Managing Director, Jim Hibbs, confirmed that this was the case as he announced the acquisition of a significant portion of the UK market share last week. The Coachman Caravan Company Ltd is still in operation in their original location in Sutton Fields. Production began in this factory in 1986 and the company pride themselves on the fact that as much pride and attention is paid to each caravan now as was the case a quarter of a century ago.

However, the product itself has changed quite a bit. Back in the eighties, caravans were a much more basic affair, the kind that many of us will remember from childhood holidays by the sea. In 2012, people expect a lot more from their holiday accommodation. The worldwide recession has been a blessing in disguise for UK tourism and business like Coachman’s, with caravanning and other UK-based breaks rocketing in popularity.

A person booking a caravan holiday now will see a huge change from the caravans they remember. Modern accommodations built by Coachman’s incorporate streamlined designs with a range of modern materials. Panoramic windows, Truma Combi spaces, water heating and mood lighting are amongst the excellent features holidaymakers can expect.

With Coachman having invested £500,000 in new product development recently, it can safely be assumed that, when the ultimate caravan is discovered, it will be astounding!

For more information on our Caravan Insurance cover, call us at Lifesure on 01480 402 460, or visit our online quote engine via the link.

Sir Ian Botham himself is taking part in the walk, planning to complete the one hundred and fifty mile journey on foot over ten days. Yorkshire based Swift Caravans have teamed up with the Caravan Club to provide a very useful form of sponsorship for the sporting legend; the provision of a motorhome from Swift’s AutoCruise Alto range for the duration of the walk. Sir Ian Botham will use the motorhome as accommodation as he travels through ten major UK cities. London, Cambridge, Norwich, Cardiff, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow will all receive a visit from Beefy himself as he treks between the extremities of the island.

Sir Ian Botham has expressed his gratitude to both Swift Caravans and The Caravan Club, saying “On behalf of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, I would like to thank Swift Group for their continued support, as we enter our twenty eighth year of Beefy’s Great British Walk. I will not stop walking until every child with blood cancer survives, and the provision of a support vehicle for the walk, plus The Caravan Club’s dedication and support throughout the year, is very much appreciated.”  Advance sponsorship of over £22,000 has already been pledged in the run up to the Great British Walk

For more information on Lifesure’s highly competitive Caravan Insurance, call us for a free quote on 01480 402 460.

The 2012 Caravan and Motorhome Show in Manchester, which ended last week, again proved the popularity of this type of family holiday, with one manufacturer in particular leaving very satisfied with their results. Swift Caravans have reported more than £4 million in sales during the event alone. This is more than double their previous sales figures.

Touring caravans and motorhomes were the order of the day as the East Yorkshire-based business netted a very healthy average of one million pounds in sales per day of the Caravan and Motorhome Show. Swift Caravans have named their lightweight and reasonably priced tourers as their stars of the show. These tourers accounted for £2.5 million of the £4 million taken during the event. Motorhome sales were also pretty impressive, increasing by 135 per cent to £1.65 million.

Swift Caravans’ Sprite and Sprite Lite ranges were on display at the Manchester event, alongside six brand new models in the Challenger Sport and Sterling Eccles Swift Ranges. Swift Caravans’ Commercial Director, Nick Page, advised that the entire production batch of 2012 models was sold during the 4 day exhibition. “By giving people products that are more cost effective, better designed and in the case of our tourers, lighter and easier to tow with smaller cars, we are seeing some very positive results.”

For a full breakdown of Lifesure’s Caravan Insurance, call us for a free quote today on 01480 402 460.

Although caravanning may not be everyone’s first thought when it comes to planning their ideal holiday, it’s time to shake off those old-fashioned images of rickety caravans and rainy weather. Things have changed a lot over the past few decades and significant investment has been made to enable families to have a great time while “staycationing”; otherwise known as holidaying in the UK.

Some caravan parks have a massive entertainment budget, in excess of over one million pounds in some cases. The Bunn Leisure Complex in Selsey, West Sussex is a triple-award winner and including the title of Holiday Park of the Year at the Annual Beautiful South Tourism Awards 2011. Bunn have extensive plans in place for the next three years to make their park even better, including improved sea defences and the creation of their very own sandy beach.

This is also good news for private static caravan owners such as Saja Holidays, who offer their own caravans for hire at Bunn. Speaking on this topic, Steve Cooper of Saja Holidays said “We looked long and hard at the available market before we invested in a static caravan which we could offer for hire, and Bunn Leisures West Sands holiday village really did tick all the boxes for the right location to site it”. “What this means is that Saja can offer strong value for money holiday breaks with peak season charges of only £400.00 for the week, in the knowledge that our guests know they are getting a fantasic return for their money due to the massive investments Bunn Leisure have made.”

For more information on how much Lifesure could save you on your Caravan Insurance, call us today, or visit our online quote engine – our number is 01480 402 460.

Paul di Resta is actually a Caravan Club member himself and is proud to be the guest of honour at the 25^th anniversary celebrations. The four day long show will take place at Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) from 2^nd to 5^th February.  Di Resta is not the first Formula 1 star to perform the ribbon-cutting task, fellow Scot David Coulthard did the honours in 2011. Caravan Club marketing director, Lawrence Bates, explains the link between F1 and caravans, “Caravans and motorhomes are a huge part of the F1 scene, with them being used by drivers to allow them to stay track-side, and by F1 fans to allow them to follow their favourite sport around the world and stay up close to the action.

Those who plan to attend the exhibition are in for a treat this year. Over one hundred and fifty companies will be displaying their wares to the attendees, with special events including one of the first showings of Eterniti Caravan’s new luxury slide-out tourers. As well as the event being kicked off by a Scottish sportsman, Fife-based East Neuk Caravans will be taking advantage of the occasion to unveil their brand new Fifer Pod.

The Scottish Caravan & Outdoor Leisure Show will be in the SECC from 2^nd to 5^th February, as mentioned above. If you would like to attend, tickets cost £7 for adults, £6 for seniors and those under 16 are free of charge.

When your Caravan Insurance is due to be renewed, call us at Lifesure on 01480 402 460.

Discover Leisure – the previous owners of the site, went into administration in October 2011, and sold the site to Mr. Chris Lowe, the co-owner and M.D. of Kimberley Caravans & Motorhomes, who runs the company with his father Michael. Their Nottinghamshire based firm was set up in the 1970s with a high turnover and sparkling reputation.

Chris Lowe explained that the reputation of the Darlington site had been the tipping point for the pair, an opportunity they would hate to miss: “We have been looking to expand for a couple of years and this is the best opportunity. We were aware of its history. Before it was Discover Leisure it was Barrons and when it was Barrons it had a brilliant reputation and it was very busy. We are looking to recover that atmosphere and level of customer service. We know that the branch has many loyal customers, going back to when it was part of Barons, who will appreciate the care and attention of a family-run business.”

When considering the employment levels on the site, Chris was determined to improve the previous figure: “It has been difficult to know how many to start with. When we open in February we will be employing 25 people, but as the business becomes established again we hope to build that number up quite quickly. In terms of looking after customers you need more staff rather than fewer staff. The site employed 100 in its heyday, but is a matter of seeing how long it takes to get to that level of success.

“Our experience is that the industry as a whole is very strong and I think the North-East is a very strong area for caravans and motor homes. The economy is tough at the moment but from our experience, both through our existing site and our attendance at national exhibitions, we know caravanning is booming.”

For more information on Lifesure’s fantastic Caravan Insurance policy, call us today for more information or a free quote, on 01480 402 460.

The temporary pitches at Mr. Thompson’s Glororum caravan park near Bamburgh, are now being updated to form 42 modern touring caravan pitches, with the prospect of this radical re-vamping drawing in more caravanners.

Thanks to the current economy, travelling abroad is far less popular than it has been in previous years, meaning that UK businesses are thankfully greeting more holidaymakers travelling within our own Country. Northumberland during the summer months sees a vast increase in popularity as the wave of caravanners, drawn by the natural beauty and the mystique of the north, flock there in their thousands to enjoy a different type of holiday.

Glororum Caravan Park has views of the coast, an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and Bamburgh Castle. Nigel Thompson, the owner and manager of the site, who works with wife Sandra, explained that: “Glororum has to have one of the best locations of any caravan park in the North East and we are keen to create facilities which match its unbeatable surroundings.

“The improvements mean we will have one of the best sites for touring caravans, which play an important part in north Northumberland’s tourist trade. This is helping to create a much needed tourist resource which will attract more visitors and their spending power into the area.”

Both caravan owners and visitors will benefit from the improved facilities coming on line at the park, which is also close to the historic island of Lindisfarne, miles of sandy beaches and country walks.Our investment in Glororum will certainly enhance the visitor experience and stay quality for existing owners at the park. We are keen to bring  new caravanners into the area, who in turn bring valuable extra spend and trade into the local economy.

“We want to create a synergy with other tourist accommodation providers, businesses and attractions in the area to contribute towards the area’s visitor draw while being mindful of conserving what is an incredible part of the world.”

For more information on Lifesure’s Caravan Insurance, call us today for a free quote on 01480 402 460.

The woman appeared unhurt by the incident, with the man suffering slight breathing difficulty after smoke inhalation. He was cared for by the ambulance whilst the fire crews extinguished the blaze. Thankfully the fire has been deemed to not have been started deliberately and therefore no further investigations will be undertaken.

This was not the only fire of the week in the area, as  Naze Marine Holiday Park in Hall Lane, Walton-on-the-Naze were also subject to a fire earlier that morning: At approximately 3.45am, four fire crews from Frinton and Clacton attended the scene where three mobile homes had caught fire. Two caravans 100 yards apart from each other had both been consumed by the flames, with several others close by were damaged.

Fortunately the caravans were vacant at the time and the fire was soon brought under control and extinguished. A joint police and fire service investigation will be carried out into the cause of a fire as its origins are suspicious.

A spokeswoman for the holiday park explained the situation: “At 3.30am on Monday 19 December there was an incident at Naze Marine Holiday Park in Essex. Two fires were started, resulting in the damage of five caravans. Four stock caravans and one long-term unoccupied staff caravan. No one was injured; all staff and visitors are safe.

“The Park Resorts staff handled the situation safely, calmly and effectively as the firelighters and police stepped in. The caravans have been contained ready for a thorough police investigation. Park Resorts’ staff are now working closely with local police to understand the cause of the incident and (the police) are looking to question anyone who may have any further information on how the fires started. The incident will have no impact on operations on park, so it is business as usual.”

For more information about our highly competitive Caravan Insurance cover, call us at Lifesure today for a free quote on 01480 402 460, or  why not try out our free online quote engine?

Since this has been put into action, around 50 caravans, horseboxes, trailers and boats have been ‘identified’ by the council. When they return to their vehicles they will discover notices issued to them, it will demand their removal within four weeks. Failure to remove the vehicles within this time frame will result in being impounded for two weeks by the council, after which point it will be destroyed. Supporting the decision, councillor Frank Jonas told the newspaper that he had experience of the problem in his own ward:

“It is a good idea. At the moment there is nothing to stop me just parking my caravan outside your house indefinitely. This will hopefully free up some much-needed parking spaces.” The council has explained that if their routine is followed to the letter, they have no legal obligation to reimburse the owners of the vehicles.

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No longer will the couple have to turn away business due to their capacity, the ‘Robin Newnes Touring Caravan Park’ will be able to extend their site from 20 pitches to almost double at 38. The Shropshire Council officers gave the park’s owners permission to begin the expansion work, a project, that will not only increase pitches, but will also increase the site’s washroom and will be installing solar panels, the ‘Shropshire Star’ revealed.

In a report submitted to the council, the applicants explained that because the park’s high standards were proving so popular , and their beautiful location is forever drawing in more families and more interest, visitors were regularly being denied the opportunity of staying at the site, the only reason for this was that the site had no room, as the couple would ideally love to open their doors to everyone and not deny them a beautiful setting.

“We are confident that the development will not adversely impact upon the rural environment, the amenity of local residents and the local highway conditions,” the statement said.

For more information on the savings you could make this year on your Caravan Insurance, contact us at Lifesure on 01480 402 460.