusive ‘Trade only Preview day’ provides an opportunity in a relaxed atmosphere to explore the massive display of Park and Leisure Homes including many of the latest models from most of the UK’s leading established Manufacturers along with some new to the industry. In addition, and of course most importantly, it’s not just about viewing the homes, but being able to spend ‘one to one’ quality time in privacy and in a professional environment with each individual manufacturer to discover and discuss their new innovations, the latest developments and of course, the best deals available. In addition to the homes there will be a host of companies using the event to showcase their latest related products and services. These include new innovations, designs etc. Such as, ‘Flood Technology Group’ displaying their latest Flood adaptive platform, an exciting launch from ‘Britmet’, new hot tub designs, Decking options, latest power connections and products for Parks plus much, much more. The show provides a great ‘one stop shop’. Everything’s there in one place. It’s a chance to meet old friends and others within the industry. To catch up on latest ideas, see the latest homes and products, chat with the Trade Press and of course a chance to meet and speak with the experts on hand including those from the industry bodies like the NCC and BH&HPA. The ‘Parklife’ catering area provides a relaxing backdrop and delicious range of refreshments for visitors to enjoy and once again, the organisers of the show are pleased to confirm that Entry and Parking are provided ‘Free of Charge’. For those unable to make the Trade Preview Day, don’t worry. The show opens to the General Public from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th June and of course Park Owners and Operators along with other Trade visitors are most welcome on these days. Families and colleagues are of course welcome as are well behaved dogs looking to enjoy the beautiful grounds open to explore. There’s also the recently re-furbished on-site Hotel ‘Stoneleigh Lodge’ for those looking to extend their trip. For further information, please visit www.parkhomeandleisure.co.uk Or contact the organisers on 01789 491451.
Promotion at Salop Leisure
A leading Shropshire caravan, motorhome and leisure company has once again underlined its credentials for nurturing young talent with a promotion on its after sales division. Will Sambrook, 25, has a promotion to, after sales supervisor in Salop Leisure’s holiday homes division, with a mission to further improve customer service, for which the Shrewsbury-based company has won numerous awards over the years. Salop Leisure last year completed the double by being named the UK’s top supplying dealer of both new and pre-owned touring caravans in The Owner Satisfaction Awards 2024 organised by Camping and Caravanning Club members and Practical Caravan magazine readers. The company was also named Swift Group’s Best Overall Dealership of the Year 2024. Will, who lives in Shrewsbury, will also liaise with holiday home manufacturers in his new role. He has worked for the company for three-and-a-half years, beginning at the Love2Stay touring and glamping resort. “I love my job because there is something different and challenging every day, and the people I work with are great,” he said. “I hope to continue growing my career with the company.” Salop Leisure’s chairman Tony Bywater said: “Will is the lifeblood of our business he supervises a team responsible for delivering customer service excellence. It’s vital to the company that we continue to recruit and develop talented young people like Will, who’s an excellent example.” The company, which is based at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, has satellite sales centre in Machynlleth and Stourport-on-Severn. https://www.salopleisure.co.uk
Rosneath Castle Park Won ‘Best Caravan Holiday Park for 2024’
Rosneath Castle Park is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious title of “Best Caravan Holiday Park, of last year, – West Scotland” by Luxlife Magazine as part of their annual Hospitality Awards. This recognition highlights Rosneath Castle Park’s continued dedication to providing exceptional experiences for holidaymakers and residents. Nestled on the stunning shores of Gare Loch, Rosneath Castle Park has long been celebrated for its scenic beauty, top-notch facilities, and warm, family-friendly atmosphere. Upon receiving the award, General Manager Richard Quibell expressed his pride in the park’s achievement: “We are absolutely thrilled to be named the best caravan park in West Scotland. This award is a tremendous honour and a true reflection of our incredible team’s dedication and hard work here at Rosneath Castle Park. Their unwavering commitment to providing exceptional service to our owners, residents, and holiday guests is what makes our park so special and deserving of this recognition.” This award marks a significant milestone for the team at Rosneath Castle Park, reflecting their consistent efforts to offer a high standard of service and memorable experiences. Whether welcoming long-term residents, returning owners, or first-time holiday guests, the park remains a go-to destination for those looking to explore the beauty and serenity of Scotland’s west coast. About Rosneath Castle Park Located just 45 minutes from Glasgow, Rosneath Castle Park offers the perfect blend of peaceful, scenic surroundings and modern amenities. With a variety of holiday homes and pitches for static caravans, as well as facilities that cater to families, couples, and individuals, the park continues to be a favourite spot for nature lovers and holidaymakers seeking a tranquil escape. About Luxlife Magazine Hospitality Awards The Luxlife Magazine Hospitality Awards celebrate businesses and establishments that demonstrate exceptional dedication to customer service and excellence across various sectors in the hospitality industry. Being recognized by the awards is a testament to the outstanding quality that guests can expect from the winners. For more information on Rosneath Castle Park, please visit www.rosneathcastle.co.uk
Screening the boundaries: planting to avoid disputes
Do you get on with your neighbours? Most of us would like to say yes, but it is human nature to be irritated by certain things about those closest to us. Increased traffic or noise, or even just an aversion to change may lead to issues, and one area which often leads to problems is that of shared boundaries. Some problems can simply be avoided by knowing exactly where the boundary is and, where there is a wall, fence or hedge, knowing who that “belongs” to and who is responsible for the maintenance of it. If the responsibility is yours you may have a right to access to carry out essential maintenance, but it is always worth having a discussion with the neighbour to come to an agreement about this. If trees or other vegetation on or near the boundary cause dispute, you are probably aware that you have the right to prune any growth which overhangs onto your side of the boundary, such as an overhanging tree branch, but did you know that you must offer the prunings back, otherwise you could be accused of theft? However, if you simply throw the prunings back into your neighbour’s garden and they land on something, causing damage, you could also be liable for that. However, if you had not pruned off the overhanging branch, and it broke off in a storm and damaged something on your side of the boundary, your neighbour may be liable for the damage! Clearly this is a thorny subject (no pun intended), but if you find yourself in a dispute with a neighbour you really should seek professional legal advice, but every site-owner should have a basic awareness of their responsibilities and liabilities. One aspect of this that customers come to us for every day on the nursery is when privacy and screening is involved. Overlooking windows, to provide privacy from communal areas of your site, to reduce light pollution, or any one or combination of other factors may lead to tension with people neighbouring your site, but the legal situation there isn’t always as simple as you might think. Under current English law no-one has the right to a view and even the “right to light” isn’t as clear cut as it used to be. As is often the case, there is no one single ideal solution to providing screening for privacy as so many factors will dictate the possibilities. But, as well as the physical and aesthetic limitations of what could you grow there, with a little consideration and common sense it is also worth thinking about what should you grow? Trees and other vegetation for screening unwanted views, for security, and for providing privacy from neighbours, amount to a significant percentage of the enquiries we handle on the nursery on a day to day basis and there are a number of ways to tackle the issue of privacy. For ground-floor eye-level issues a six foot fence or wall is fine, but you would normally need planning permission to erect anything much taller than this. You could plant a hedge, but two or more evergreens planted closely enough together as to form a solid screen could potentially be actionable under the “high hedge legislation” (which was actually an amendment to the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, 2003) if they are allowed to grow above two metres, particularly if they cast shade on a neighbour’s property, so providing privacy can prove more challenging than at first thought. One unusual solution to privacy problems might be the use of “pleached” trees. Pleaching is an old term which relates to the training of trees into unusual shapes for a particular purpose (for instance there is reference to an avenue of pleached fruit trees in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing), but these days it is largely used when a tree or large shrub is trained horizontally on tiers or fanned out on a flat panel, above a tall clear stem, to give a two-dimensional effect, rather like a narrow hedge on a stick! This allows dense screening above a wall or fence without taking up as much space as a solid hedge or unclipped tree might. On our nursery we pleach all sorts of different trees, and we even use “standard” trained evergreen shrubs such as Laurel to produce evergreen screening when the job is appropriate for it, but by far our most popular pleached tree is Hornbeam. Carpinus betulus, or Common Hornbeam, is ideal for pleaching as its branches are pliable and easy to train (as long as training is carried out at the right time of year that is), is not too slow growing but isn’t problematically vigorous, easily forms a dense, twiggy mass when regularly pruned, is hardy, and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Hornbeam grows well on heavy soils, even tolerating short periods of waterlogging, especially during winter, making it a good choice on sites too wet for the majority of evergreens. It has soft leaves with a vivid apple-green colour in spring, which turn golden-yellow in autumn. However, the one feature of Hornbeam which really makes it popular as a pleached tree for screening is its “ever-brown” property, more properly called marcescence. By that I mean that it retains a percentage of the dead leaves during winter, a bit like a Beech hedge does, although Hornbeam comes into new leaf much earlier in spring than Beech does, is better suited to heavy soils than Beech, tends to be more flexible for training, and is faster growing than Beech. Like Beech, this winter leaf retention only happens in the juvenile stage of growth, so regular pruning is required to maintain this, and the leaf retention varies from one plant to another, and can also be lessened on more exposed sites, but nonetheless this “ever-brown” property is very useful for screening, but it is still essentially a deciduous plant and as such is largely exempt from the legislation which might potentially restrict evergreen hedges. Pictured:
Shrewsbury MP pays visit to Salop Leisure
Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley has praised award-winning caravan and motorhome dealership, Salop Leisure, following a visit to the business during English Tourism Week. Dr Buckley, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Markets, was taken on a guided tour of Salop Leisure, Love Plants garden centre and Love2Stay, the company’s award-winning touring and glamping resort. “I was delighted to receive a tour of Love2Stay and Salop Leisure by general manager Darren Brown as part of English Tourism Week.,” she said. “What a fantastic contribution they are making to our visitor economy, a thriving business proud of its reputation for high quality customer services.” Dr Buckley was keen to hear about the company’s latest £750,000 investment on five new holiday lodges at Love2Stay and the challenges and opportunities facing the business, which supplies caravan holiday homes to more than 200 parks across the Heart of England and Mid Wales. Salop Leisure is also one of the UK’s leading dealerships for touring caravans, motorhomes and campervans. The company recently retained the title of UK’s top supplying dealer of pre-owned touring caravans in Owner Satisfaction Awards 2025 based on surveys undertaken by Camping and Caravanning Club members and Practical Caravan magazine readers. Mr Brown said: “The visit went very well, generating a lot of positivity. It was a great opportunity to show the MP for Shrewsbury around our growing business and to discuss the role we play in the tourism industry.” Theme of this year’s English Tourism Week, which ended on Sunday, was ‘Supporting people and places to drive growth’. Generating £106 billion and supporting 2.6 million jobs, the English tourism industry makes a significant contribution to the rural economy, supporting village shops, businesses and services in counties like Shropshire. Tourism in Shropshire generates more than £895 million and attracts more than 10 million visits annually. There are more than 840 businesses in the county’s tourism sector, employing around 7,000 people. Shrewsbury MP Dr Julia Buckley viewing amotorhome with Salop Leisure’s general manager Darren Brown during her visit on Saturday. Shrewsbury MP Dr Julia Buckley with Salop Leisure’s general manager Darren Brown with the new Severn View Lodges at Love2Stay in the background.
Retrofit 2025 at the Building Centre
Saniflo is delighted to announce a six-month collaboration with the Building Centre as a Principal Partner for ‘Retrofit 2025 – What’s Stopping Us’. As well as a static exhibition in the organisation’s central London location, there is a full programme of in-person and online events for the duration of the campaign, which is designed to help navigate the barriers and opportunities in the retrofit sector of the built environment. Retrofit 2025 aims to show that tools and solutions to transform existing buildings already exist and to encourage architects, construction professionals, the housing sector, Government and local authorities to take the next steps. With plenty of experience in supporting change of use projects over many decades, Saniflo and sister brand, Kinedo, have not only placed products in the static display ‘house without walls’, but contributed case studies detailing how their products have enabled change of use conversions in the housing and educational sector. Pods adjacent to the static display highlight how a former office building was transformed into apartments in Peterborough, using Kinedo shower cubicles in the bathrooms, whilst a former bank was converted into a world-class dental training school with the help of a number of Saniflo pumps and macerators. A Kinedo Kinemagic Design all-in-one shower cubicle is featured in the ‘house without walls’ along with a Sanicompact WC, which is a space saving, cisternless WC with integrated macerator. The shower cubicle is swift to install and – thanks to its unique design and assembly – requires no tile or grout to create a watertight environment. Consisting of internal glass panels, that sit over the upstands of the shower tray, glass external panels and door, the shower is supplied as a single package complete with shower, valve and handheld shower. Ready to use from the moment it’s installed because no follow-on trades are required, it saves on both specification and installation time. The Sanicompact is ideal for small bathrooms that cannot discharge waste via gravity. The integrated macerator means that no cistern is required and it can also discharge waste from a basin. Amanda Mills, Marketing Manager at Saniflo, has overseen the collaboration and is pleased to partner with Retrofit 2025; “This is a sector that lends itself very well to our products and one we have worked in for a long time. There is definitely more emphasis today on retaining and converting buildings for new uses. Our pump range, in particular, enables developers to discharge waste when traditional gravity drainage infrastructure can’t or is too expensive. Saniflo’s range extends from pumps for single bathrooms or kitchens, through to pumps for whole buildings, or multiple small buildings. Retrofit 2025 offers us a great opportunity to reach a bigger audience to share our products and knowledge. We’re looking forward to attending as many in-person events as possible and to using the facilities at the Building Centre for our own customers.” https://www.saniflo.co.uk
