Club sites invite members to celebrate festivities
The Camping and Caravanning Club will welcome campers through to the end of the year. Ten Club Sites in the UK will remain open until early January, while 16 more are open all year-round. Many of these Club Sites are also holding special events to help campers make the most of the festive period. Darren Whittington, Director of Operations, said: “More Club Members are choosing to camp later in the year and we are extending our site opening periods to accommodate this. “The Club is committed to ensuring all our sites are well-equipped for winter touring so that they can continue to stay open throughout the entire year.” What’s more, a number of Club Sites are also embracing the spirit of Christmas. Mulled wine and mince pies will be served at both Blackmore (Worcestershire) and Boroughbridge (North Yorkshire) on Christmas Eve. Darren added: “Our Club Sites offer a warm, Friendly Club welcome where campers will be able to really get into the Christmas spirit.” The Club also has several sites close to Christmas markets that are perfect for a mid-winter break and shopping for gifts, such as Salisbury, Canterbury and Oxford. Camping in the Forest, one of the Club’s brands, also has four sites across the UK that are open year-round. These include Bracelands (Forest of Dean), Setthorns (New Forest), Glenmore (Cairngorms National Park) and Postern Hill (Savernake Forest). In addition to the Christmas camping opportunities, there are several Club Site events for Halloween. The Site Team at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire is hosting a number of Halloween-themed events throughout the October half-term. A spooky treasure hunt, a ‘pimp-your-pumpkin’ session, and a competition for the spookiest site pitch are just some of the activities to expect. The following sites are open throughout the year: • Blackmore, Worcestershire• Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire• Canterbury, Kent• Chertsey, Surrey• Conkers, Derbyshire• Delamere Forest, Cheshire• Devizes, Wiltshire• Hertford, Hertfordshire• Keswick, Cumbria• Kingsbury Water Park, West Midlands• Loch Ness Shores, Scotland• Moffat, Scotland• Oxford, Oxfordshire• Tavistock, Devon• Teversal, Nottinghamshire• Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire Club Sites with extended opening include: • Bellingham, Northumberland: Closes 5 January 2020• Braithwaite Fold, Lake District: Closes 2 January 2020• Cheddar, Somerset: Closes 5 January 2020• Derwentwater, Lake District: Closes 2 January 2020• Polstead, Suffolk: Closes 6 January 2020• Salisbury, Wiltshire: Closes 3 January 2020• Sandringham, Norfolk: Closes 6 January 2020• Scone, Perthshire: Closes 2 January 2020• Winchcombe, Gloucestershire: Closes 6 January 2020• Windermere, Lake District: Closes 14 January 2020 For more information on all of the winter camping on UK Club Sites visit www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/year-round-sites.
Working in partnership to create outstanding holiday experiences
When it comes to knowing what makes the perfect holiday park, the Simmons family are experts. Nestled in the heart of East Sussex, Crowhurst Park Holiday Village has been part of life for the Simmons family since 1949. Budding entrepreneurism saw the family diversify and open the site as a holiday park in 1952, making the most of the beautiful surroundings and welcoming holiday makers to its idyllic location. The park is consistently developed with a long-term view in mind; every improvement has to be sustainable and ecologically friendly. The current managing partners; Colin Simmons, Susan Cordall and Eunice Simmons joined forces with Premier Parks Services and DekBoard to provide truly robust, sustainable and attractive decking solutions for its customers, helping to create outstanding holiday experiences. Premier Parks Services put a huge emphasis on delivering a first-class service, which is why Crowhurst Park Holiday Village rely on them as their first choice in decking supply and installation. Their partners, DekBoard have 40 years manufacturing experience across 3 factories, and 10 plus years’ experience in the manufacture of PVC and composite decking and share Premier Parks Services’ ethos of providing a professional and reliable service. It is vital to Crowhurst Park Holiday Village that they have reliable partners that share their values and philosophy, to keep their 7000 annual guests happy. Colin Simmons commented “We have worked with Dan King and his team at Premier Parks Services for about 7 years now. They design and install all our decks and verandas as they are our preferred installer of decking and skirting products. They service all our new rental lodges when they are sited and retro fit decks and skirts to some of our older caravan stock.” “They are very professional, and arrive when they say they will, do a good job and leave the area clean and tidy afterwards. They have enough teams on the road that can always call in if any issues occur from an aftersales perspective. Alongside this, DekBoard’s reliable service and quality products enable Premier Park Services to continue their reputation of producing timely and quality decking solutions.” Recent installations at the holiday park have seen Premier Parks Services fitting DekBoard decking and balustrade systems. Colin added “The DekBoard product is well made, robust, colour fast and very slip resistant, probably the best on the market for preventing slips and falls due to the anti-slip nature of the product. The sustainability of the products fits in nicely with our beautiful location and surroundings. Stylish decks allow the holidaymakers to enjoy the extra outdoor space for socialising, and generally enhance their holiday experience”. After the success of last year’s show, DekBoard will be exhibiting at the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show on 6th and 7th November at the NEC, Birmingham. You can arrange an appointment to speak to DekBoard by clicking on the following link: https://www.dekboard.co.uk/caravans-holiday-homes/holiday-park-resort-show-2019
Legislation on air conditioning in sports facilities
Using the facilities at a gym or leisure centre will inevitably lead to sweat, whether through a workout or after a trip to the sauna. In order to avoid overheating, a well-maintained air conditioning unit can help during a rigorous exercise regime in order to improve performance. But what is the optimum temperature for your leisure facility? What legislation is in place to keep clients’ workouts at the optimal temperature? We explore the matter, as well as looking into the risks poor temperature control can pose to gym-goers. Duty of care In regards to the Health and Safety Executive, there are currently no established regulations that target gym or leisure centre temperatures specifically, although the generic health and safety legislation covers the vast majority of other safety requirements at the gym. So despite there being no fixed regulations which apply specifically to indoor leisure spaces, we can base an estimate upon the minimum workplace temperature requirements as an estimate to establish how we can achieve the optimum temperature for these environments. The Approved Code of Practice recommends 16°C as the base level for a workplace, with work requiring “rigorous physical effort” at 13°C. Again, this isn’t a legal requirement, but it gives an idea of what an optimum temperature is for comfortably engaging in physical activity. Take a look at these guidelines on optimum temperatures provided by Sport England, tailored to fitness and exercise spaces: • Fitness Gym – 16°C to 18°C (60°F to 64°F) in the summer, with “comfort cooling” as needed. • Studios – 18°C (64°F), with a slight summer rise acceptable. Risks of high temperatures in the gym When your gym is too hot, you are likely to have worked up a sweat before you even get going on your session. Plus, it’s a risky activity; dehydration and heat stroke are notable risks of working out in an overheated gym. But even just sweating too much can be a problem. We Be Fit notes that while over-sweating can cause gym-goers to notice an extra pound of weight loss at the end of their workout, the weight lost is fluids from sweating and will be negated with a drink. The article suggests that working out in an overheated gym for a long period can result in a 50% less effective workout! All that sweating for nothing. Risks of low temperatures in the gym While it’s unlikely that your gym will be too cold, this does happen sometimes and it is just as problematic as sweltering away in a poorly ventilated gym. My Inner Go produced some conclusions regarding the pros and cons of working out in a cold environment and found that chilly temperatures brought with it a higher risk of injury. This is because muscles tend to seize up in the cold (which is why warming up before physical activity is so important). The website offered a great analogy for cold muscles: consider them like Play-Doh! When Play-Doh gets cold, it goes stiff and doesn’t stretch, it just snaps. But warm Play-Doh is stretchy and flexible. How to keep gym and leisure centre temperatures perfectly regulated To maintain a gym’s temperature, the function of each room and the nature of the activity being carried out should be considered. Investing in an efficient, responsive air conditioning system will help regulate a comfortable temperature within the building. Working out in the most suitable environment will help you to get more out of each session, so keep customers feeling comfortable by monitoring your air conditioning unit and adjust it as necessary. If the gym starts to get a reputation for being freezing cold or too stuffy, gym goers will quickly turn to other establishments. MKM Acquires Leading HVAC Oceanair
Endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont tows a caravan…with his bicycle!
Endurance athlete Mark Beaumont demonstrated how fast he can tow a caravan with a bicycle at the Horiba Mira test track in Nuneaton, ahead of the Motorhome and Caravan Show, which starts from October 15th at the NEC Birmingham. Beaumont reached a speed of 11.093 km/h using an Orbea Gravel bike and a custom-made towing device to ensure that the bike supported the weight of the Freedom Jetstream First Class caravan. Mark Beaumont has become a household name through his documentaries about ultra-endurance and adventure. Having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career, he now holds this 18,000-mile title in a time of 78 days and 14 hours, averaging 240 miles a day. His epic documentaries have taken viewers to over 100 countries, into the Arctic, the high mountains and around the Commonwealth, also surviving capsize in the mid-Atlantic. Mark will be at the 2019 Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC in Birmingham on the opening day, 15th October and will be outside Hall 16 demonstrating to visitors and press how to tow a caravan with his bicycle. Mark will also appear at the Freedom to Go theatre at 11:30am and will give a talk about his epic adventures. The Motorhome and Caravan Show promises a great day out for the whole family. Set over 11 halls, the Motorhome and Caravan Show will welcome around 100,000 visitors across six days. With the largest display of leisure vehicles and accessories all under one roof, the show is a must-visit for those looking to get into a leisure vehicle lifestyle and seasoned caravanners alike, offering endless inspiration and exclusive offers that won’t be found anywhere else. Visitors will get a first look at new-for-2020 product launches and the latest gadgets and innovations. They will also benefit from expert advice and top tips, free towing, motorhome manoeuvring and campervan test drives, exclusive show offers and details of the latest holiday sites and destination trends. Free entry to the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2019 is available for children 15 and under and advance tickets are available priced from £8.50* at www.mcshow.co.uk Further information is available at www.mcshow.co.uk where the latest exhibitors, celebrities and features will be updated regularly.
Selling Holiday Homes or Park Homes in the UK?
Selling Holiday Homes or Park Homes in the UK? Here are 11 Reasons you should join Parklink now! Be where your customers are. List your Park on Parklink and you will be tapping into your target audience. We are purely focused on holiday home and park home sales which is your target market so why wouldn’t you want to be here! Another shop window for your product. With a listing on Parklink, you in effect get another shop window to promote your park and holiday homes for sale. Quick & easy to upload sales stock. Listing your sales stock on Parklink couldn’t be easier! It takes approx. 5 minutes to add a sales unit. Provide us with a sales stock feed from your own website and we can also automate this process making it effortless on your part. Generate sales interest & leads. With your park on Parklink you will potentially receive 3 kinds of sales leads Park specific– Enquiries from people who have viewed your park and would like further ownership information Regional – People who are open to options and looking at certain regions. Holiday Homes – Messages on certain holiday homes you have listed on Parklink Social media boost – We will include you within our social media cycle making sure you stay relevant online. We have a great following on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter! Focused on holiday home sales– Parklink is fully focused on holiday home sales and offering people a place they can request further from parks and holiday homes for sale. You won’t find a confusing website packed with distracting Google ads and promotions which can distract people from making their enquiry. Easy set up! – Joining Parklink is super easy. Simply send us a park description & images for us to create your custom page for you. Once created we’ll send you a login to start adding sales stock Expand your marketing mix! – By promoting your park in all the right places, you’re increasing your chances of customers coming to you ahead of competitors. People will notice your brand and park online which will put you ahead of the competition. Created by industry professionals – Parklink has been created with the park operator and holiday home buyers in mind by industry professionals. We fully understand the journey people take when deciding where and when to purchase a holiday home. Be part of our journey – Our website visitors are increasing week on week. Google, Bing & Yahoo are recognising Parklink as a valuable source of information for people looking into holiday home ownership in the UK. Join your competitors–Join over 100 parks already promoting and receiving leads from Parklink. We want to offer our customers the widest and best choice when looking to buy a holiday home in the UK.
Need a hygienic solution that is quick to install, easy to clean and is cost effective?
Need a hygienic solution that is quick to install, easy to clean and is cost effective? From small maintenance jobs to large out of season refurbishments, Be-plas have it covered. Whether it be for your communal areas, bathrooms or catering facilities, Be-plas offer a comprehensive range of wall and ceiling products perfect for the caravan and leisure industry. For complete peace of mind, our products meet all current hygiene, building and fire regulations. Be-Plas, the hygienic wall and ceiling specialist, creating hygienic environments for over 35 years. For a free consultation to meet your exact requirements, contact the sales team today on 0800 413 758 For more information about our products visit the Education and Leisure page on our website
Tips for preparing your caravan to be towed
As a great British pastime, every year thousands of holidaymakers pack up their caravans and head down to the coast for a mini-break, enjoying everything that some of our beautiful seaside towns have to offer. The greatest things about caravaning are the flexibility and home comforts, but how should you prepare your trailer before towing it? Read on for some top tips on making your trailer safe and towable for your journey. Check your licence Before you start planning your trip, you’ll need to make sure that you are actually able to tow a caravan. It may sound silly, but if your caravan usually sits on a caravan site you may not have had to tow it before. In summary: If you passed your test before 1 January 1997:Combined weight of car and caravan outfit up to 8,250kg. If you passed your test after 1 January 1997:Combined weight of car and caravan outfit up to 3,500kg. Over 70 years of age (provided licence obtained before 1 January 1997):Only vehicles that can be safely towed by a 3,500kg towing vehicle. Additionally, if you want to tow anything heavier, you’ll need to take a B+E test or a C1+E test depending on the requirements. Pack it correctly Your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity should be listed in your car’s handbook so always make sure you find this out before you start packing, weighing any items such as bikes, portable TVs and barbeques that you plan on taking. Overloading your caravan or packing it incorrectly can cause real problems while you’re driving such as accelerating and climbing hills, plus the heavier it is the more unstable it becomes. The heaviest items should be placed as low as possible over the caravan’s wheels, as storing anything too close to the front of the caravan will cause unnecessary pressure on your car’s rear suspension. Following this, medium weighing items should be placed within the middle of the caravan and the lightest items at the top in overhead storage. Extra tips ● Never carry passengers in the caravan when it’s being towed. ● To prevent the caravan from becoming unstable, make sure you have a well-matched car and caravan. ● Water can be extremely heavy, so try and pack enough for the journey and fill your supply back up once you’ve reached your destination or campsite. ● You must have towing mirrors attached to your wing mirrors so you have full visibility. SG Haulage is one of the UK’s leading haulage companies based in Lincoln. From caravan transportation to crane hire and international road haulage, we can move a whole host of machinery at your convenience.
Find YOUR happy place today with Parklink
Parklink is a place where you can search holiday parks in the UK which sell static caravans and lodges for you to own. Parklink works with over 100 of the best Parks in the UK offering holiday homes for sale in beautiful locations within the UK. Here are the services we can offer our customers: People looking to buy a holiday homes for sale in the UK People can view holiday parks in the UK and make contact as well as requesting further information. They can also browse individual holiday homes for sale and make express an interest with the owner. As well as viewing parks with holiday homes for sale and individual properties, Parklink is a great place to find out more information about the concept of holiday home ownership and information on holidays and wellbeing. Holiday Park operator businesses looking to showcase their holiday park online and generate interest in their product. Park operators can join Parklink where we will create a page to showcase their holiday park. On this page people will be able to read a description of the park, view images and view a map of the location. People can make a direct enquiry from the page which is passed onto the park to make contact. Parklink also has a holiday home finder service so will pass on interested buyers looking for more information on parks in a specific region with certain criteria. Private individuals looking to sell their holiday homes. Private sellers can advertise their holiday homes with Parklink. We advertise their holiday home under the ‘property search’ section and can also place their holiday home on various classified websites and property portals to help them achieve a sale. Holiday home ownership information, leisure, health and wellbeing Here at Parklink our slogan is ‘Find Your Happy Place’. We feel everyone has the right to live, be happy and do things that make them happy. Holiday home ownership gives people the chance to get away and spend time on the things that matter in life. Parklink is packed full of information which will enhance your leisure time and help you find your happy place. Visit our useful information section to find out more. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a holiday home or find out more information on leisure, health and wellbeing; visit Parklink today here.
Roseberry View Case Study
The Kingston Park and Leisure Homes Way – How personal service and a radical new approach is taking the lodge market by storm. With the launch of the absolutely stunning Palazzo and a brand-new model to be unveiled at The Lawns, we sat down with Kingston Park and Leisure Homes who have been setting the benchmark for quality and luxury in 2019’S lodge market. Speaking to Kris Robinson, the Commercial Director, he talked us through a recent project at Roseberry View to show how the company’s radical approach to customer service and build quality help get this brand-new park off the ground. Here’s what he said… “At Kingston Park and Leisure Homes, we like to do things a little differently. By putting customer service at the heart of all of our processes and systems we ensure we always live up to our motto – on time, in full and error free. We think this approach pays off and provides a real point of difference for us against our competitors. In the case of Roseberry View, it started with an introduction to Andy, the park owner, and conversation about what his vison for the park was and how we could help. Once we met in person it was clear that Andy had a particular vison for his park and a standard ‘off the shelf’ lodge wasn’t going to cut it for him. Our first meeting was at Staxton Vale where we have two show lodges – The Affinity and The Liberty, but we arranged a return meeting at our factory in Hull so we could really show him our full range and how we do things differently. One of the first things we talked about at the factory was our Unique Customisation Framework. It provides thousands of options for clients so they can stamp their park’s unique identity onto the lodges, which in Andy’s case was ideal as he had a really strong vision for Roseberry View. I also took the opportunity to explain how we focus on the small details and how these add up into noticeable sense of quality as you walk through the door of any Kingston lodge. Things like domestic style internal walls that can be painted with emulsion, our proprietary wall insulation technique and other unique construction methods. Andy also mentioned that whilst in Hull, he would also be looking at some of our competitors. Whilst it may seem counter intuitive, we recommend people do shop around and see what’s out there on the market. However, what we do know is that clients won’t get better personalised customer service, the highest construction standards and better value for money than they do here at Kingston. After the end of the factory meeting, we always make a point of booking a return meeting so the team can assess the site, visualise how the lodges will be sited and see if we can help with any extra amenity buildings. Due to our background in the modular construction industry, we can construct just about any building that a holiday park would require from toilet blocks to restaurants. After the site visit, we entered the negotiation phase. Andy is a great businessman and tough negotiator but after a few days we agreed price, terms and an initial order of 10 Tranquility lodges. Unlike some of the larger chains, here at Kingston we have the ability to do a deal that’s beneficial to all parties. At this stage we also provided our trademark guaranteed delivery dates. We understand how costly, both financially and emotionally, delays can be for park owners and operators. Our guaranteed delivery dates not only give customers peace of mind but enables them to start enjoying their new homes straight away or start generating a return on their investment as soon as possible. Once the order was placed, Andy and his entourage visited us again to really delve deep into the design of his new lodges. Whilst they loved the Tranquillity’s layout and design, Andy’s park vision had a unique set of requirements which involved a number of changes to the base model. Using our Unique Customer Framework, we developed a design scheme that was perfect for Andy and ultimately, something unique to Roseberry View. Before production started, we sent our expert access and siting team to assess the site and ensure that any protentional hiccups were dealt with before they became a real issue. The first batch of five lodges were manufactured in March and delivered to the site in May. The second batch of five were constructed in May/June and delivered in June.” We also spoke to Andy Platts, the owner of Roseberry View, to see what he thought of the process… “It was great to deal with Kris and the team and you could really tell that they were all committed to doing right by the customer. They helped myself the team at every step of the process even going as far as driving me to a local tile shop when we were designing the bathroom! Overall I’m really happy with the finished lodges and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them to anyone.” With attention to detail, stunning quality and personal customer service at every step, it’s easy to see why these relative new comers are making a splash in the market. If you’d like to see more of Kingston Park and Leisure Homes you can visit their website, https://www.kingstonplh.com/, email them on sales@kingstonplh.comor call them on 01482 835835
