Posts tagged with "Lancashire"

The David Bellamy Awards and what they mean to us

Every year each of our parks are independently assessed by experts from the David Bellamy Conservation Award scheme on behalf of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association. It is one of the longest running green tourism awards in the UK and Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards are given out to recognise the work the parks do to protect the environment.

We’re delighted to report that now seven of our nine parks have managed to achieve Gold Award status, the top accolade awarded by the scheme and we will continue to invest in our parks to ensure that we maintain these high standards in future years. Protecting the environment and overall corporate social responsibility is an important part of our day to day business at South Lakeland Parks and is intrinsic in our values as a responsible company.

Our two parks with Bronze Awards, Regent and Ocean Edge have made great strides in recent years as has been highlighted by the positive acknowledgments of the scheme’s assessors. Ongoing investment in landscaping, tree planting and gardening as well as aesthetical improvements such as picnic benches and external decorating have taken place during the Winter.

But there is a lot more to the Conservation Award scheme than just looking after the greenery of the Parks. The assessors also review our progress on energy, water and use of other resources; reducing, reusing and recycling of waste and what we do to support our local communities.

As Mr Bellamy says: “The best holiday parks are mini nature reserves and are helping to drive Britain’s green tourism revolution.” So you can relax in your homes safe in the knowledge that South Lakeland Parks remain committed to being at the forefront of environmental and sustainability excellence.

Here is what our assessors said on their last inspections:
Fallbarrow Holiday Park
“The entrance area at Fallbarrow is particularly attractive and there always appears a great change when entering, between the hustle and bustle outside and the relative peace and calm inside. The working together of all concerned has evolved the park to the high standard that it is. This is a credit to all concerned.”
Result: Gold Award

Gatebeck Holiday Park
“Gatebeck is an extremely pleasant and environmentally friendly park. It is extremely well screened and there is much evidence of strong links with the local community. There is plenty of evidence of the activities of mammals, birds and insects within the area of the park together with a splendid array of wild flowers. Gatebeck residents over the years all say the same thing – the peace, the wildlife and the way the park is run contributes greatly to their wellbeing and enjoyment.”
Result: Gold Award

Hawthorne Holiday Park
“Tucked away down a sleepy lane in the Lancashire countryside Hawthorne Park is a little oasis for its customers. It is secluded, well hidden and has almost no impact on the local landscape. The park has benefitted from significant investment over the past 12 months with new sewage systems, a new play area and the surfacing of access roads. All of these have improved the park significantly.”
Result: Gold Award

Marina Holiday Park
“Marina is an attractive park located by the Lancaster canal close to the village of Galgate. It has the feel of a self contained community with strong familiarity amongst customers and staff. The park is extremely well screened and low level lighting ensures minimal light pollution. Traffic control is excellent and there is a general feel of peace and quiet on the park. Very attractive floral displays create an excellent first impression.”
Result: Gold Award

Limefitt Holiday Park
“Limefitt has changed quite dramatically over the years yet retained its character – a park set in superb Lakeland valley scenery, keeping its old buildings and of course its position alongside the fast flowing Troutbeck. The overhaul of waste and recycling arrangements has taken place and been so successful that the amount of unrecycled items has been significantly reduced. The park now recycles used printer cartridges and any old mobile phones – this to support the Roy Castle Cancer Foundation.”
Result: Gold Award

Todber Holiday Park
“Huge improvements have been made at Todber since the last assessment. The Park should be commended for their achievements. The development on the higher levels is stunning. Some great work has been undertaken since the last assessment with some valuable planting schemes of native species of hedges which have added great aesthetic and conservation value to park.”
Result: Gold Award

White Cross Bay Leisure Park
“It was encouraging to see the improvements that have taken place at White Cross Bay in recent years. The park has matured and there was and continues to be, an obvious desire to do everything possible to improve the place for the benefit of the environment and park users. From the park entrance to lakeside shore, thanks to the planning and work undertaken, much of White Cross Bay is green and inviting; a good deal of planting up has taken place.”
Result: Gold Award

Regent Leisure Park
“Regent Park is a popular holiday home park which has had a number of physical improvements since the last assessment. New landscaping has greatly enhanced the park and an excellent reception area with stunning floral displays makes visitors welcome on arrival.”
Result: Bronze Award

Ocean Edge Leisure Park
“Ocean Edge has seen some investment since the last assessment with touring caravans stopped in favour of holiday homes and with that change has come favourable improvements in landscaping. The park’s prime coastal views and the wildlife are a valuable asset and the park has really begun to improve physically.”
Result: Bronze Award

 

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A little more than 120 years ago, John Bickerstaffe, one time Mayor of Blackpool visited the Great Paris Exhibition and was so impressed by the Eiffel Tower that he returned home with a dream of building a similar tower in the resort.

With £2,000 of his own money he gathered together a local group of investors and in February 1891, the Blackpool Tower Company was born. Three years later the tower was completed and ever since has been one of the country’s top tourist attractions.



To find out more we sent our Web Communications Co-ordinator Matt Hartnett out again to check out the Tower and other nearby attractions. He was accompanied by Heather Clough and two friends from Blackpool and their eight-month-old son. Their visit was on a cold but bright January afternoon.

The weather though was quickly forgotten with the warmth of the welcome inside the tower building. Parking was no problem with plenty of nearby pay and display parks all providing easy access to the tower.

Matt writes: “The attraction has three different parts to it; a 4D cinema, the exciting lift to the top of the tower itself and then the special interaction once at the top. We were all struck by the helpful and friendly staff which made the visit even more enjoyable.

We all enjoyed the cinema which was my first experience of 4D and I would recommend this to anyone. We enjoyed the lift to the top and once there, the view was amazing. We were helped because it was such a clear day and we all looked out across the Irish Sea towards the Isle of Man. It is said you can even see Ireland on a clear day.

At the the top of the tower there is a glass ‘walk of faith’ floor which allows you to see right down to The Promenade. The more nervous visitor can be assured that only a section of the floor is actually glass.



Elsewhere within the complex there is Jungle Jims, the Circus, the Dungeon and, of course, the world famous Tower Ballroom now such a major feature on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. There is also a large gift shop selling everything you might want related to the tower. There is also the chance to have a photograph taken when you first arrive.

We all enjoyed our visit and we agreed that Blackpool Tower has something for everyone whether they are in a family or a large group. We all decided we would return for another tower adventure.”

Attraction costs:
Adult £12.60 Child £9.60 Family £39.60 (two adults & two children)


Rating: 5 out of 5
Review by Matt Hartnett,
South Lakeland Parks Website Co-ordinator

Did you know?
Blackpool Tower is 518 ft high and cost £290,000 to build and it took five million bricks, 2.500 tonnes of iron and 93 tonnes of cast iron to complete the construction. The iron and steel were constructed and designed in such a way that if ever the tower was to fall, it would fall into the sea. A time capsule is buried at its base.

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South Lakeland Parks launch lowest ever priced holiday home.

Holidaying at home is set to become even more affordable at four Lancashire holiday parks when their new, lowest ever priced holiday caravans are launched this weekend.

Ocean Edge, Regent and Hawthorne holiday parks on Morecambe Bay and Todber holiday park in the Ribble Valley, all part of the South Lakeland Parks group, will be unveiling the brand new caravan over this Easter weekend, 6th-9th April 2012.

The ABI Seashore, priced from just £19,995 is the group’s lowest ever priced new holiday home and is exclusively available only on these four seaside and countryside parks.

The two-bedroom caravan is fully equipped with everything needed to enjoy a break away from home including gas fire, 4- hob cooker and twin oven, shower, family dining table seating, and an extra pull out bed in the lounge.

The 36 by 12 foot model also comes with a separate en-suite to the master bedroom and uPVC double glazing and full central heating as standard.
With the average cost of a one-week family holiday to Europe being around £2000, a family of four could easily recoup the cost of this great value home within just five years. 

The seaside parks of Ocean Edge and Regent have a wide range of facilities for all the family to enjoy including indoor heated swimming pools and saunas, indoor and outdoor play areas and family cabaret lounges complete with entertainment and live shows.

For those looking for a more peaceful and laid back way of life, the smaller Hawthorne Park on the shores of Morecambe Bay is the perfect place to relax. Owners also have the added benefit of being able to use the leisure facilities at nearby Ocean Edge.

Todber holiday park in the picturesque rural setting of the Ribble Valley is ideally placed for exploring The Trough of Bowland and the Yorkshire Dales whilst the park itself has all the charm of a private countryside hideaway.

Caroline Farrer, Group Marketing Manager at South Lakeland Parks, said: “Holidaying at home does not have to be an expensive option and with the introduction of these exciting new homes on four of our parks, we are making it more affordable than ever.

“So, if the idea of limitless holidays and short breaks appeals to you then come along to our unveiling events at the parks this weekend and be one of the first to take advantage of these brand new, great value homes.”

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So the Olympic Torch route through South Lakeland has been revealed.

On the afternoon of June 21st, the torch will arrive in Grasmere – then travelling along the A591 to Ambleside.

Local events have been planned at this point of the route, including a tea party in Borrans Park.

The Torch will then set sail down Windermere to Bowness Pier, arriving just before 8pm, where a huge event to mark the occasion is being staged on the Glebe.
After spending the night in Bowness the Torch will set off from Kendal Castle on the morning of June 22nd – heading through Kendal and Milnthorpe before entering North Lancashire.

Here’s the South Lakeland route in more detail:
The torch will come from Keswick to Grasmere along the A591 arriving in Grasmere at approximately 5.38pm. The Torch will then leaves Grasmere and continue on the A591 to Ambleside.

Grasmere Primary School is tying its sports day in to coincide with the Torch’s visit. The sports day will be held at Broadgate Meadow so that the local community can be involved. The sports day will be followed by a British style afternoon tea picnic. Children will be performing traditional British Isle songs and special piece of music will be commissioned to welcome the Torch’s arrival.

To celebrate the Torch’s visit to Ambleside local schools and community groups are planning several events. Including a tea party picnic in Borran’s Park which will feature music and the park ‘dressed’ for its arrival and areas planted in the Olympic colour. Pupils from local schools will also perform an especially composed song welcoming the Torch to Ambleside.

After this the Torch will board Windermere Lake Cruises boat MV Tern at Waterhead Pier and will sail down Windermere to Bowness Pier where it will disembark. at 7.57pm where it will be centre stage of a series events planned at the Glebe featuring celebrities, dignitaries, music and food from Taste Cumbria.

The Olympic Torch Relay celebrations will take place in Bowness on the evening of 21 June. The event will give the local community and visitors to the area a chance to welcome the Olympic Flame and share in the excitement and celebrations that the Relay will bring.

The evening will finish off with a breathtaking performance organised by Lakes Alive in conjunction with Les Commandos Percu with the world premiere of ‘On the Night Shift’. This is a newly commissioned spectacular show to mark the start of the Festival 2012. This incredible open-air production combines music, pyrotechnics and drama to dazzling effect, sending streams of colour and light soaring through the skies above Windermere.

After spending the night in Bowness the Torch will set off from Kendal Castle at 8.20am on the 22 June. It will travel through Kendal and then will set off for Milnthorpe where it will be met by hundreds of school children as it passes out of South Lakeland and into Lancashire.

Milnthorpe community leaders are inviting all local schools to line the route as the Torch passes through. Two local residential homes have also been invited. Schools in the area are to be given a colour from the London 2012 colour palate to create banners and flags and to wear t-shirts so a ‘Relay of Colour’ can be created along the route. Milnthorpe Primary School will create a musical farewell moment as the Torch leaves the town as the last community in the district.

The Torch will be in carried by a torch bearers it processes through towns and villages. It will be on what Locog are calling convoy mode, when it not in these areas.
Cllr Brendan Jameson, Leader of SLDC, said: “This is a fantastic event over two days that businesses and communities can be involved in. It will showcase South Lakeland and its attractions to the world.”

The details of the route can be found onLocog website at www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay-map.

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Park Life the Magazine for Owners at South Lakeland Parks ...

It may have flown by but we at South Lakeland Parks have come a long way in 6 years. With the 3rd edition of 'Park Life'  now ready this is what can be found in our latest edition of Park Life;

- Owners' Inbox - Competition, letters, Owner feeback
- New Developments for 2012
- David Bellamy Awards - What they mean to us.
- Charity News
- Exclusive Owner Events
- Attraction Review - Blackpool Tower
- Manufacture's review - ABI Seashore
- Owners Discount Vouchers - with great savings on local attractions.
- What's On
- Plus much more

So to view the magazine CLICK HERE

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It was one of those days that you look back on and remember as a turning point -  dull summer weather, coming up to the big birthday….. We were out for a drive at the weekend and casually talking about holidays abroad, where to go next but also how we'd always day-dreamed about spending more  time by the sea, but not just that, having somewhere  to stay that we could afford and at least have a passing chance of sea view.....
 
How do you make that happen…..? Well that's what we did when we called in on spec that weekend. We parked up and walked to the edge of The Ocean Edge and what a sea view! .... We didn't check anything else out that day and just came home but the week after we decided to have a look at other sites but none gave us the necessary sea view feel.

We were probably the classic holiday home virgins so to speak - grown up family now with a little more cash to spend wisely,  loads of holidays abroad behind us, but not having ever had or stayed in a holiday home in the UK before.

Less than an hour's drive away, we tentatively returned to Ocean Edge for a second look - and after a brilliant day with expert and patient staff spent checking out lots of caravans, we gradually formed a view on what we didn't want as much as what we did want. We picked the first van we looked at and two weeks later it was ours and we were in!  
 
Reflecting back on the whole experience, we had sound advice from the genuinely friendly and professional staff  from the word go without any pressure and I have to stress that we were always in the driving seat - that is except when Janice took control of the golf buggy - an experience not to be missed.

We had decided to check things out a bit more and as we did we found the site suited. There was a good range of starter vans and options within our budget.  It was clearly excellent long term value for money overall with a wide range of facilities and entertainment available on the doorstep with the added bonus that our grown up family and our grandchildren could also join in the fun.

Well, we've spent every weekend and more here since then. Some quiet and some busy and we are now upgrading to a newer model now that we know we love it ! it's given us a whole new future to look forward to that was really only a step away -  sometimes it can be just about doing it and not just thinking about it.
 
We now look forward to the long summer days and shorter spring and autumn days to spend walking, bird-watching, visiting lovely places, doing something or nothing, joining in the excellent on-site entertainment or just staying put to chill out, relax and watch the sea.

We certainly don't get the sea-side glorious sunsets and the inevitable but absolutely spectacular sea storms back home.
 
As I started off by saying - just what we had always day-dreamed about is now a reality!
 
Mr and Mrs Truran from Chorley, Lancashire – Owners at Ocean Edge

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