The Motorhome & Caravan Show 2019 - 15-20 October, NEC Birmingham

"For the biggest adventures"

The Motorhome & Caravan Show 2019 website has been launched, with information for exhibitors and visitors being updated un the run-up to the NEC event. 

Set across 11 halls, the show offers the unique opportunity to see the largest display of motorhomes, caravans, campervans, trailer tents, caravan holiday homes and lodges and accessories all under one roof.

2018’s show was a strong event: advance ticket sales were up 2.5% on 2017 and visitor figures – more than 96,000 – consolidated the strong ‘buying audience’ described by exhibitors.

Holiday homes on display include those from the following companies:

A brand new set of luxury beach-fronted cabins are now open at Cornwall’s five-star Pentewan Sands Holiday Park - just in time for the summer holiday season.

New for 2019, the Beach House pods occupy a prime position at the park, just a stone’s throw away from the sea, and offer uninterrupted views of the glorious half-mile, privately-owned beach at Pentewan Sands in Mevagissey Bay.

Each Beach House can sleep up to six people, with accommodation including a flexible bedroom, twin mezzanine and sofa bed. The cabins are purpose-designed for families with an innovative, raised bunk area that is an especially fun sleeping area for children and a cleverly compact living space.

Nick Hart from Wild Hart playscapes and cabins chats to editor Victoria Galligan about his inspiration for producing natural play equipment, the ethos behind his company and an exciting project with the Duchess of Cambridge…

The playscapes produced by Wild Hart are anything but run-of-the-mill swings and slides which you see at many playgrounds. There’s a common theme: they’re made from natural materials, often wood or rope, and look like they’ve come straight from a desert island, or a pirate ship. And there’s a reason for that, says Nick.

“As a kid, I loved the freedom of being able to walk in the woods and connect with nature. I suppose that’s where it all started for me.”

Willerby, the UK’s largest manufacturer of holiday homes and lodges, is inviting its customers to an exclusive preview of its 2020 collection at its showground in Hull from 25th June to 26th July.

The event will give customers the chance to explore the latest additions and brand new models as well as taking a look at updates to a variety of current products.

Holiday homes and lodges such as the Linwood, Skye, Kelston and Acorn will be on show, alongside a brand new model due to launch mid-July. The exciting, new addition is based on an original holiday home by Willerby dating back to 1956, and is designed with elegant, state-of-the-art features to suit its modern audience. 

Andrew Baragwanath, owner of Ayr Holiday Park near St Ives in Cornwall, has become the national chairman of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association - BH&HPA.

Mr Baragwanath was elected to the position by fellow members of the association to which some 3,000 holiday and residential park businesses in Britain belong.

BH&HPA was formed more than 60 years ago, and brings together park enterprises ranging from small farm-based camping sites to major park groups.

Like the majority of parks in membership, Ayr Holiday Park has been owned by the same family for successive generations with each helping to drive the business forward.

The results of holiday park and campsite survey Pitching the Value were published earlier this year. Here, editor Victoria Galligan takes a look at the highlights of the survey and ask park operators Away Resorts about their views on current trends in the leisure & tourism sector…

Pitching the Value was commissioned by the UK Caravan and Camping Alliance (UKCCA) to find out the economic benefits of camping and caravan sites. It was carried out by Frontline in conjunction with the UK trade body the NCC, the Camping & Caravanning Club, the Caravan & Motorhome Club and the British Holiday and Home Parks Association.

Padstow holiday park owner Patrick Langmaid has handed a £600,000 buying contract to a UK holiday caravan manufacturer - because it believes in paying its staff a living wage.

Mother Ivey's Bay Holiday Park will be taking delivery of 25 luxury holiday homes from the firm, ABI, which recently became an accredited member of the Living Wage Foundation charity.

Holiday parks with the David Bellamy Conservation Award are once again being invited to give their younger guests an entertaining new take on the environment.

International author Claire Culliford last year visited a number of DBCA parks by arrangement to provide readings from her popular children's books.

Now she hopes to be asked to attend even more parks over this summer and autumn, especially those located in the West Country and South Wales.

Claire's books are designed to inspire youngsters to become involved with the natural world, and to show how children can help the environment in fun and creative ways.

Staff and the family owners of a mid Wales holiday park were joined this month by local village residents for a training session in vital life-saving skills.

It followed the recent installation on Warren Parc in Powys of a defibrillator, bought by the family-owned business following a series of successful fundraising events.

Led by volunteers from the Welsh Hearts charity, the session showed how the new equipment could be used to save the life of a person suffering cardiac arrest..

Available to holiday guests and the local community, the fully automated unit provides simple audio instructions which allow its use even by those with no medical experience.

Caravan Industry & Park Operator contributor Andrew Jenkinson attended two of the biggest spring shows to report on the new caravan, motorhome and holiday homes hitting the market in 2019…

Glasgow’s SECC was the ideal venue for the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome & Holiday Home Show (except no free parking is available) but the February show still attracted folk, and with good weather the foot fall was high.