Posts tagged with "Morecambe"

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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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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Subletting is a great way to earn additional income and offset some of the annual running costs of your Holiday Home when it would otherwise not be in use..

Why sublet through South Lakeland Parks?

Choosing to sublet through South Lakeland Parks holiday division South Lakeland Holidays allows you to relax while others take care of everything else. The Parks team will ensure that your Holiday Home is in safe hands. You will also have the support of our ‘Holiday Reservations’ and ‘Marketing Teams’.
South Lakeland Holidays will provide you with:

• A FULL CLEAN of your holiday home after each booking
• LINEN and LAUNDRY for all your holiday bookings
• ADVERTISING in newspapers and on the internet
• TARGETED MARKETING SUPPORT – brochures, letters, flyers
• ONLINE PROMOTION
• CUSTOMER CORRESPONDENCE including confirmations, invoices and collection of payments
• KEY HANDLING service via our reception teams
• GAS CHECKING SERVICE (for units on bottled gas) and invoicing direct to the holiday home owner (i.e. no need for holidaymaker to pay up front for a new bottle)
• EXTENDED MAINTENANCE SUPPORT through our maintenance staff who are available during office hours seven days per week throughout the season and after office hours a night warden will be available to assist holiday home users
• INVENTORY CHECKING of your holiday home
• HOLIDAY LETTINGS STATEMENT Quarterly statements of all of your bookings and weekly income breakdown

South Lakeland Holidays have a wealth of experience in holiday park marketing and a significant marketing budget is allocated for brochure production, mailings, internet development and advertising to support our subletting programme. This combined with an excellent booking system and experienced professional staff will ensure your property is effectively marketed.

How much income can I expect?

The income you can expect will depend on park location, category and size of your holiday home plus ever changing market conditions. South Lakeland Holidays does not guarantee any income levels from subletting your unit.

To request a sublet guide or for more information call 015395 69835 or email janette.vaughan@southlakelandparks.co.uk

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