Holiday Parks Management Magazine Issue 20

Telephone: 01432 263219

november 2015 • Issue 20

m o .c t n e m e g a n a M s k r a P y a d i l o H . www

Holiday Parks Management

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Industry news

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Adam Beckitt on Voltage Optimisation

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The latest news and products from the world of Holiday Parks.

With the recent uncertainty caused by the government axing of climate change levy on renewable energy, some business directors are uncertain where to invest in energy technology.

Renewable Energy for Holiday Parks In the next five years up to 30 per cent of the UK’s electricity may be supplied by renewable energy, up from the current figure of around seven per cent, if we follow EU targets.

Welcome to the November issue of Holiday Parks Management Magazine.

With winter drawing in, you will be thinking about cosy evenings and preparing for the festive season. Music is an essential ingredient when it comes to throwing a good party, or just adding to the atmosphere in your bars and restaurants. In this issue we bring you details of all the latest features offered by today’s digital jukebox and background music systems.

Although the sunshine is a distant memory for most of this month, we are focusing on the benefits that can be realised by holiday parks who are considering investing in renewable energies.

Finally, we enjoyed a hugely successful inaugural Glamping Show in September and many thanks to everyone who exhibited and attended. We are launching a new magazine for the Glamping sector, the first issue of which is included in these pages.

Nina

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Jukeboxes and music - what’s on offer Music is an essential addition to any holiday park, adding to the atmosphere of your bars and restaurants and encouraging customers to stay longer and spend more! However, it is essential to speak to the experts before choosing your music system as there are a number of issues to consider.

What’s in this issue?

Next issue features include: I Entertainment Systems I Flooding & insurance I Power and Lighting I Website Building

Proud Member of the Association Published by: Maggie Media Ltd, 2 Withypool, Hereford HR2 7PW UK t: 01432 263219 w: www.holidayparksmanagement.com Editor: Steph Norbury t: 07887 928819 e: steph@upgradepr.com Publisher: Nina Blanchard t: 01432 263219 e: info@holidayparksmanagement.com Advertisements: Nina Blanchard t: 01432 263219 or 07799430327 e: info@holidayparksmanagement.com Design: Dean Coulter, Design on Tap www.designontap.co.uk Subscriptions: Register Free at www.holidayparksmanagement.com or e: info@holidayparksmanagement.com Holiday Parks Management magazine is free and is published four times a year. © Maggie Media Ltd 2015. No part of this publication may be reproduced nor stored in a retrieval system by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.

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Park News

George Browns get the Gold for Kubota Dealer Service Excellence Agricultural and Groundcare machinery dealer George Browns Ltd has been recognised in the Kubota Dealer Service Excellence Awards programme with a milestone five golds and one silver for its six branches across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Northamptonshire.

The awards, which are assessed and presented every two years

by Kubota UK, are based on dealer equipment, facilities, commitment to training and, most importantly, customer service. The Kubota customer satisfaction survey is submitted to customers after every product sold and is used to rate the service department of every Kubota dealer.

Major Kent holiday park joins Park Holidays UK Park Holidays UK has announced its acquisition of Two Chimneys Holiday Park in the seaside village of Birchington-on-Sea near Margate in Kent.

Keith Miller, Service and Training Manager at Kubota UK, commented: “While Browns have always been recognised for their hardworking service department, this is the first time that they’ve achieved Gold standard and its a fantastic achievement.

Two Chimneys is one of the largest holiday parks on the Kent coast with around 300 privately caravan holiday homes, and 230 touring pitches.

“A third of the assessment for the Dealer Excellence Awards is based on the results of the Kubota customer satisfaction survey so it’s a major accomplishment and shows Browns’ commitment to their customers.”

The acquisition brings the number of holiday parks within the Park Holidays UK group to 25, all located in Southern England from Devon in the west to Suffolk in the east.

The George Browns branches at Buckingham, Cheshire, Leighton Buzzard, Daventry and Haddenham received a Gold award and Dunmow was awarded a silver achievement.

Already boasting a top five-star tourist board grading, Two Chimneys will now benefit from further substantial investment by the company in its holiday facilities.

Kevin McConnell, Service Manager at George Browns Ltd, commented: “This achievement really demonstrates to our customers how seriously we manage our after-sales service. It’s one of the most important aspects of our business and it enhances what Browns means to our clients.

It will also be re-christened Birchington Vale Holiday Park to reflect its location in 100 acres of tranquil North Kent countryside.

The village of Birchington is set alongside four picturesque sandy bays, all easily accessed from the park and providing activities such as sailing and windsurfing.

“We’d like to thank Kubota for their support and all the staff at our depots for taking on the challenge, working hard to go the extra mile for customers and understanding the importance of the after sales service. Now that we’ve achieved gold level, we’ll be raising the bar and pushing for the next achievement!”

Tony Clish, director of Park Holidays UK, said that the park was a strategic and important addition to the company's existing parks portfolio: "This has been an extremely successful year for our group with an unprecedented number of holiday home sales and lettings," said Tony.

"Birchington Vale will now allow us to widen even further in 2016 the options available to holidaymakers and holiday home buyers, as well as to touring guests.

"The park has an excellent reputation, and has been very sympathetically developed by its previous owners, the Godden family, to appeal to a quality-conscious family market.

"It will now benefit from the management and marketing input of Park Holidays UK, and from our exciting investment plans to raise the quality bar even higher," added Tony.

The acquisition is the second for Park Holidays UK since the company was acquired by Caledonia Investments in November 2013, and is a continuation of its plans to expand the business.

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(L-R): Seb Cooke (Buckingham Branch), Chris Brown (George Browns MD), David Salmon (Dunmow Branch), Martin Tyler (Kubota UK), Rob Adkins (Chesham Branch), Keith Miller (Kubota UK), Kevin McConnell (Leighton Buzzard Branch), David Palmer (Daventry Branch), Graham Bex (Haddenham Branch).

Wyldecrest Parks Wins Retail & Property Award

Park News continued

API Supports APPG call for holistic cross-party strategy for children A clarion call to put play at the heart of government policy on child health and wellbeing has been welcomed by the Association of Play Industries (API).

The API supports the central recommendation of the All Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood for government to adopt a holistic strategy to support child development. Launching its report in Parliament, the group’s co-Chair, children’s advocate Baroness Floella Benjamin, called on politicians from all parties to acknowledge the vital role of play in children’s lives and particularly in helping tackle the physical inactivity crisis.

Key recommendations for government in the report that win API support are: I Play to be embedded within a Whole Child Strategy under the aegis of a Cabinet Minister for Children responsible for crossdepartmental roll out and co-ordination; I Government to require local authorities to prepare children and young people’s plans including strategies to address overweight and obesity with its physical, mental and emotional consequences; I Funding for play to be ring-fenced within local authority budgets; I Address barriers to outdoor play for children of all ages and abilities; I Extend the Sport England Primary Spaces and Sport Premium programmes to all schools with a broader scope to incorporate a wide variety of physical literacy activities including play; I Communicate through public information campaigns to parents and families the value of active outdoor play, including benefit:risk assessment; I Improve public sector procurement practice for public play provision.

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In the House of Lords this week, Baroness Benjamin asked what plans the government has to introduce a national strategy for play as part of a holistic approach to child health and fitness, after which a number of parliamentary colleagues agreed to convene a meeting to discuss the APPG’s report and recommendations further.

Speaking at the report’s parliamentary launch, API Chair Mark Hardy said: “This comprehensive report covers many aspects of play and play provision but a single unifying message is that children will always play provided they are given the opportunity to do so. We must ask ourselves if our children today have the same or better opportunities to play than we did. If they do not, then we must address that. This report makes some strong recommendations which if followed will have a positive impact on creating more opportunities for children to play.

High quality public play facilities bring innumerable benefits to local communities that reach far beyond simply providing children with a fun place to play.”

Recent research by the API amongst families shows that over 80% of parents think there should be funding for more high quality public play facilities. The API campaigns at the highest levels for policy recognition for play and is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for a Fit and Healthy Childhood, Children’s Play Policy Forum and Federation of Sports and Play Associations.

For further information about the Association of Play Industries, contact: Deborah Holt, API Association Manager, tel: 024 7641 4999 or email api@apiplay.org

Wyldecrest Parks has won the 2015 LondonlovesExcellence Retail & Property Award!

The winners were announced on 15th October, at the awards gala dinner in London which, every year, brings together business leaders, entrepreneurs and government representatives to acknowledge and celebrate the fantastic achievements of London’s business community.

“It’s still hard to find the right words to describe this feeling… It’s such a roller-coaster of emotions! But I’m over the moon!” says Alfie Best. “This recognition goes to the Wyldecrest family, to the people who work very hard every single day to push this business forward…and I want to thank them for this achievement,” the company’s Chairman emphasises.

The nationwide company based in West Thurrock, Essex, was nominated alongside Zoopla and Hello Fresh in the category of 2015 best Retail & Property business.

Wyldecrest Parks is one of the largest park home operators in the UK with 43 residential and holiday mobile home sites spread across 22 counties in England, Scotland and Wales, and it’s also the only company within its business sector which is ISO 9001 accredited.

The company has been exponentially growing since its foundation in 2001 and it’s now valued at around £200 million.

In the last year, the business has registered a remarkable growth: the company has bought 14 new residential and holiday mobile home parks, which means that 30% of its actual portfolio has been acquired during the past 12 months. The company is planning further investments for the next year and aims to be the biggest Park Home operator in the country soon.

Park News continued

Innovative Leisure completes UK’s biggest high ropes course Innovative Leisure, the UK based adventure attractions specialist, has completed the installation of a 17m high, 4 level high ropes adventure course at The Tees Barrage International White Water venue in Stockton on Tees.

Tees Active Leisure, operators of the Tee’s Barrage International white water facility in conjunction with Stockton Borough Council, have added an iconic new Sky Trail High Ropes Course in readiness for the 2016 season. Looking to enhance their existing substantial offering of adventurous activities, bringing in an exciting new high ropes facility for the whole family was the natural progression Tees Active were looking for.

The 17m high structure can be seen from the A19 & A66 roads and is built on a peninsular in the middle of the River Tees. The 4 level, eight pole high ropes system has more than 40 exciting activity elements between 4m and 15m off the ground. Levels 3 and 4 are certainly not for the faint hearted!

The course is large enough to cater for up to 70 participants per session, with 60 participants able to enjoy the main Sky Trail experience at any one time (minimum height for users being 1m accompanied by an adult or 1.22m unaccompanied).

Additionally, this ‘zip experience’ installation also features the UK’s first Sky Rail, the latest in zipping technology. The patented, fully automated zipping experience runs parallel to the course and features two Sky Rails on levels one and two which allow for users to zip from one launch pad to the next without disconnecting form the system at any time.

Those with younger families can also enjoy the 6 pole, 9 element Sky Tykes course, a scaled down Sky Trail for those aged from 2 years old and under 1.22m, meaning none of the family The new Sky Trail is one of a range of major High Ropes courses offered by Innovative Leisure, who distribute the attractions in the UK on behalf of well-known US manufacturer Ropes Courses Inc., who have built over 600 courses around the world to date. Hourly capacities of up to 500 people and one, two, three and four levels are possible, while the many different elements incorporated into the attractions are interchangeable, so that the courses can be altered at regular intervals to refresh, update or further develop them where required. Full theming options are also available, such as pirate, jungle and construction themes.

The major High Ropes courses available from Innovative Leisure are suitable for a wide variety of venues, including country parks, theme parks, zoos and safari parks, holiday resorts, FECs and many more visitor attractions.

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Matterdale, in the Lake District National Park has become the first community to vote to adopt a neighbourhood plan.

The plan covers issues that are important to the whole community covering issues such as the environment and the history of the area.

Matterdale will discuss affordable housing for local people and will also set out how the parish will handle future applications to extend or open new caravan holiday parks.

It is the second plan in Eden to be accepted and is expected to come into force by the end of 2016, after which it will sit alongside 31 other policies which the Lake District National Park Authority has to consider when examining planning applications.

Tyrone Castles, chairman of Matterdale Parish Council, said: “I am delighted to see that the plan has been passed with strong support from the community.

“We consulted widely and obtained written submissions from a number of residents before preparing a draft of the plan which then had to go through a number of processes before being put to the local electorate.

The plan will help the sustainability of our very rural community.”

It is only the second neighbourhood plan in a national park to reach the referendum stage, with the initial one being in the Norfolk Broads.

VAE 2016 – Register Now For An Exciting Start To 2016 With the second Visitor Attraction Expo taking place at ExCel London on 12-14 January 2016, Organisers will be building upon the successes of the inaugural event. Promoted by BALPPA with the support of BACTA, VAE 2016 is aimed at operators of indoor and adventure play, attractions, piers, zoos, parks and FECs. Organiser Karen Cooke has revealed a sharp increase in enquiries from potential exhibitors, with recent signings including Polar Krush, GFT Retail, Top Tix and Mich Playground.

The Visitor Attraction Expo will again take place alongside EAG International, with visitors encouraged to move freely between the two shows. The combined events will showcase products from more than 300 represented companies, not to mention several European product launches.

An educational and seminar programme organised by BALPPA and a host of networking opportunities will all contribute to making VAE an unmissable event.

The VAE website is now open for registration and visitors are urged to lay their travel plans well in advance. Karen Cooke explains: “January is peak time at ExCel, with nearby hotels and restaurants under pressure. The London Boat Show will also be coinciding with VAE and EAG International. We would recommend that visitors register and make their travel plans as soon as possible, to avoid unnecessary costs and disappointment,” urged Karen.

Registration is via the show’s website: www.attractionsexpo.co.uk along with access to some competitive hotel rates and useful travel advice.

Park News continued

First UK outing for Kubota’s new M7001 Series

Anniversary and Colorado park homes attract visitors The Motorhome & Caravan Show proved to be a fantastic end to the show season for Omar who draw to the end of their 50th Anniversary year. On display, and attracting a constant flow of visitors, the award-winning Anniversary and longstanding Colorado park homes delighted show goers and introduced the idea of park home living to many.

As the UK’s biggest motorhome and caravanning event, the Motorhome & Caravan Show saw just under 100,000 visitors through the doors over the six days it was open and with so much to see and do, it comes as no surprise that the event is so popular. Attracting old and young alike, visitors flocked to see and compare the latest models; get advice on all aspects of the industry from finance to security and research and book their 2016 holidays. The show even managed a Guinness World Record title with the largest ever caravan made from LEGO® bricks unveiled!

Designed in celebration of Omar’s 50th Anniversary and voted by the public as winner of Park Home of the Year 2015; the Anniversary park home was exceptionally well received.

Peter Berwick, Omar’s Sales & Design Director commented: “The Anniversary brings with it a completely new concept in layout and interior design, providing lifestyle options and flexibility. Folding doors give the option to open up the living space or to have separate rooms; there’s a light and bright sunroom that could act as a dining room; the master bedroom provides practical areas and the en-suite has a bath and a separate shower, providing even more choice. These lifestyle options were embraced, and when talking to visitors, they all had their own individual views on how they would use the space. We’re delighted that the Anniversary has yet again been so well received.”

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Kubota’s new M7001 Series was in action for its first public performance at the British National Ploughing Championships (Marden, Kent), with its M7151 agricultural tractor taking to the fields to scoop the top award for the ‘Best Demonstration Plot’ at the show.

Kubota’s Demonstrator and Trainer John Weston was in control of the new tractor, putting it through its paces and competing in the demonstration plot category. Following on from this success at the show, the leading machinery supplier is now planning a series of M7001 Demonstration Days in conjunction with its dealer network, enabling farmers to test out this high performance agricultural tractor for themselves.

The British National Ploughing Championships is a pinnacle event in the farming calendar, with over 230 people from across the UK taking part in a range of hotly contested competitions for many types of plough and styles of ploughing. The reward for the top ploughmen from the championships is being selected to represent England at the 2016 World Ploughing Contest in York next year.

Rob Edwards, business development manager for Kubota UK’s agricultural division, commented: “There’s been a lot of anticipation and interest from the industry and the public in our new M7001 Series since we announced our plans to enter the mainstream agricultural sector with these higher horse power tractors last year.

“The British National Ploughing Championships offered us the ideal platform for the M7001’s first UK outing, giving us the opportunity to show people what the tractor can do. We are delighted that it was recognised for its work and performance over the two-day event by picking up the ‘Best Demonstration Plot’ award.

Skegness Water Leisure Park wins Bellamy Gold Award

Equally as popular with show-goers was the Colorado, Omar’s most long-standing signature home (the silhouette of which features in Omar’s distinctive logo).

Skegness Water Leisure Park has won its seventh David Bellamy Gold Award for conservation – one of only 530 holiday parks across the UK to receive the accolade.

Tom Conman, Area Sales Manager (north) for Omar commented: “The Colorado is a timeless classic and never ceases to impress. Visitors loved the distinctive arched windows, practical layout and contemporary interior design.

The soft colour scheme of oyster, mink, taupe and eggshell blues was also particularly popular with visitors commenting on what a relaxed ambience it created.”

The award is presented by the BHHPA (The British Holiday & Home Parks Association) to businesses that take care of the environment and wildlife.

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Parks are judged on four main factors – wildlife management, reducing use of energy, water and other resources, recycling and supporting local communities.

The five-star park is based on the stock-breeding farm which has been run by Geoff's family for almost 80 years, and which first began welcoming camping and touring visitors in 2002.

Enchanted nights promised in park's new fantasy pod

At the heart of the 12-acre park is a tranquil fishing lake which helps draw a wide range of bird species and other wildlife to Townsend.

An unusual new glamping pod on a Herefordshire holiday park is casting a spell on JRR Tolkien fans – despite offering duvets and digital TV in place of dragons and dwarves.

There is also a mountain bike trail and a high-octane pump track laid out in the park's woodland, plus a children's play area and first-class washroom amenities.

The Lord of the Rings-style pod on Townsend Touring Park near Leominster has attracted bookings from both Hobbit buffs and romantically-minded holidaymakers this summer.

"We have always attracted couples and families who are after a truly away-from-it-all experience in a relatively undiscovered but delightful part of the country," said Su.

Built beneath a grass-covered mound, the five-berth dwelling may look like a magical medieval retreat or even a Teletubby house – but its facilities are firmly rooted in modern times.

"Some guest tell us that there is an almost magical quality to this area, so it seemed entirely fitting to build a pod which had an air of fantasy about it.

It boasts a fully equipped kitchen, heating, television, bathroom and a host of other mod-cons.

"It's been a labour of love for us, and we're delighted with the results – as are our guests who say the quality we've achieved is a perfect match for the surroundings," she added.

The pod's cosy atmosphere is enhanced by its many hand-crafted timber features and stone flag flooring, and outside there's a covered patio area with a barbecue and garden furniture.

Inspiration for this new take on glamping came from the park's owners, Geoff and Su Smith, who already offer more conventional pod accommodation at Townsend.

Such has been the success of the pod – which is built off-site to a modular and scalable design – that two more units are now in production for installation early next year.

Short breaks in the pod start at £89.00 per family or couple per night.

Partners needed for Child Safety Initiative A company spokesman said: “The Skegness Water Leisure Park team are over the moon with the fact all their hard work and effort to maintain the surrounding natural environment has not gone unnoticed for another year.

“The team were also delighted to receive the Honey Bee Friendly Park award, and with plans to introduce a nature trail to the up coming South Fields development we have a feeling these won’t be the last awards to head to Skegness Water Leisure Park over the coming years.

Follow the Bear® is a range of products designed to reunite parents with their lost children as quickly and safely as possible in public spaces, such as leisure or holiday parks.

The company behind the initiative, which is aimed at kids aged between 3 and 10 years old, is looking for partners to help trial the system free of charge. Not only can the Lost Child Trail help to reduce stress for children and their parents, it could also be harnessed by operators as a source of extra income.

If you are interested in finding out more visit www.followthebear.co.uk Tel: 07827 444 770.

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Park News continued

Omar Group Builds on its Success Market leading, park home and luxury lodge manufacturer, Omar Group, is to make a major investment in expanding its production facility at its headquarters in Brandon, Suffolk. Having delivered 25% compound annual growth over the last four years, with an outstanding 49% sales growth last year, this move is essential as part of a long-term strategic plan to support on-going growth and to address demand.

Omar has already made a major investment in its manufacturing capability, opening a new production plant in Valletta Street, Hull in the spring of this year; this new operation has already reached full production capacity. On this basis the company has made the decision to make further significant investment by expanding the groups production facility at its 13½-acre headquarters in Brandon, Suffolk.

Omar has appointed local contractors Bury Developments of Moseley’s Farm, Bury St. Edmunds to manage the ambitious £1.1m, 40,000 sq ft. factory extension which will include a new storage area and nine specially designed finishing bays. This new development has the full backing of Omar’s landlords, Forest Heath District Council, who are funding over £500k of the investment; a move which will subsequently create around 100 new jobs in Brandon.

Omar Group Chief Executive, Dean Westmoreland commented: “We are proud of what we have achieved as a team, we have created over 200 new jobs in the last 3 years alone. This summer we have taken on 10 new apprentices in trades as diverse as Computer Aided Design, IT, Plumbing and Decorating. We are a performing business, built upon an open and honest philosophy, strong business ethics and teamwork. Our customers recognise our strong design aesthetics, quality and market-leading customer service.”

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Fife holiday park tops poll for best attraction accolade

A South East Scotland holiday park, which makes a feature of its Robinson Crusoe connections, has been voted the best visitor attraction in Fife.

Elie Holiday Park, just outside the picture-postcard seaside resort of Elie, took the accolade in the annual "Local Hero Awards" organised by Kingdom FM. The station asked its listeners to vote in a number of different categories, including the visitor attraction that provided the best possible experience for visitors.

The result was a resounding thumbs-up for Elie Holiday Park which attracts thousands of holidaymakers each year, and provides free entry for day visitors in the region.

Located on Shell Bay, the park provides luxury caravan holiday homes and lodges to rent and buy, plus pitches for campers, touring caravans and motorhomes.

Tucked behind a wide expanse of gentle dunes, it offers easy access to Elie's famous golden sandy beaches, the town's historic harbour, and the nearby SSSI Ruddons Point.

Owned by Abbeyford Leisure for over 40 years, the park has recently been subject to a series of major investment projects – including the creation of a Robinson Crusoe Adventure Park.

Inspired by the region being the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the castaway sailor whose adventures were immortalised by Daniel Defoe, the fun play park has proved a big hit with visitors.

At its heart is a two-masted galleon linked to a fantasy desert island complete with palm trees.

The theme is continued by the park's investment this year in a new development of Castaway holiday homes, luxuriously equipped and each with its own private veranda.

Peter Davies, Sales and Marketing Manager for Abbeyford Leisure, said the Kingdom FM award was a vote of confidence in both the park and its team: "Many of our holidaymakers comment on the friendly and welcoming atmosphere at Elie Holiday Park, and the main credit for this must go to our park team," he said.

"We take great pride in our reputation as one of the finest Scottish parks for family holidays, and the attractions and entertainment we provide are second to none.”

Kubota Farm Machinery celebrates starting full-scale production with grand opening ceremony

Park News continued

Kubota’s global move into the large-scale farming market got another step closer this month when the company invited key European suppliers to the official opening of Kubota Farm Machinery (KFM) – the new full-scale production facility in Northern France that is manufacturing the company’s flagship M7001 Series.

The 37,000 sq m factory, the result of a ¤40 million investment by Kubota Corporation to accelerate the global development of its agricultural machinery business, will manufacture up to 3,000 tractors in its first two years of production for the European, North American, Oceania and Japanese markets.

Kubota’s M7001 is the cleanest, most technical and powerful tractor the company has ever built. Manufactured to fulfil the stringent requirements of large-scale upland farming across the European and North American agricultural markets, it is available in three models from 130HP to 170HP (M7131, M7151 and M7171).

Rob Edwards, Kubota UK’s business development manager for its agricultural division, commented: “The official opening ceremony of KFM was designed to celebrate the factory going into full-scale production and mark the significant and long term investment that Kubota Corporation has made to the European market. Our new M7001 Series is going to be the pride of the Kubota brand and this production facility is the entity that is going to drive this forward.”

Cumbria parks salute wildlife guardian Michael Michael Carrier, the wildlife enthusiast and bird correspondent for BBC Radio Cumbria for four decades, has been honoured by park owners.

Michael,was thanked by park owners for 15 years of inspiration on protecting wildlife, at a special ceremony at Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Ambleside Since 2000, Michael has worked with TV botanist David Bellamy as a regional assessor for his conservation award scheme which highlights environmentally-friendly park businesses.

He visits many of Cumbria's 100-plus parks on a regular basis, judging the wildlife initiatives they have taken, and their eligibility for Professor Bellamy's prestigious award.

Michael, who has a keen interest in military aircraft, was presented with a framed photograph of the last remaining flying Vulcan bomber, pictured in formation with the Red Arrows.

It was taken by David Jackson, owner of Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Camping Park near Keswick, who praised Michael's invaluable role as a torch-bearer for "green tourism" in Cumbria.

Michael, now aged 81, has dedicated much of his retirement to local wildlife and was the founder, 45 years ago, of Carlisle's first RSPB group and is today the chairman of the Cumbria Bird Club.

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The presentation was made on behalf of the Cumbria branch of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association

by David Jackson and Skelwith Fold Caravan Park owner Henry Wild.

Henry, who is also national chairman of the association, said that many parks in the county were indebted to Michael for his guidance on how best to protect their flora and fauna: "Around thirty parks in Cumbria have achieved the David Bellamy Conservation Award, but Michael's role is not just as an assessor of the eco-friendly steps they have taken," said Henry.

"His expertise helps businesses pin-point what new measures can be taken to make their grounds even more attractive to animals and birds, and to enrich their bio-diversity even further.

"Michael's knowledge, enthusiasm and practical approach has inspired many owners to make their parks equally as welcoming to wildlife as they are to holidaymakers.

"And in doing so, of course, he is helping to ensure that visiting families are provided with a fascinating new dimension to their stay," added Henry.

ICONIC BUTLINS’ CHALETS COME TO LIFE

thanks to Cedral Weatherboard

INDEPENDENT CHAIR TO LEAD PLAY INDUSTRY’S STRATEGY ON PHYSICAL INACTIVITY CRISIS The Association of Play Industries (API) is to appoint its first independent Chair.

Experienced business adviser and consultant Mark Hardy joins the API with a remit to lead the association’s strategic direction.

Its speed and ease of installation, low maintenance benefits, fresh and modern aesthetic and varied colour options, have seen Marley Eternit’s Cedral Lap weatherboard specified to play a central role in the contemporary re-creation of the iconic Butlins’ chalets at a new £16 million development in Minehead.

West Lakes Village at Butlins’ Minehead resort has been created ahead of the company’s 80th birthday, with the construction of 117 colourful brand new holiday homes inspired by the original chalets created by Billy Butlin in the 1930s.

Architects Allison Pike were actively involved in the project since inception, helping Butlins to evolve the chalet concept to meet the needs of 21st century families.

Multi award winning Principal Contractors McGoff & Byrne were appointed for the construction phase of the development.

McGoff & Byrne specified Marley Eternit’s Cedral Lap weatherboard to create the colourful timber aesthetic synonymous with the facades of the original Butlins chalets, but with the longevity and simple installation offered by the fibre cement cladding.

Harry Galloway, Construction Director from McGoff & Byrne, explains: “The original West Lakes Village design utilised timber for the chalets’ cladding. We amended the specification to Cedral as it provided us with a wide colour palette to choose from and would ensure the striking looks of the chalets’ exteriors lasted with minimal maintenance.

“The seaside location of the development means the chalets have to withstand exposure to salt, so we needed a cladding material that could stand-up to this challenge without requiring significant maintenance to keep the look fresh.

“The different pastel colours of the chalets are a key feature and help recreate the original Butlins 1930s’ feel. By using Cedral, we were able to obtain all of the colours we needed from the factory without having to paint on site, including a special made to order colour manufactured specifically for the project.

“The fibre cement cladding helped us to achieve Butlins’ sustainability aspirations with its A+ rating and responsible sourcing accreditation*. Everyone is delighted with the end result; the redesign is very impressive, contemporary with just the right hint of nostalgia.”

Marley Eternit’s Cedral Lap weatherboard has been used as external cladding on all of the one and two storey lakeside, lake view and park view chalets clustered in landscaped parkland around two newly created lakes.

Hardy holds a number of Non Executive Director and Chairman positions and brings significant knowledge of the play industry as a former senior executive at Playpower, one of the world’s leading play equipment companies. He will be supported in his new remit by current Chair Michael Hoenigmann, who will take up the role of Vice Chair, along with the other elected members of the API Executive.

Association manager Deborah Holt says: “Mark brings a powerful combination of expertise, strategic insight and experience from both the play industry and the wider business world. I am confident that the API will benefit enormously from his fresh thinking and I very much look forward to working with him.”

Speaking about his appointment, Mark Hardy said: “I believe in the UK we are approaching a tipping point as far as physical inactivity goes and particularly with reference to the inactivity seen in our children.

Without tackling this significant issue from the ground up, we face the very real risk of the NHS facing further financial difficulties as it struggles to cope with the effects. Children are naturally hard-wired to be physically active yet inactivity as a root cause of obesity is now an entrenched child health crisis. Our children are simply less active outside the home and the opportunities for them to be so are dwindling.

Outdoor play has an important role in tackling that problem. Many children have no suitable place to play which is not only a national disgrace but contravenes their fundamental human rights. The API mission, which I endorse and support, is to convince policy makers of the benefits of play and that the provision of high-quality play facilities will deliver health, social and economic benefits for every local community.”

He continued: “As the play industry’s leading trade association, it’s important that the API is a forwardlooking, thought-leading, contemporary organisation with clear goals. We want to build effective alliances with other organisations that are working to provide practical solutions to the physical inactivity crisis so that together, we drive change.”

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VO:

A wise holiday park investment With the recent uncertainty caused by the government axing of climate change levy on renewable energy, some business directors are uncertain where to invest in energy technology.

A sound investment for parks comes in the form of voltage optimization, which has certainly taken off in other business sectors.

Holiday parks will surely follow suit - they have simply not heard enough about the opportunity yet!

Essentially a voltage optimization device typically saves at least 7% on energy bills with higher returns very likely (see case study below). Average payback is a mere 2.05 years. Since the VO service provider I'll feature here offers a two-year zero finance scheme risk is virtually nonexistent.

There are only a handful of voltage optimization providers left in the UK, with only a half dozen or so of the strongest surviving. In this case I am concentrating on the Powerstar product range from Sheffield based EMSc (UK) who are a global solution provider very active in the UK market.

A holiday park investment with surprising returns Patrington Haven Leisure Park is now enjoying energy consumption savings of 16.9%, which equates to 270,461kWh saved per year and an gives them an annual saving of 144.2 tonnes of CO2. The guaranteed savings were 10.9%. The park also benefits from the 15-year warranty for the Powerstar HV MAX, which has an expected lifespan of 50 years.

current to each meter from 242v down to 220v with the 'excess' 22V returned to the grid unused.

Units vary in size from a small suitcase sized box up to a much larger unit for heavy applications; it seems there is no upper limit to the size and capacity available, with EMS having serviced some large-demand sites and prominent businesses and public sector establishments.

Current users include NHS, ASDA, Cabinet Office, Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Sheffield City Council and the list goes on.

EMSc (UK) Whilst this reads like an advert for one company, I have to admit I was particularly impressed when I recently had a face-to-face meeting with Dr Alex Mardapittas (pictured) the managing Director of EMSc energy management systems.

Their VO device has never had a recorded failure, is manufactured in house at their base in Sheffield, operates in a unique way with the only patented technology in the marketplace and has only ever failed to deliver the full extent of forecast savings 14 times from over 6000 installations. What’s

Guy Sparkes, Director, Patrington Haven Leisure Park, says, “We are extremely happy with the savings provided by Powerstar which are in excess of the savings guarantee.

Powerstar were a fantastic company to work with.”

Here we can see that the actual savings are higher than the predicted savings, so EMSc are not making excessive claims up front.

A simple principle Powerstar VO works by reducing the input

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Dr Alex Mardapittas (pictured) the managing Director of EMSc energy management systems

more, shortfalls in these fourteen instances would have been covered by the company under their written financial guarantee.

Finally PowerStar provides savings on LEDs where most competitors cannot due to the specific technology used.

Virtue If this sounds compelling, there is another very interesting device on offer that can be linked to the Powerstar VO module. This is completely unique in its function and is called Virtue. We are considering a different aspect entirely here - energy storage is the key to unlock more efficiency from different parts of the energy infrastructure on your parks.

Energy storage for Holiday parks This is the missing link that opens up several intriguing possibilities.

Since Virtue stores energy produced by renewable installations there is no need to run inverters. Consequently there is no need to install inverters. This considerably reduces initial installation costs.

Renewable installations are also made more

reliable when working in tandem with Virtue.

Whether the wind blows intermittently or the clouds obscure the sun, power can now be stored and used at will.

Power cut? Carry on There is also another benefit, which could be extremely useful if there is a loss of power to a holiday park; Virtue typically stores enough energy to power a site in a mains power outage for around two hours.

there is a strong argument for its introduction in some cases.

Alternative VO providers There are a handful of other reputable companies operating in the field and my partners are well aware of suitable market offerings; for a balanced overview of voltage optimization companies compared to each get in touch with me for advice on 0800 0836698

Switching between grid supply and Virtue is seamless and there is no disruption.

Admittedly, only a few parks may take this up, it depends on how important it is to stay connected to a power source at all times.

Certainly customers would appreciate constant power!

A wise holiday park investment?

Of course, if you choose to switch to stored power you are not drawing any power from the grid, considerably reducing energy supply costs. Allied to the savings delivered by VO it all adds up to an excellent return on investment for holiday parks. Naturally, the Powerstar voltage optimization unit does not need the virtue storage device, however

I would urge you to do due diligence. A wise investment? Without doubt.

energy technologies make such reliable returns in my personal opinion, especially in the light of the financial guarantees offered (Powerstar specific).

Adam Beckett is owner and independent energy consultant at Leisureparkenergy.com, offering full energy strategy reviews and cost management services for holiday parks.

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Renewables– are they worth the energy?

In the next five years up to 30 per cent of the UK’s electricity may be supplied by renewable energy, up from the current figure of around seven per cent, if we follow EU targets.

There are a number of holiday parks that are already harnessing renewable technologies in order to offset the costs of their energy.

Although this is mostly in the form of solar energy, other renewable fuel sources include wind, marine, hydro, wave and biomass (which is a source of natural energy that is quickly replaced).

Solar photovoltaic’s (PV) panels convert the rays of the sun into energy. Solar PV only makes a small contribution to the UK’s electricity supply, but this technology has become more popular in recent years.

However, for those thinking of installing a solar pv system, unfortunately the government feed-in tariff has this year been reduced again. The Feed-in Tariff (FiT) is designed to support smaller-scale renewable installations up to 5MW. Through FiTs, generators are paid a tariff for every unit of electricity they produce. Any electricity not used on site can also be sold back into the Grid, and generators are paid extra to do this.

Once you install your system, you are entitled to a fixed payment for 20 years. The payment has historically decreased for new applicants every six months, and this year is no different. From April 2015, the tariff decreases to 13.39p/kW for a typical home installation, down from 13.88p/kW. The Greenage (one of the UK’s premier energy saving advice communities – (www.thegreenage.co.uk) estimates the following worked example of solar PV payback on a domestic installation which might give you an idea of the figures involved:

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l 4kW system A larger 16 pane consist of around A 4kW system will ls.

16 250 watt pane p 3,400kWh x 13.39 m nu an r pe .44 55 = £4 kWh x 4.77p Export tariff 1,700 m = £81.09 per annu 36.53 per annum Total payment = £5 from system at Electricity savings kWh at 12p/kW 75% usage – 2,550 – £306 per annum r year Total savings pe – £843 per year stem – £7,000 Typical Cost of sy Payback period ars.

– 8 and a half ye

Make sure you consider the VAT issues arising from SPV installation. Most businesses purchase and install SPVs themselves at significant expense and with VAT at 20% for business installations, so potential input tax claims are considerable.

There are two principal VAT considerations when undertaking an SPV installation: I Is any VAT payable to HMRC on FIT income and sales of the electricity generated?

I Can VAT on installation costs be recovered?

If electricity generated is sold to the

A 10 panel system installed today.

A typical 2.5kW 10 pan el system will produce around 2,1 25kW hours each year. That means you will get a generation tariff payme nt of: 2,125kWh x 13.39p = £2 84.54 per annum generation tariff.

You will also receive the export tariff payment, which assum es 50% of your electricity is export ed: 2,125kWh / 2 = 1,062.5k Wh is assumed to be exported each year.

1,062kWh x 4.77p = £5 0.68 per annum in export tariff.

Total payment = £335.22

per annum

Electricity savings from system at 75% usage – 1,533kWh at 12p/kW = £191.25 per annum Total Savings per year – £526 per year Typical cost of system – £4,500 Payback period – 8 and a half years

National Grid in return for an ‘export tariff’ payment or is sold to others directly VAT must be declared if the business is VAT registered. VAT will be due at either 5% or 20% depending on levels of electricity generated and to whom it is sold.

Businesses will also receive a ‘generation tariff’, which is considered by HMRC to be outside the scope of VAT. No VAT is due on this income.

VAT incurred on installations can usually be recovered and if a business uses panels to generate electricity for its own use and/or resells electricity to the National Grid, the VAT incurred is likely to be recoverable in full.

Case Study 1 A leading leisure park has become the first in the UK to be powered by renewable energy.

GreenWood Forest Park in Y Felinheli, North Wales, has unveiled a £150,000 groundmounted solar array, which will provide more than 80 per cent of the park’s energy needs.

The 576-panel 150kWp system will save the park over £1million in energy costs over a 25-year period as well as providing a carbon saving of 1,700 tonnes over the same period.

The launch of the renewable energy system comes at an exciting time for GreenWood Forest Park. More than £900,000 is being invested in a major new ride – due to open in the Spring of next year - which will also have its power needs met by the solar panels.

The 80 metre long ride includes a 12m tower that visitors have to reach via stairs. Riders then get into inflatable boats and race down

Solar Provides Thrills and Spills in North Wales the chutes that are flowing with water.

The installation of the ground-mounted PV system was project managed by Perfect Sense Energy along with partners Gwynedd Renewables and Pioneer Contracting.

The system will also have an educational purpose. In addition to the current 146,000 annual visitors to the tourist attraction, school parties will be able to learn about how solar energy is powering the park. There is a public display panel which continually updates visitors on the benefits being achieved through the solar panel installation.

Stephen Bristow, owner and Managing Director of GreenWood Forest Park, said: “I believe GreenWood Forest Park is the first tourist attraction of its kind to produce the vast majority of its power from renewable sources.

Many theme parks use huge amounts of electricity and could be doing a good deal

Biomass project benefits Balgair Fintry Development Trust (FDT), a local charity specialising in reducing carbon emissions and enhancing sustainability, completed and launched a ground-breaking renewable energy project at Balgair Castle Holiday Park on Friday 14th August 2015.

The £600,000 project was supported by Npower, Stirling Council and Scottish Government, and consists of a fully designed and installed biomass district heating system, supplying 26 residential homes and the holiday park’s bar & bistro with heating and hot water. The community will benefit in reduced annual carbon emissions by 112 tonnes and 20% reduction in heating costs.

The biomass district heating system includes a woodchip-fuelled boiler with network of underground pipes and provides a costeffective and environment-friendly space heating and hot water solution.

Sandra Burke, Park Manager at Balgair Castle Holiday Park said: “The residents are our top priority and I am positive this heating system will add great value to the park’s sustainability and customer satisfaction. The system is more energy efficient and provides a superior quality of heating than previous individual heating systems. In addition, more affordable heating will improve health and welfare long-term.”

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more to address the issue of carbon reduction.

I am extremely proud of our investment in the new solar array which will provide around 80 per cent of our power needs.

Gary Brandwood, Managing Director of Manchester-based Perfect Sense Energy, said: “Perfect Sense Energy and our partners Gwynedd Renewables and Pioneer Contracting are delighted to have been able to design and install the first solar array of its kind at a UK theme park.

“At certain times, the PV array produces more than double the amount of energy being consumed by the park, with the excess renewable energy being exported on to the grid for other local consumers to use.We hope that other tourist and leisure attractions see what GreenWood Forest Park have done and consider harnessing renewable energy within their businesses.”

Case Study 2

Matthew Black, Senior Energy Adviser at FDT commented: “This prestigious project will benefit the community as the income from heat sales and the Renewable Heat Incentive is directed to Fintry Development Trust to be redistributed within the local community for further environmental and socially sustainable projects. As the result the local community is strengthened socially, economically and environmentally.

The project can be easily replicated in other rural communities throughout the UK.” Following the official launch with a presentation, networking and photo opportunities, Ken Brady, Programme Manager District Heating at Energy Saving Trust said: “We work closely with Scottish government and manage various loan schemes and grants for energy-related projects for carbon reduction and affordable warmth. Great to see a good turn out today – the community is backing it up one hundred per cent. The e-meters installed in residents’ homes make the project more tangible for them and encourage them to be more energy efficient. This project has brought together a few agencies who formed strong synergy. I am pleased with this project and we will see bills reduced for many years to come.”

Balgair Castle Holiday Park is one of the five

holiday parks in Scotland owned by the Wood family.

Purchased in 2010, Balgair Castle Holiday Park has gone through extensive ground and structural upgrading throughout and received a 4-star grading from Visit Scotland together with a Certificate of Excellence 2015 on TripAdvisor. Nestled between the Campsite and Fintry hills, the park stretches over 27 acres and comprises 115 caravan pitches with holiday homes for sale and hire along with 80 touring and tenting pitches.

The park has a strong focus on environment protection and sustainability, and uses ecofriendly cleaning and maintenance products, ground-source heat pumps for the outdoor swimming pool, LED lights, recycling stations and zero-emission machinery where possible. The park has consideration of wildlife habitats with the emphasis on protection of its natural environment and river Endrick in conjunction with SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency).

Lancashire family's "green blueprint" wins national honour encourage animal, bird, insect and plant life.

In a special message to the park, David Bellamy said that he was "constantly amazed and excited at what you are achieving to protect and enhance the natural world".

Botanist David Bellamy has singled out a Lancaster family as role models for "green tourism" in Lancashire – and presented their business with a top sustainability award.

The honour goes to Moss Wood Caravan Park in the village of Cockerham which was established 40 years ago by Blackpool-born Syd Wild, and which is now run jointly by him and his son Henry.

The wildlife-friendly enterprise was one of the first in the UK to receive Professor Bellamy's prestigious Conservation Award when it was introduced almost 20 years ago.

Since then, Moss Wood has continued to win the accolade every year at its top gold level, thanks to a succession of initiatives to

He added that the park has created a virtual "green blueprint" for sustainable tourism enterprises.

Amongst a raft of measures taken at Moss Wood has been the creation of a wild flower meadow where high nectar-bearing blooms provide food for honey bees and butterflies.

Hundreds of indigenous trees and hedges have been planted, and around the 30-acre grounds are many wildlife habitats built by the park, plus hand-made bird, bat and owl boxes.

The Wild family has also established a wildlife "buffer zone" around Moss Wood on which no development is allowed, and which has become a haven for animals and plants.

Another recent move to safeguard the environment has been the creation of a spring-fed tarn which acts as a magnet for birds, water fowl, dragonflies and a host of other aquatic life In an area surrounded largely by agricultural land, Henry Wild says that Moss Wood is also sustaining a largely chemical-free oasis by not using potentially harmful pesticides or sprays: "Every year we are assessed by David Bellamy's Conservation Foundation on our latest green projects, and it's fantastic to think that these have won a top gold award each time," said Henry.

"We always try and base our decisions on what would be the best outcome for the natural world, and our aim is to make wildlife feel as welcome here as our holiday guests.

"Because our park is well off the beaten track, we do tend to attract couples and families looking for a tranquil and unspoiled location – so what we do is also good for business.”

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Music to your Ears Music is an essential addition to any holiday park, adding to the atmosphere of your bars and restaurants and encouraging customers to stay longer and spend more! However, it is essential to speak to the experts before choosing your music system as there are a number of issues to consider.

For example, over 80 per cent of plays on jukeboxes are of new releases, so it pays to ask how often your jukebox will be updated. Also it is important to use a reputable supplier such as Sound Leisure/Soundnet and NSM below – as there are licensing fees that must be paid when you play music in public spaces.

They will advise you of the best equipment to use, how to maximise your revenues and also provide after sales service to help keep your jukebox in top condition.

Online connected digital jukeboxes can almost run themselves – as updates will

appear automatically and many changes and issues can be solved remotely. Music can be profiled so that you don’t get Heavy Metal playing at lunchtime! These days there are also lots of exciting extras, such as automatic bingo, quizzes, karaoke and even an App from Soundnet that will allow customers to choose and pay for music using their smart phone!

If you already have an operator who looks after your other coin-operated machines, they will be able to help you choose the best supplier for your music needs. Below, we outline the offerings from the country’s two top manufacturers.

NSM Music NSM has been involved in jukebox and background music installations in the holiday park sector all over the UK from Cornwall, to Inverness.

One of the benefits of buying from NSM is that NSM Music is a one-stop shop. Holiday Park operators can not only buy equipment from the company, they can also get music content, after sales and technical support . “This makes it so easy and affordable for customers to operate and is why NSM Music is popular,” says Alex Kirby, Sales Manager.

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The NSM sales team can go through all our different music packages and ranges of jukeboxes, background music systems available to work out what product fits the venue best. When the order is placed it can be paid via bank transfer or credit card and at the same time the customer set up a standing order for future music updates.

“The main concerns of holiday park operators are the running costs and music charges, especially when the holiday park is empty and out of season,” adds Alex.

“To overcome this problem, NSM came up with ‘The Holiday’. This is where the holiday park operator has the option to put the jukebox, or background music system on hold. This means that NSM will stop charging and sending you music updates.This makes it viable for holiday parks , colleges, universities etc, to operate despite the fact the will only be open for 6-9 months of the year.”

NSM MUSIC has a full range of audio, audio/video jukeboxes and background music solutions. NSM has also recently become the UK distributor for Replay which manufactures coin-operated Children’s educational fun games terminals.

NSM has many functions built into their jukeboxes including Bingo, Advertising and Karaoke With these features, holiday park owners will be able to Advertise and host Bingo and Karaoke evenings, this will help holiday parks retain paying customers during the evenings and produce greater cash takes.

Sound Leisure Sound Leisure has supplied jukeboxes to a multitude of holiday parks up and down the country, from digital machines through to the classic nostalgia models.

The Leeds-based manufacturer has even supplied carcasses of its Classic machines to Butlins at Minehead who used the looks to create the feel of their diner.

For holiday parks interested in buying a digital jukebox, the process is straightforward. The machine can be purchased directly from Sound Leisure and then a contract taken out for the licensed music with Soundnet. Many sites also have existing operators that run other machines on the location and jukeboxes can normally be rented or leased through them as well.

If it is a classic styled machine, normally placed in American themed Diners or cafes, the machine can be supplied as a CD playing unit which is usually the most popular format. Once again this can be purchased directly from Sound Leisure or supplied by the local operator.

Many holiday park operators are naturally concerned about the style of music that is available to be played at different times of the day. “Holiday parks often ask us about the style of music playing and how they can control this,” says Chris Black, Sound Leisure, Managing Director. “With our digital machines it is possible to profile the music so that the machine will only play from specific genres of music at certain times of the day.”

“A jukebox is a centrepiece in any location and allows the patron to believe that they are controlling the atmosphere in the site, when all they are actually doing is playing from a selection of genres that you have already designated as being good for that particular period of time,” he adds.

Both the Classic Jukebox and the digital machines from Sound Leisure are ideal for holiday parks. The Classics are often used as a focal point or feature. The digital wall-mounted machines are ideal near pool tables and in bars where people like to relax and interact with the location. A Jukebox can definitely add dwell time to a location as if a customer has paid to play a track they will normally stay on the location until their selection has been played.

are playing music on site why not set the machine to play background music and then allow people to pay to play and see some return for your money?” asks Chris.

Depending on the model being used, it is possible to add twitter feeds, advertise, run Bingo, quizzes and with the soundjack app even select songs from your phone. “If you

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l mping G Business

The Glamping Show a resounding success

Issue 1 November 2015

CLA’s Richard Goodwin: All Your Planning Issues Explained

Inspiration and Information for Glamping Operators

Welcome and contents

Welcome to

l mping G Business

What is Glamping? That is a question that was asked a few times during the seminars at the first ever Glamping Show in September. Glamping can be anything from bell tents, pods, cabins to more exotic accommodation such as train carriages or airstreams. It can involve en suite bathroom facilities or a shower block in a field. The fact is that Glamping can be all manner of experiences and that’s fine – as long as the customer knows what they are paying for!

The thirst for knowledge among would-be Glamping operators was evident at the show, as people crammed into our pods to listen to the seminars. “Has the Glamping bubble burst?” was another question I heard during the show. The answer was clearly a resounding “No!” With this soft launch of Glamping Business magazine we bring you a comprehensive report on the many products and services that were featured during the show. We also feature a round-up of the myriad of planning issues that Glamping operators might face, brought to you by the CLA. We hope you enjoy this first issue

Steph Glamping Business Editor

Contents 04

Glamping show exhibition round-up Visitors flocked to Stoneleigh Park to enjoy the fine weather and the wide range of glamping options from bell tents and yurts, through to pods and cabins, plus related accessories and services.

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Guiding you through the planning maze

By Richard Goodwin MRICS Midlands Rural Surveyor, CLA When it comes to planning the first things to think about are the site, the premises, the location and the facilities and services to be provided. You will also need to consider the access to the site and the occupation and operation periods.

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Show report

The first-ever dedicated glamping show in the UK was a tremendous success.

Aquashell Aquashell manufacture and supply innovative, ecological and contemporary floating lodges, for luxury Glamping and tourism projects.

Visitors flocked to Stoneleigh Park to enjoy the fine weather and the wide range of glamping options from bell tents and yurts, through to pods and cabins, plus related accessories and services.

Alfresco Arch Alfresco Arch have designed and developed Arc shaped structures since 2001. Their design principle is: “Function first then let form follow”. Research and development has resulted in beautiful arch shelters designed to wow the Glamping industry.

AlfrescoArch.com

Almeira Almeira sells and supports clients with world-class online booking and channel management solutions from STAAH. The team has many years of industry experience .

As the STAAH reseller in Europe, the company helps customers to get the best out of their STAAH booking and channel management system. This advanced system offers unparalleled performance for both single and multi-site businesses.

Anytime Booking Anytime Booking is a web-based booking and management system designed for campsites, holiday parks and self-catering properties. The system helps to reduce those time-consuming day-to-day admin tasks making them refreshingly easy, taking the load off and saving you precious hours.

Anytime Bookings offers the flexibility to manage your business your way by delivering real-time availability and bookings to your website, handling payments in the way you choose, firing out emails automatically and calculating extras such as dogs, hampers and electric hook-ups. The clever reporting – whether routine, housekeeping or financial – also helps you to keep your finger on the pulse.

They are specialists in making floating structures but these can also be placed on land.

The company can also manufacture bespoke designs for hotels and restaurants. Visitors to the show were amazed at the affordability of the lodges which cost from £18,000 to £50,000 fully furnished and insulated with double glazing and suitable for year round use, either on your private lake, river or on the land.

These can also be used on flood plains with a special mooring system that can lift the house up to 6 mtrs Web: www.aquashell.uk

Aquashell – Harry Singh – Managing Director “We are launching a complete range at The Glamping Show. We have had such good enquiries from operators who have lakes or riverfronts that they want to make use of. We have even had a customer come to see us from Spain. It has been great to meet the CLA here – 60% of their members have lakes on their land, so it is a huge opportunity.”

The company has partnerships with third parties such as Pitchup.com and Trip Advisor to naturally increase your exposure to potential visitors, while the inbuilt marketing features mean you can target your customers more effectively. www.anytimebooking.co.uk

Wendy Radford-Gaby, Managing Director Anytime Booking “We didn’t know what to expect on the first day but the show was better than we had even hoped. I would say that the visitors we spoke to were split about 50/50 between those who already operate Glamping sites and those who are planning to set them up. We got such good quality leads that we would have gone away happy on the first day.”

Gl

mping

Business

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Show report

Ashwood Shepherd Huts

Ashton Shepherd Ashton Shepherd Huts is a high quality builder of traditional shepherd huts, based upon the original Victorian principles. The company offers clients a beautifully crafted hut, made from traditional materials and built by craftsmen. They can either deliver a complete hut for clients to furnish themselves; or with an optional extras package, they provide the complete experience delivered ready to use.

Suitable for placing in a garden, driveway, woodland or paddock, the shepherd huts are built for extra, luxury outdoor space.

Ashton Shepherd Huts - Les Wheeler Proprietor “We have had a lot of good quality interest in the first day. I was very heartened by the number of people who are purchasing land with the aim of setting up Glamping sites in the future. This is a market that is growing. The number of enquiries we received yesterday made it more that worth our while to attend the show, we handed out well over 200 brochures to quality visitors. We are extremely happy.”

Blackdown shepherd Huts Blackdown Shepherd Huts are providers of luxury complete living spaces. Will and George set up the business in 2011, laboriously building their first hut in a garage, using our 20 years of carpentry and bespoke building experience.

Since then they have been fortunate enough to work with some really lovely customers, growing the business along the way. They now employ a team of skilled craftsmen in our 6000 sq. ft. workshop based near Ilminster in Somerset.

Email – info@blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk Website – www.blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk

Shepherds hut, fishing hut, studio, summerhouse, b & b, office, glamping, guest room, studio, craft room, changing room, shop, tea room and much more.

Delivery available worldwide.

Our huts should give you and future generations many hours of enjoyment. We hope they will be the antiques of the future. http://www.ashwoodshepherdhuts.co.uk/

Barry Davies and Co Chartered surveyors Barry Davies BSc MRICS IRRV, is a Chartered Surveyor specialising in advising leisure and tourism operators on Business Rate Appeals, undertaking negotiations on behalf of clients in reducing their rateable values and Business Rates paid. He is a member of the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation.

BCT Outdoors Ltd BCT Outdoors Ltd have been manufacturing tents for over 100 years in Bradford Yorkshire and manufacture a range of tents for the Glamping market which are all based on commercial usage which include Bell Tents, Tipi`s, Yurts, tent suites and custom made products. They supply major users such as Eurocamp, Contiki and Glastonbury Festivals, as well as many smaller users.

All the products are made in-house in Bradford where there is a manufacturing facility offering both sewing and welding capability coupled with state of the art printing options.

All products meet British, EU and US standards for fire retardency and most products are designed for commercial year round use. www.bctoutdoors.com

Boutique Camping The company lovingly makes and distributes a range of renowned luxury bell tents and beautiful accessories that will turn any campsite into a home away from home. From festival ‘glamping’ to unforgettable family holidays and everything in between, Boutique Camping brings comfort and colour to your camping experience.

The luxury bell tents are unique, fully waterproof and exclusively available in a range of gorgeous colours to suit any occasion.

Boutique Camping uses high-quality materials and products so customers are provided with durable, ergonomic and ornate goods.

Info@boutiquecamping.com www.boutiquecamping.com

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BorderLoos & event Hire BorderLoos & Event Hire has over 25 years’ experience providing a wide range of highly versatile facilities, which can be delivered and installed quickly and efficiently to site. The company has supplied many of the UK’s leading events including Radio 1’s Big Weekend, T in the Park, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations and Glastonbury.

The bespoke 4 berth shower units are some of the most luxurious gasoperated mobile units available. New up-to-date technology allows the units to be situated wherever required at your event. A single-phase electrical connection, fresh water supply, grey water drainage and LPG propane gas are all that’s required on site. Recently introduced is the GroundProtector all-weather surface protection and sturdy folding picnic tables to create on-site seating areas.

Whether it’s a large festival or small occasion, a dedicated Event Manager will personally help you achieve the best solution to suit your requirements and budget.

Chainsaw Carving Will Lee is an awardwinning chainsaw carver basing near Tring in Hertfordshire.

He has been carving for almost ten years and has carved all over the UK and abroad. In 2014, he won the European chainsaw carving championships defending his title from 2012. He not only specialises in chainsaw carving he also makes furniture, signage, green oak framing, outdoor classrooms and natural play areas.

The majority of his work are for large corporations, councils, schools, The National Trust, the Forestry Commission and The Woodland Trust but also takes on many smaller commissions through out the year.

Example of his work can be found on his website.

Carvings can either be made in his workshop and transported to site or they can be carved in situ from existing timber or stumps. chainsawcarver@mail.com

Show checklist

CampPlus CampPlus en-suite campsite facilities offers a private bathroom right next to your tent or caravan. It’s the missing link between a fully serviced pitch and a bungalow.

The CampPlus unit significantly increases the turnover and occupancy of your campsite pitches. It’s an investment that pays for itself.

Recent studies show that 89% of the people who have used a pitch with private facilities will want it again on their next camping vacation. Seventy-three per cent said that private facilities would be at the top of their wish list.

Website - www.campplus.co.uk

Cedartree – Faraway Lodge Glamping Cabins Cedartree is a longestablished, British manufacturer of high quality cedar buildings for residential, commercial and educational applications.

The company showed its latest “Cedar Cabin” to The Glamping Show. It truly is the definition of a “transportable building”. This altogether new development offers the rural or holiday park entrepreneur, the opportunity of acquiring a top quality, British-built accommodation unit, and at a price level that enables the very maximum returns on investment. Attractively-built, attractively-designed, and attractively-priced for the forward-looking entrepreneur. www.farawaylodge.co.uk

Centre of Alternative Technology CAT is an education and visitor centre demonstrating practical solutions for sustainability. It covers all aspects of green living: environmental building, eco-sanitation, woodland management, renewable energy, energy efficiency and organic growing.

Clear sky safari Tents In the four years Clear Sky have been in business, they have become the ‘go to’ company for safari tents and it’s not hard to see why. They specialise in supplying stunning safari tents, made to the very highest quality, but due to the fact they manufacture in large numbers they are 30-40% lower in price than many of their competitors. Not only that, they run their own glamping site in Kent, which means from planning permission to creating a website they have done it all and are more than happy to share their knowledge with you! website : www.safaritents.net

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Classic Glamping Classic glamping is the wild younger sibling of classic cottages!

If you think of Classic Cottages as the dependable, affable 37yr old holiday cottage specialist, Classic Glamping is the feral one who always wanted to be outdoors, climbing trees, whittling sticks and making fires. But the two are of the same stock with the same purpose - to make your time away as great as it can possibly be.

Classic Glamping – Jakie Jewell “We have been inundated with people coming to us for advice on how to set up Glamping sites on the first day of the show. We are able to tell them how long the process will take realistically, to go and visit the site with them and advise them on what kind of glamping accommodation would suit. We can hold their hand through the whole process.”

CLA

Decking NI Ltd

Formed in 1907, the CLA is the membership organisation for owners of land, property and business in rural England and Wales. Anyone who owns rural land, no matter how much, will benefit from joining the CLA. The CLA is the only organisation dedicated to defending your interests as a landowner and is your only truly independent and authoritative source of advice on matters including planning, diversification and rural tourism.

Decking NI Ltd was established in 2002. Since then, the company has emerged as a UK market leader in the manufacture, importation and supply of high quality, lowmaintenance Eco products to the Landscaping, Construction, Leisure, Equestrian and Playground industries.

Their low maintenance outdoor products are designed, engineered and manufactured to withstand the harshness of the UK climate, particularly the high levels of rainfall. The working life of their products range from 15 years to 40 years and are made from recycled plastics and recycled rubber.

www.cla.org.uk

CLA – Mike Ashton “We have been very busy dealing with enquiries all day. The two burning issues have been planning permission and Twitter! People know we are active on Twitter and they want to know how social media can help their businesses.”

Cool Camping The Cool Camping website is one of the most popular curated glamping websites in the UK with well over 2 million unique users each year. The recent launch of an industry-leading online booking system now enables glamping site owners to take bookings directly via www.coolcamping.co.uk, while also offering an integrated solution to take bookings on the glampsite’s own website.

Visitors to the Cool Camping stand at the show found out more about how the unique booking system can generate extra bookings while reducing workload.

They also had the chance to win a boutique Podpad glamping unit worth over £5,000, and to talk to the Podpad representatives about this new glamping phenomenon.

Cool Camping’s free-to-list sister site can be found at www.iLoveThisCampsite.com

Driftwood Campers Rocky and Wendy take old campers and give them a new lease of life, in fact making them more beautiful and luxurious than they ever were before. Their vans are wrapped with insulation that was designed for the Space Shuttle and covered in a wonder wood called Accoya® using techniques learned from 30 years of carpentry. The team reclaims 1920’s oak parquet flooring, french copper and mixes it up to give me a cool contemporary look inside.

Carbon neutral and sustainable they offer a bespoke service working closely with their customers to create a truly beautiful caravan.

Driftwoodcampers.co.uk

driftwoodcampers@gmail.com

Dappr Aviation Using a commercial airliner fuselage that would otherwise have been scrapped, Dappr Aviation upcycles it to make a fantastically well engineered building. Aeropods are fully insulated and finished to the highest specification. Electricity and water can be installed. Options include heated floors and a wide range of finishes both internal and external. They can even strip the shell back to its original aluminium with a highly polished finish.

The company has hundreds of ideas to make unique and elegant pieces using their raw materials. These can be desks or chairs; lamps or tables; chimineas or fire pits or simply great works of art.

Website : http://dappr-aviation.com

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Deepee

ecotoilets

The DeePee is an eight segmented, collapsible portable building made from hemp, cork or balsa wood and a soya-based resin. Originally designed as a survival pod for extreme conditions it is a tough but comfortable living or work space that can house up to five adults (in its standard design). Well insulated, it provides a warm and spacious temporary to mid-term home in any weather condition and can even be fitted with a stove and chimney for cooking.

It takes approximately two hours to build and when not in use the segments fit snuggly together and can be stored flat. Each segment weighs between 8 – 18 kilos (depending on individual specification and intended use) and therefore can be easily transported.

It is as versatile as your imagination and can be built with multiple doors, windows, bullet and blast proof walls and even connecting walkways to create whole villages. Doors have been built with disabled access in mind and other creature comforts are available such as spiral water-catchers, solar panels and electric cabling – everything to make your DeePee feel like home wherever you are, whatever the conditions.

With a life-expectancy of approximately 25 years, it is durable and can be used time and again as a valuable and cost-effective living or work space. www.deepee.co.uk

Whether you are glamping, camping, organising an outdoor event, or any kind of activity where people are involved you are going to need toilets.

So…imagine a toilet that has no need for water, a sewage system, miles of plumbing, or septic tank, that can be placed anywhere, even where you could not put a conventional WC. This product is called an Ecotoilet.

The Ecotoilet is a dry separating toilet that works using the design of the human body.

Urine is directed one way and the solid material another. The design is simple, and clever. www.eco-toilets.co.uk

Freedomes Freedomes tents are unmistakable, offering a unique shape and experience to visitors. The intricate framework of the Freedome structure creates an incredible sense of space and unrivalled insulation. Freedomes can be placed almost anywhere and offer great flexibility to operators.

Freedomes Dominka Rogacewicz

exclusive Tents – safari Tent structures Exclusive Tents eco-friendly tent designs are quickly becoming the standard for alternative luxury accommodation worldwide.

From the remote African safari to the five star ultra luxury island resorts, Exclusive Tents leads the way to a new era of sustainable green living.

The Glamping Show was the first UK exhibition attended by this South African Company which has supplied Richard Branson among other high profile clients. www.exclusivetents.com

“We are very pleased with the enquiries we have received from the show. People have been looking around our domes outside and then coming inside to talk to us about investing. It is a really good show.

Futurerooms The company designs all of its Pods in-house and they are delivered as one complete unit to your site.

There is a range of different sizes, and as with all of their garden rooms, each can be upgraded or designed to meet your exact needs, including furniture and equipment.

There are six models to choose from: - See more at: http://www.futurerooms.co.uk/pods

The Garden Oven Company The company offers a range beautifully designed and efficient wood-fired outdoor ovens. Made in Great Britain, these iconic ovens become a focal point of your venue. The practical and easy to use oven allows creation of dishes limited only by the imagination: from roasts, curries, bread and pizza, to bbq and smoking. garden-oven.co.uk

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Glamping Fields

Glampotel

Glamping Fields offers a partnership franchise agreement to the right landowners, with the right land in the right locations, where you can run your own site with our support and expertise and where they take care of all the sales, marketing and customer bookings.

Glampotel is one of the most luxurious glamping solutions for campsite and caravan park owners. Large and beautifully appointed Canvas Cottages built on large wooden decks offer spacious private accommodation, luxurious bedding, and the only ensuite bathrooms available today. Glampotel is designed so you don’t have to give up any land that is generating income for you today.

If you have an attractive piece of land currently unoccupied Glamping Fields can help you put it to good use in a fun way and create extra revenue for you.

The turnkey off-the-grid solution means campsite and touring park owners and operators can easily add Glampotel to their existing businesses, without having to worry about building the units, marketing the business, managing reservations, and payment collection. By adding a Glampotel to your current business you are guaranteed to increase income, attract new customers and extend your season by at least 3 months.

http://www.glampingfields.co.uk/

Glamping solutions Do you want to own your own Luxury Log Cabin with a guaranteed return? Glamping Solutions have opportunities for you to own a log cabin situated on one of the Feather Down Farm sites; Europe’s leading glamping operator.

Alternatively you may just be interested in buy a cabin for your sole use or placing it on your own farm, estate or holiday site.

Glamping Solutions Limited Email: Enjoy@glampingsolutions.co.uk

Hearthworks Hearthworks was formed in 1999 as manufacturers of traditional North American Tipis and central Asian Yurts. They now have over 15 years experience in manufacturing and hire, and also import felt Yurt covers and decorations from Kyrgyzstan.

From the beginning they have offered Tipis & Yurts for hire to Private Parties, Corporate Events and Weddings. This has expanded into the provision of accommodation at a large number of major Festivals over the summer season.

The Glamping phenomenon has led the company in exciting directions with bespoke projects for Holiday Accommodation, Schools, and multi Yurt complexes with ensuite bathrooms, platform floors, and wood-burning stoves.

Website: http://www.hearthworks.co.uk Emails: info@hearthworks.co.uk

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Glampotel – Paul Woolnough Founder and CEO We are extremely pleased with the show it has been very busy and we received five really good quality enquiries on the first day and talked to around 40 groups of potential customers. Having the public come on Saturday is an extra bonus for us.

GTF Event Equipment Finance GTEEF is a leading Independent Finance Broker specialising in Equipment Finance and Leasing for operators within the event and hospitality sectors in the UK. They can arrange bespoke finance packages for all types of equipment and have extensive industry experience in everything from the seasonality issues to the sometimes obscure assets we are required to finance. www.gtfeventequipmentfinance.co.uk/

Hooked on Glamping Hooked on Glamping is a small, creative company supplying many unique glamping products, all designed and manufactured in the Wiltshire countryside. The unique Glamp Clamp™ selfsupporting and self-adjusting Pole-Table, Hooks and Hangers (fitting all pole diameters) all proved very popular at the show. The Glamp Yourself Pole Table is a cost effective way for glampers to create their own individual designs.

Log Pod Conceived as an all-year-round living space, a Log Pod is as welcoming in winter as in the heat of summer , and unlike any tent the Log Pod has been designed to have a lifespan of least 25 yrs, assuming a basic amount of routine maintenance. Almost every component of the Log Pod is either bio-degradable or recycleable. www.thelogpod.co.uk www.thelogpod.co.uk

Show report

Inspired Courses – A Glamping Business Guide – see seminar round-up Inspired Courses has developed one of the most comprehensive online courses for luxury camping and glamping the outdoor industry has ever seen, to give new businesses the launch pad they need to set up their business quickly, avoid pitfalls, and jump ahead of the competition, while allowing their new enterprise to start earning immediately.

Developed by Sarah Riley – a consultant, trainer and independent glamping industry expert with no affiliations with any specific companies or brands – in partnership with Inspired Camping, it has been developed as an online guide with explanation videos and detailed information to support learners through every step of the process, while releasing some very profitable trade secrets and helping new businesses to thrive.

From the fundamental business idea, the options available, the set up process, timelines and essential launch plan, to relevant market statistics, business planning, expected costs and income, marketing, photography, website optimisation, environmental issues, general site maintenance and event management.

It also includes a social media course for beginners, which is essential for creating a buzz about your new project from the beginning. This step-by-step, easy to follow guide gives you the perfect launchpad for your luxury camping and glamping business, to secure its success and significantly boost your income.

Lotus Belle – Glamping Tents Lotus Belle tents are made from 360gsm Waterproof, and fire/ rot resistant canvas – this is the primary reason their tents cost more than other Bell Tents (plus there’s a lot more fabric in our tents, so they’re much bigger on the inside even with the same size floor space).

The groundsheet is made with 540gsm pvc.

The tent will come with everything you need to put it up, including the groundsheet, pegs, poles, guy ropes, and even a mallet!

Tel: 07531543488 Website: www.lotusbelle.co.uk

naked Flame eco-Tubs Ltd Naked Flame Eco-Tubs Ltd – Luxurious hand-crafted Scandinavian wood-fired eco Hot Tubs. No electricity or gas needed, no pumps or filters. Low maintenance and low running costs. Fully sustainable, totally natural and totally beautiful.

Inclusive packages meaning no hidden add-ons with exclusive trade discounts. Give your site a fantastic “Wow” factor not to mention giving you great returns. www.nakedtubs.com

Outstanding® safari tent Outstanding® safari tents is the online portal of Donselaar Glamping B.V., which is based in Renswoude in the Netherlands. The company discovered the demand for luxury holidays in safari tents in 2009 and also saw that it wasn’t easy for campsite owners to provide for this demand, so they decided to take the lead and produce their own quality tents.

Mattressman Ltd Mattressman trade sales look after all a site’s needs from new mattresses, divans, beds, duvets, pillows and mattress protectors. All in stock for next day delivery.

Park Resorts Park Resorts have 25 award-winning Holiday Parks and camping sites in fantastic UK coastal locations. There’s a wide choice of camping pitch types and great touring amenities, with plenty of free facilities that all the family will enjoy. We have a great choice of pitch types available at each of our Holiday Parks, from basic camping pitches to super pitches with electric hook up and TV aerial connections.

This year the company is introducing brand new safari tents at Nodes Point and Thorness Bay Holiday Parks on the Isle of Wight.

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Pennine Pods

Paull’s Matting Paull’s Matting are suppliers of the highest quality natural coir matting with the most extensive range of Half Moon coir mats available on the market. The specifically designed half moon mats are prefect for Bell Tents, Yurts & Tipis and other Glamping applications.

Coir is a totally sustainable material made from the spun fibres of the coconut husks and the company’s four treadle weave mats finished with brown cotton or ginger nylon edging give an elegant luxurious finish to any floor, inside or out.

Playgrounds Direct Playgrounds Direct showed a range of equipment at the exhibition including swings, climbing frames, play towers and fitness trails. In addition they displayed a range of fall-protection surfaces including Safety-Paving™, Wetpour-Tile™ and Eco-Rubber-Grass Matting™ Email: info@deckingnigroup.co.uk Website: www.playgroundsdirect.co.uk

Quality Unearthed – Glamping Accommodation Guide A holiday isn’t just about where we put our heads at night. It’s about the whole experience; exploring new places, sampling new food and creating memories.

Quality Unearthed aims to find you unique places to stay, in areas of outstanding beauty. What about a luxury tree house for two, a super family holiday in a yurt or offgrid cottage?

The team at Quality Unearthed visit each abode personally to ensure it provides the kind of experience they can wholeheartedly recommend. info@boutiquecamping.com www.boutiquecamping.com

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Pennine Pods has introduced a new concept to glamping in the form of the foam/fiberglass infused pod. This is one complete sealed unit bonded together which is lightweight and versatile. Pennine Pods are warm in winter and cool in summer. They are draught-free and do not rot, therefore they are very easy to maintain. They float and can be attached easily to other pods – in fact the multi-pod can sleep at least 20 people. What’s more they are very environmentally friendly.

W: www.penninepods.co.uk E: penninepods@gmail.com

Popaloo Popaloo is a unique, compact, space-saving, chemical and water-free, highly portable Eco friendly toilet that is Made In England from durable and recyclable ABS. Popaloo uses a biodegradable dry powder waste bag system that gels the waste, powder bags can cope with both solid and fluid waste and will gel approximately 1.5 to 2 litres of fluid, after use the bag can be placed in a normal waste bin, composted or buried with the land-owners permission.

Popaloo is just 430mm square x 90mm high closed and builds to a normal toilet seat height of 432mm, weighing just 4.2 Kg it can take weights up to 175 Kg/27 stone. Popaloo comes in a handy carry case, with ten powder bags, wet wipes and emergency toilet tissue.

Robin Laidler – Popaloo “It has been unbelievable. We brought so many leaflets with us and we practically ran out on the second morning. We were not sure if our product would be ideal for this sector but lots of large companies have shown an interest in having our portable toilets in more secluded pitches. We are very pleased.”

Popaloo also provide two variants of pop up toilets for complete privacy.

Website : www.popaloo.co.uk

Rotospa RotoSpa is the only UK manufacturer of truly portable hot tubs.

Because they build their spas on site, they can offer great savings and after-sales care.

Their spas are purpose-built for the reality of daily use, with renowned health and social benefits.

RotoSpa’s portable spas are lightweight, robust, can fit through doors and can be rolled into place by 1-2 people making them ideal for hire.

The company also specialises in acrylic spas, swim spas, in-ground spas and commercial spas.

Find out more at www.rotospa.co.uk

Show report

Reestore – Max McMurdo Upcycler Reestore takes everyday waste objects and playfully upcycles them into beautiful accessories and functional pieces of furniture. From its Bedfordshire based studio, the company designs and manufactures a range of handmade products for the home, office and retail sectors.

The current range includes chairs made from shopping trolleys, roll-top baths transformed into sofas, fun carnival lights and Magic Chalk!

Visitors to the show recognized Max and his creations following his successful appearance on BBC’s Dragons’ Den where he secured investment from Theo Papthitis and Deborah Meadon. Max can now be found as a judge on Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year, Kirstie Allsopp’s Fill your house for free and at upcycling events around the country.

Website: www.reestore.com

spatex Ltd As the longest established and leading event for the wet leisure sector, whether you are an exhibitor or a visitor, SPATEX provides a unique annual opportunity for you to come and do business from 31st January to 2nd Feburary 2016 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. With over 100 exhibitors, SPATEX brings together under one roof the country’s largest showcase of new products and innovations but it is much more than just an exhibition. SPATEX hosts the popular (and free to attend) Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers Workshops, which pass on valuable business and technical expertise.

The Bunting Stables All of the bunting from The Bunting Stables is handmade in Yorkshire, in a converted stables in a small village overlooking the Yorkshire Wolds. The bunting is created from high quality materials and pretty fabrics all chosen to create beautiful bunting designs that add a stylish finishing touch to your shabby chic, country living or vintage style decor.

Website www.thebuntingstables.co.uk

Silverlining Silver Lining Networks is an established family run business specialising in the installation of commercial wifi into caravan parks, campsites, marinas and small businesses such as B&B’s, shops and restaurants, allowing your customers to access the internet 24 hours a day.

The company is based in Swansea is now the largest wifi installer in Wales.

Silver Lining Networks – Marc Jones “Compared to other shows I have exhibited at, this one stands out because of the relevance of the enquiries. It is great to talk to decision-makers, that makes the difference.”

The Authentic Mongolian Yurt Company Visitors to the Glamping Show were delighted to explore the 19’ Authentic Mongolian Yurt seeing close up, the hand painted decoration, pure wool felt and hand crafted framework.

With 9 years’ experience running Hidden Valley Yurts, a glamping site in the Wye Valley, this company can safely say they know their product inside out.

The Authentic Mongolian Yurt Company was born when the founders headed to Mongolia to buy a shipment of 12 yurts, five of which were for their own use and the rest that they sold on. Since then, they have sold over 150 and helped numerous customers to set up their own unique glamping sites.

They have learned a lot along the way – the quality of their yurts, their knowledge, the design of their rain caps and the waterproofing have improved year on year. They will visit sites anywhere in the country and also run courses on setting up yurt glamping sites. www.mongolianyurts.co.uk

The Little Hut Company The Little Hut company designs and constructs unique wooden, handcrafted shepherd huts and other wooden structures.

Every Hut is beautifully handcrafted and tailored to your needs using sustainable and local materials.

They can be used as garden hideaways, spare rooms, modern offices, craft studios or secret retreats. What ever you wish for, we will make that happen for you.

Unlike most shepherd huts constructed from steel cladding, the company decided to use wood as a alternative and they really blend into the surrounding landscape. Their huts also can have the addition of chainsaw carved features which make them really stand out amongst the competition.

Web: www.thelittlehutcompany.uk

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The septic Tank store

Thermo Tents

This is a family business that has been supplying and installing tanks, reed beds and associated products for over 20 years. Most products are priced on the company’s website with free delivery to England and Wales. Visitors to The Glamping Show were able to take advantage of a special offer of £1290 plus vat for a 6500 litre Graf Septeic Tank complete with baffle, inlet, and outlet, and a telescopic lid to 1.5 tonne loading. The company is also doing a 30 population sewerage treatment system £5900 plus vat.

Decking NI Ltd was established in 2002. Since then, the company has emerged as a UK market leader in the manufacture, importation and supply of high quality, lowmaintenance Eco products to the Landscaping, Construction, Leisure, Equestrian and Playground industries.

Their low maintenance outdoor products are designed, engineered and manufactured to withstand the harshness of the UK climate, particularly the high levels of rainfall. The working life of their products range from 15 years to 40 years and are made from recycled plastics and recycled rubber.

Email: info@theseptictankstore.co.uk Website: www.theseptictankstore.co.uk

Info@thermotents.com www.facebook.com/thermotents www.thermotents.com

Mark Bishop – The Septic Tank Store.co,uk “We have had quality leads from all over the UK – from Cornwall to Fife, Ireland and beyond. We have already got four site visits planned as a result of conversations we had with customers on the first day of the show and an order that came in last night that could more than justify the costs of being here. We are very happy indeed, the timing of the show is perfect.”

Tiny Wood Homes Luxury Accommodation with a small footprint!

Tinywood Homes creates beautiful homes for those seeking a luxury solution to tiny living. If you are looking for something a little different, unusual, eccentric and cosy, this is for you.

The company’s holiday homes, the Tinywood One and Two, feature double bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom with plumbed WC & shower, combi-central heating boiler with radiators and on-demand hot water, full 240v electrics and woodburning stove. There is a lounge and upper floor with 2/3 single beds. The kitchen features a fullsize fridge, gas cooker with hob and 5-person dining table.

Both properties also have a log-fired hot-tub and a covered barbecue/dining area. www.tinywoodhomes.webs.com

Aidan Reeve, Managing Director, Tiny Wood Homes “This is one of the best shows we have ever attended because the focus is solely on glamping so it is completely relevant for us. We have talked to a lot of people who are thinking of setting up a glamping business, which is great because it will start properly for them at this show. One day at this show has been more successful for us than an entire three days at Farming Innovation.”

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Tiny House UK The Tiny House movement is gradually catching on in the UK. More and more people are looking to their gardens to create a bit more living space or temporary accommodation. Whether it’s for a teenager, a spare bedroom for family or friends, a bit of extra B&B space, these custom-built, fully insulated, luxury cabins are built like a house and will last a lifetime.

Tel: 07860 852714 www.tinyhouseuk.co.uk

UK Hideaways UK Hideaways have the largest size range of wooden Camping huts in the UK. These are bespoke wooden Pods designed in different sizes suitable for a back garden or a campsite or Glamping Park.

Because of the company’s Monocoque building system they can build literally to any size needed A monocoque structure is like an aeroplane wing construction where you have a rib structure and an outer skin attached to give an unrivaled strength and this also means that the buildings do not need any internal walls in order to support the roof. www.ukhideawaysltd.co.uk

Seminar round up

Welsh Oak Frame Welsh Oak Frame is based in Powys, Mid Wales and has over 20 years of experience in building oak framed houses. In 2012 a sister company, Arboreta, started trading to produce bespoke garden structures.

Arboreta combines traditional craftsmanship and contemporary engineering to create bespoke oak structures including garden rooms, orangeries and conservatories, along with other bespoke buildings.

Arboreta spotted a trend in the leisure market where landowners were looking to diversify the potential uses for their land in terms of glamping, eco lodges, holiday parks etc and so they crafted a prototype for the Royal Horticultural Show at ‘Hampton Court’, to illustrate how stylish and original such a structure could look. Arboreta’s Verdante garden room offers exceptional versatility and was designed for a multitude of uses and was designed to not require foundations and as a rule no planning permission was required. www.arboreta-oak.com/products/verdante-garden-rooms

Wicklow Tree House Microlodge Ltd The Wicklow Treehouse and Micro Lodge Company designs robust glamping modules with an emphasis on aesthetic beauty.

Underneath the wooden half barrel or PVC timber effect cladding lies a heavy steel frame, allowing the modules to withstand anything the natural environment can throw at them.

The aim is to capture the imagination of both, kids and adults, alike.

Freedomes Wigwam Holidays has launched the new Wigwam Holidays Franchise. With several franchise sites now open the company is now offering more landowners in the country the chance to cash in on this market-leading holiday enterprise.

Wigwam will provide all the business help you need to take the first steps and when you’re set up they will even market your business for you on their popular website with over 500,000 visitors a year – and the convenience of online booking. www.wigwamholidays.com/franchisees

Forest Holidays Special offer for readers of Glamping Business

8% off Forest Holidays - escape to one of nine idyllic UK locations and stay in luxurious woodland cabins with private hot tubs set exclusively on Forestry Commission land.

Enter GLAMPINGBUS15 to save 8% at www.forestholidays.co.uk or call 03330 110495 and quote this code when you book before 31st December 2015 for holidays by 30th June 2016. The 8% discount applies to the cabin price only and not any extras. May not be used in conjunction with any other offer and cannot be applied retrospectively. Forest Holidays reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time.

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Glamping planning

Guiding you through the planning maze When it comes to planning the first things to think about are the site, the premises, the location and the facilities and services to be provided. You will also need to consider the access to the site and the occupation and operation periods. In this way you will be able to decide whether you will be offering permanent or temporary accommodation and what kind of planning you will require from full planning permission, to permitted development, a camp site licence or CLEUD. We will go through all these options in this article.

It is vital that you do your research before you go any further. There are a number of things to take into consideration. For example: national designations (protected areas), water and waste, electric hook-ups, health and safety and business rates. All of these will have a bearing on the type of accommodation you choose to provide.

You can find information on all of these issues via your local authority’s plan policy and from the National Planning Policy Framework. Another good source of information is your local tourist board – you need to ask yourself if there is already enough tourist accommodation in your area?

Look closely at your competitors who are

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By Richard Goodwin MRICS Midlands Rural Surveyor, CLA already providing this kind of offer – what are they doing and how successful are they?

Once you have decided what you want to offer, such as tepees, pods, tents or yurts you will need to find out if you require planning permission. Here, the key issue is whether the temporary structure constitutes ‘development’ (as stated in s55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).

‘Development’ can be either a ‘building or engineering operation or a ‘material change in the use of land’. However, in some cases in which planning permission is required, it is deemed already to have been granted, under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 („GPDO ). In these ‘permitted development’ cases no actual planning application is needed.

Building and engineering Operations If you have a substantial structure, which is kept on your land for a significant period of time, it is worth investigating whether it might be considered a “building operation” by the courts. They will consider three main factors when deciding: size, permanence and physical attachment.

Recent court cases have shown that the erection of a large marquee, or any such substantial structure, for several months of the year is a ‘building operation’, and is therefore ‘development’ requiring planning permission.

However, a structure which is smaller, less permanent, and/or not substantially attached may not constitute a ‘building operation’. It will depend on the individual facts of each case.

In addition, any significant ground preparation works for a temporary structure could in themselves constitute a ‘building or engineering operation’ requiring planning permission.

Material changes of use Even where a temporary structure is not a ‘building operation’, planning permission would be needed if its use amounted to a ‘material change of use’.

For example, a marquee for one or two private parties in the garden of a private house should not be a change of use, because such parties are incidental to the enjoyment of houses and their gardens.

That would probably remain the case if the marquee was used for a charitable event, or hired out for say one or two events. But a marquee regularly hired out commercially for a number of parties, or used for retail purposes, probably would amount to a material change of use, because these are essentially a business use. Conversely, a hotel using a marquee for parties would probably not involve a material change of use.

Glamping planning

Planning Permission It is always important to seek the appropriate advice from a planning consultant, surveyor if you think you will need full planning permission. A change of use application fee will cost you £385 and will allow you to customize your site. A decision will be made by Local Planning Authority within 8 weeks, on average, and you will have the ability to appeal if you are refused. It is worth remembering that conditions can be attached to the permission to limit occupation rates and operating periods and to cover highways alterations, LPG storage etc.

local authority in its role as licensing authority.

Site licence conditions are likely to cover the following issues: boundaries; spacing between caravans; roads, gates and footpaths; hard standings; fire fighting appliances; storage of LPG; electrical installations; water supply; drainage and sanitation; refuse disposal; parking; recreation space; notices etc.

A site licence will also be required if the site is used for 42 consecutive nights or more than 60 days in a 12 month period. The campsite licence will not be granted until full planning permission is granted.

Proposals for caravan sites located in designated areas (Green Belts, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Areas of Outstanding Beauty, National Parks, Gardens of Historic or Landscape Interest etc) may be permitted in exceptional circumstances.

Proposals in these areas may require higher standards of design, layout and landscaping and preference may be given to small sites over large sites so pre-application discussions with the local planning authority is encouraged to resolve any potentially contentious issues.

no Planning Permission

excepted ‘Certified’ sites

If the land is to be used for a limited time period, and the activity will have minimal impact upon the area, it is possible planning permission and licences would not be required.

If your land is approved by an exempted organisation, such as The Camping and Caravan Club, it is possible planning permission and licences would not be required.

scenarios are:

The Caravan and Camping Club hold exemptions from Natural England which allows them to certify small caravan and campsites for use by club members. Once certified you would be able to: I Accommodate up to 5 caravans or motorhomes, and 10 tents at any one time including glamping pods.

I Be open all year round if you wish, or you can specify your opening months.

I Keep all of the site fees.

Your application will be judged against local plan policy and the The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

I Tent pitches for no more than 28 days of camping within the year (GDPO) I a single caravan on a piece of land for no more than two nights, up to 28 days a year I No more than three caravans on a piece of land over 5 acres for no more than 28 days I If the site is occupied and supervised by an exempted organisation such as the Camping and Caravanning Club.

site Licences A caravan site is defined as any land on which a caravan is stationed for human habitation together with land used in association. Subject to permitted development rights, caravan sites therefore require both planning permission and a site licence before it can operate.

A site licence has to be applied for separately and can only be acquired following the granting of planning permission. While planning permission attaches to the land, the site licence is held by the occupier of the land and is nontransferable without the prior consent of the

Certification can be for full sites (caravans, motorhomes and tents), Caravan Only sites (no tents) and also Tent only sites (no caravans or motorhomes – also suitable for sites where access is particularly poor).

However, whether the member is camping

in a tent, caravan, motor caravan or trailer tent, they may only camp on your site for a maximum of 28 days at a time.

If you are not next door to a licensed site, there’s a good chance you would qualify.

You will need: I At least half an acre of fairly level land I Safe access and egress from the site; a Certified Site Officer will assess this for you but they base it on approximately 100 meters of clear view in either direction. It doesn’t matter if you have a narrow or single track lane either, provided there is good visibility and enough passing places.

The facilities you will need to provide before a certificate is issued are: I A drinking water tap I A rinsing water tap (for swilling out toilet cassettes) I Dry waste disposal – something as simple as a bin that can be emptied regularly I Chemical Disposal Point (CDP)

Certificate of Lawfulness of existing use or Development (CLeuD) If you have already erected temporary structures without planning permission, you can seek a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLUED) under s191 of the 1990 Act. After four years (for ‘operational development’) and 10 years (for ‘material changes of use’) a CLEUD must be granted automatically, even if the activity was not legal.

In some cases this may be a better startingpoint than a planning application, which the LPA of course has discretion to refuse. The application of this rule to temporary structures can be uncertain, but the CLA is aware of cases in which CLEUDs have confirmed the legitimacy of temporary structures and uses over a wide area of land.

For more information on these issues consult the CLA: www.cla.org.uk

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is the membership organisation for owners of land, property and businesses in rural England and Wales. They speak for everyone who believes in a living and working countryside.

Founded in 1907 to promote and protect the interests of owners of agricultural and rural land, today our membership encompasses the full diversity of land owning, business and professional interests. The association has 33,000 members who own and manage 50 percent of the land in England and Wales.

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