Business As Usual

Hi,

Despite the recession it seems as though it’s business as usual within the motorhome and caravan industry.

Although we are all looking more closely at our advertising budgets and many of us have become more wary about which way to advertise, I honestly feel we at World of Motorhomes / Caravans offer a really good value for money way of promoting businesses. We started 5years ago and have kept our prices at the same rate since.

We are lucky to have close contact with lots of businesses in the industry and can therefore keep as much information flowing to our customers on our regular newsletter as well as through our Information Centre.
Don’t forget to sign up for your Newsletter on our homepage.
We also receive loads of emails on a daily basis and answer as many questions as we can.
Only this week I have just put an article on about the importance of Cam Belts.
This article can be found in our Information Centre within White’s Way.
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/shownews/cam-belt.html

Anne

Information Centre

To find out the latest news on worldofmotorhomes website link onto
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/news/

To have the latest news sent direct to you, why not sign up for your regular newsletter sent by email.

Newsletter Sign up
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/index.php

For all your daily Road reports use link above

Lunar Motorhome News

Hi,

Had a good article from Adrian French last week just to keep the industry up dated with the latest Lunar Motorhomes news.

Lunar held their preview of the 2009 range of models at their usual venue, the Farington Lodge Hotel, on 23 September. Adrian reviewed their full range of 2009 models.
To read more about Lunar link to
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/shownews/lunars-new-seasons-motorhomes.htmlmotorhomes.html

Adrian also had an Omnistor Awning fitted to his Adria Motorhome. He has reviewed the awning being fitted which appears within our Information Centre, so anybody thinking of having an awning fitted and would like to know more, please read his article.
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/shownews/omnistor-for-adria-motorhome.html

Anne

NEC SHOW OCT 2008

Good to see you all last week at the NEC show.

Everyone, hopefully, had a successful week. Business seemed to be strong. Plenty of good Motorhome and Caravan deals went ahead.

Although the hall seemed to go on for ever, the distance between hall 12 and 17 took about 10 minutes to walk. Nigel had a pedometer and he estimated that he walked nearly 30 miles over the 6 days.

We thought that the show itself was excellent, huge numbers of things to look at, try, sample, poke at, and generally ogle at. We understand that the first day’s attendance was in the region of 10,000 people through the gates. There did not seem to be so many, mainly we think because of the huge amount of space available and the lovely wide corridors everywhere.

To read more about the show http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/shownews/international-caravan-and-motorhome-show-october-2008.html

To find all the competition winners how entered our prize draws on the Worldofmotorhome stand http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/nec-october-2008-prize-draw-winners.html

We would like to thank Whale, Piantseal, Outsmart the Thief, The Camping and Caravaning Club, for donating the prizes.

Whale: water Systems. http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/whale-water-systems-caravans-bangor.html

Paintseal: Paint and Fabric Protection. http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/paintseal-direct-psd-ltd-derbyshire.html

OutSmart The Thief: Security for your Motorhome or Caravan. http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/outsmart-the-thief-motorhome-and-caravan-security.html


The Camping and Caravan Club; The Oldest and Friendliest Club for all Campers.http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/the-camping-and-caravanning-club-warwickshire.html

Anne

NEC Show 14th Oct until 19th Oct

Hi,
Well, it’s been a busy week for all of us getting ready for the NEC show next week. It starts this Tuesday 14th Oct to Sunday 19th Oct,.

For more information use the link below
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/14th-19th-oct-2008-nec-international-caravan-and-motorhome-2008.html

You can’t believe what will be happening over this weekend in readiness for the show. All the preparation and hard work that will have taken place to get the show underway is amazing.

I’m not sure if I ever thought, until we worked in the industry, how motorhomes and caravans ever got into the building let alone be positioned on the various stands.

Did I think they were perhaps a permanent fixture? Well I can assure you it is complete chaos until the early hours of the morning of the show.

But by 10 am the day of the show it all looks as though it had never moved from the last show.
Let’s hope the week is successful for all!

Please come and visit us in Hall 9 on stand 01 and the World of Motorhome team will be there to advise.

We also have daily competitions running for the whole week so why not try and win one of the amazing prizes on offer? Also please sign up for a newsletter on our home page

http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/
Anne

Malvern This Weekend

Hi ,

Hope to see you all at the Malvern show this weekend.

Come and visit us on the worldofmotorhomes stand.

See the lads Nigel and Chris walking around in their yellow shirts.

Lets hope for some good weather.

Have a great time.

Anne.

Writers Guild

Hi All,

What lovely weather this weekend. Not sure if there were any rallies, but I am sure most of you would have been off somewhere lovely for the weekend.

Nigel and Chris, who work hard to keep http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/ up and running, had a great weekend at the Caravan Club's Ferry Meadows campsite near Peterborough, with members of the Caravan Writers' Guild. Nigel and Chris have been members of the guild for the last four years and have met some very interesting people. It also keeps us well informed in what's happing in our industry.To view the Ferry Meadows campsite, and all other club sites http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/

The Guild was formed in 1982 when a small group of journalists got together with the objective of creating a professional body that would be recognised by the industry. Since then the Guild has flourished and has become home to many well known names.

Today the Guild acts as an important link between the industry and its writers. Its standing can be judged by the fact that many key players support it through taking out membership under the Guild's Friends scheme. This sponsorship enables it to host various events during the year, all of which provide excellent networking opportunities.Guild members are true professionals and include writers, broadcasters, editors and publishers. They value the kind of benefits that belonging to a professional body can bring.

Membership of the Guild is open to those individuals who have been working in a journalistic capacity in the areas of caravanning, motorhomes or holiday/park homes for at least a year. You may be a writer, journalist, editor or broadcaster and employed in a staff or freelance capacity.
Link on to the Writers Guild website are below http://www.caravanwritersguild.org.uk/benefits.html

Anne

Malvern Show 3rd October

It's been a good week weather-wise, after all the doom and gloom on the news.

The sun has not stopped shining since the Pickering Show. May it keep it up till well after the 3rd of October ready for the Malvern Show.

There are no charges for camping at the show, but if you want to enter the show and see the Professional entertainment, there is a small free, so book your tickets now!

Entertainment for the weekend is Abba Tribute Band and Rat Pack Tribute on the Friday and Saturday evenings.

Tickets are on sale at the showground or, alternatively, you can order your tickets by telephone on 01327 860860 or visit our website to book on line http://www.techleisure.co.uk/tcs.html

Motorhome and Caravan Show Dates

Hi,
just approaching another weekend, and packing our motorhome to head off to the Northern Motorcaravan Show at Pickering. To see who will be exhibiting, link onto http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/19th-21st-sept-2008-pickering-yorkshire-northern-motorcaravan-show.html

The new Three Counties Show at Malvern will take place on the 3rd – 5th October
http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/advertiser/3rd-5th-october-2008-malvern-three-counties-caravan-and-motorhome-show-worcestershire.html

Also please take time to go onto our Competition page to see if you can win a pair of tickets to the NEC in October. Dates for the show are 14th - 19th October.
http://www14th-19th-oct-2008-nec-international-caravan-and-motorhome-2008.html/

To find out more about the NEC show in October please link onto http://www.caravanshows.com/page.cfm/gosection=1

Hopefully the sun is here to stay for a while, its looking good!

Anne.

Shepton Mallet.

What a welcoming weekend. At last… did summer really arrive? Or at least it did at Shepton Mallet!

Most of the exhibitors started to arrive mid-week to rain and were dreading another wash out of a show.

We arrived late Thursday afternoon to rain and mud, wondering once again if by Sunday we would all have to be towed off the fields we were staying on. But what happened next. Did we really see the sun coming though our Heki on Friday morning? YES…at last it had arrived and it stayed all weekend.

What a relief to all the hard working exhibitors who have to put in weekends out in all weathers to make a crust.

Our neighbours always think Anne and Nigel are going away again on their Jollies!!! Luck things….little do they know.

They don’t have a clue what could be happening on the World of Motorhomes stand all dressed in yellow and blue. There’s me standing for hours on end giving out leaflets while Nigel and Chris are out finding new business for our Fantastic website.

We would like to thank Bob and Graham Griffiths and their team for all the hard work put in to ensure that their shows are successful in helping the motorhome and caravan world work for all of us. Whatever the weather brings, we are all there making the most of it.

Stone Leisure Ltd was established in 1965 and currently concentrates on outdoor leisure niche-market publications and shows.

http://www.stoneleisure.com/

It’s Pickering this weekend so, hopefully, we will see you all there…Rain or shine!

Anne.

Thanks Adrian For another excellent article on the latest Bailey Ranger Series 6 Caravans.

This year Bailey of Bristol celebrates 60 years of continuous caravan production. During this time they have developed the expertise to manufacture the most technically advanced products that combine first class build quality with market leading value.

To read more about Adrian's article within our Information Centre please click on the following link http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/adrians-arena/adrians-arena-caravans/1.html

Young Photographer At Awards

I would just like to say well done one of the photographers at last weekend’s Feast of Lanterns at the Pickering Showground, Yorkshire.

Kieron Chambers joined the official photographers at the presentation of the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Young Achievers award ceremony by David Bellamy, the well known environmental campaigner, botanist, author, broadcaster and President of the Club. One of Kierons Photos to the right

Kieron is only 7 years old and managed to persuade Douglas King, from the Caravan Writers Guild, to let him have a look at his camera. Following a brief lesson, Douglas very kindly allowed Kieron to go around and take some photos of the awards and those attending. I must say the end products looked very professional.

Well done Kieron who is having is photo taken with David Bellamy


To find out more information about the young Achievers award http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/youngachiever/

more information about David Bellamy
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/bellamy/bellamy.htm

Christmas Theme NFOL

Christmas Comes But Once A Year...except for the Camping and Caravanning Club last weekend.This year’s National Feast of Lanterns was held at the Pickering Showground in Yorkshire and the theme was ‘Christmas’!

It was quite a remarkable weekend, and even the weather managed to behave itself until Sunday afternoon.

With a weekend of fun-packed entertainment, from babes in arms to our older generation, there was something for everyone to join in with.

The Mardi Gras on Saturday, as usual, was a parade not to be missed! And then it was onto the evening parade with the torchlight procession. Finally, there was the tour of illuminated caravans with an array of themes, Christmas lights and lanterns which gave a wonderful Christmas feel to the rally.

It amazes me where all these fantastic ideas come from. What incredible hard work and dedication it must have taken by members who helped make it a most enjoyable weekend for all.

Next year’s event will take place at Blenheim Place, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, over the weekend of the 20th to 24th August 2009. The theme for next year is “Time Travel”.

So there’s plenty of opportunity to get all your street scene idea’s together to make another wonderful successful weekend.

To join the camping and caravanning club link onto http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/ .

Anne

28-31st August 2008 National Feast of Lanterns

The National Feast of Lanterns, NFOL, is our annual celebration of camping when thousands of units come together with each of the 13 regions taking it in turn to host the event.

This year it is the turn of Yorkshire Region who have chosen the theme of “Christmas”.

The highlights of the weekend include the Mardi Gras procession on Saturday afternoon and the Lighting up of units on Saturday evening. There is entertainment every evening, competitions, trade stalls, something for everyone.

If you haven’t been to an NFOL before then make sure you don’t miss this one as it could be a good few years before it comes to the Yorkshire Region again…
It is an event not to be missed !!!

For more information about this weekends Natioal Feast of Lanterns, please use the Link http://www.nfol2008.co.uk/

Please note this is a MEMBERS ONLY EVENT.

To become a member of the Camping and Caravanning Club please use this link http://www.myccc.co.uk/

Please lets have some sun

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

I have just put another one of Adrian’s great articles relating to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, which took place on the 7th August.
Its of great interest to Nigel and I, because about 10 years ago we were the first motorhome club to go to the Balloon Fiesta.

Our great friends, Anne & Tom Obery, who live near Ashton Court arranged with the local farmer for the Gem club to stay on his field. I think there was originally a group of about 10 of us.

Since then they have always extended an invitation for the Gem Club to come along and join in the fun weekend.

What a surprise this year to see how that area of the farmers field has now grown into a Rally field with 271 motorhomes and caravans and enough room for Day Visitors and their cars.

Sounds like they all had great fun. To read more about Adrian’s article go onto our Information Centre and visit Adrian’s Arena.If you would like more information on the Balloon Fiesta please use this link http://www.bristolfiesta.co.uk/ .

Thanks Adrian.

Bank Holiday Weekend

Just arrived back from another wet weekend. This time we were at the Malvern show,

It was good to see that the weather didn’t dampen the Western theme too much.

This coming weekend brings us to another August Bank Holiday weekend. I’M not too sure, though, what the weather will have in store for us!

But, just to help drivers make smoother and more reliable journeys over the weekend, the Highways Agency has completed or suspended almost two-thirds of all major roadworks on England's motorways and major ‘A’roads. To find out if your journey will be stress free this weekend use the following link http://www.highways.gov.uk/ .

I hope you have a happy, safe and stress free Bank Holiday.

Anne

Safety and Security Advise

Had two excellent articles sent this week by Tim Booth?

Tim is a Specialist security adviser for the caravan and leisure industry.One of his articles covers advice on the fitting of extending (towing) mirrors and covers all you need to know about when towing your caravan.

It has been widely reported that certain towing mirrors are illegal as they are not type approved and do not have conformity mark. This has caused significant confusion with both dealers and consumers alike and many of the so called facts relied on are erroneous.

Things you need to check include the true situation, what the statute law says and what it means to Caravanners.

His second article is about how to enjoy freedom of camping without becoming a ‘victim of crime’.
The advice Tim gives is based on years of experiences as a police officer and is well worth taking on board.

You will find both articles within our World of Motorhomes and Caravans websites within the Information Centre and General category – Safety & Security.

For more information on all safety aspects please click http://www.timboothcsl.co.uk/.

Techleisure

Mike Lake from Techleisure Ltd., officially launched the Possl range of van conversions to the UK this month. Possl is Europe’s largest manufacturer of van conversions.

On Friday August 8th members of the Press and Motorhome dealers where invited for the day to Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire.

We were taken aboard one of the Severn Cruisers, to have lunch and a sail across the river to where Techleisure had a lovely display of van conversions and low profile vans, ready for viewing.

In addition to the range of Possl branded vans, the company also manufacture van conversions for Concorde, Globecar, TEC and LMC.

For more information visit http://www.techleisure.co.uk/

Freedom to Travel

Thanks Adrian for your latest article freedom to travel.

Adrian French is the man behind Adrian’s Arena and has been publishing a variety of articles relating to motorhomes and caravans.

As a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and the Caravan Writers’ Guild, he has built up lots of experience over the years and is now well placed to share his views and advise on motorhoming, caravanning, test drives, towing, tow cars, ideal layouts and safety issues.

Adrian has also put together a Travel section about his personal travels which should prove of great interest. His articles will offer help and advice for anyone planning to travel to Europe.

Adrian has is own article section, go onto our Information Centre (Adrian’s arena).

Any information you may need for travelling in Europe. Please email enquires@ukwom.com or visit http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/

Anne

Gem Friends

What lovely weather we are having at the moment; great to be out and about with out worrying about the rain.

We spent our weekend with some good friends from the Gem Club in Cheltenham. Jill and John have a lovely home and are very luck to have enough room at the side of their house to accommodate quite a few motorhomes - so what a weekend we had.

Nigel and I set up the Gem Club about 14 years ago, when Italian motorhomes first started to be imported in to the country by Don Amott.

Gem Stands for Granduca, Elnagh and Mobilvetta which were the first three brands to be imported so owners of those ‘vans were the first to join the club; and that’s how the name of the club was formed.

Nigel published a fantastic newsletter over the years on Italian vans, general news and ideas sent in by club members. But, unfortunately, demands made of him combined with a full time involvement in World of Motorhomes/Caravans, resulted in the closure of the club in December last year. We have now formed Gem Friends comprising a group of our old rally friends who still wanted to keep in contact.

Motorhome and Caravan clubs are a great way of making new friends, meeting up with old friends, and finding out how to solve some of the problems we may encounter.You will always find a club member with some very useful advice. Please use our link on the home page through to the owner’s club page.

If anybody notices that their Club is missing from our website, or your entries are not up to date, please email us on sales@ukwom.com and we will update the information free of charge.

Happy club meetings,

Anne.

Newsletter

Our regular Newsletter is of great interest to our exhibitors and is used as a tool for them to be able to keep the trade, press and public informed about their business. We also try to cover any general news about what is happing in the world of Motorhomes and Caravans.

We would like to congratulate Lee Sowerby, Production Manager of Timberland Motorhomes, who has recently got married and has also won the prestigious SME Manager of the Year at the North Lincolnshire Business Awards ceremony. To cap it all Timberland also won the Caravan Club’s Motor Caravan Design & Drive Award for their design and production of their Endeavour XI
If you would like more information about Timberland Motorhomes, please visit their website www.timberlandmotorhomes.com.

Safeguard Insurance; have issued a safety and security warning to new ‘Caravanners’ hitting the road for the first time. Please check this information www.safeguarduk.co.uk

Webasto; A VW T25 camper has set a new Guinness World Record by being built as the world’s lowest road-going VW camper at just 39.5” high in just 3 days – including full painting and detailing. For more information please visit www.open-air-feeling.com

To find out more about the above news items, please visit our Information Centre on our home page and then press ‘All News’. You will also find previous newsletter there.

If you would like to receive regular newsletters sending please fill in the Newsletter Signup box located on our home page at the bottom of the left column.

Your details are used solely for the purpose of receiving regular newsletters.

Anne

Beating The Weather

Hi all you campers.

Hope you are all having a good week and now that the weather has changed its great to be outdoors getting those BBQs going!

We had one over the weekend, but being up north, the weather was not at is best.

Anyway, we decided to spend a day in the Hebden Bridge area which is very beautiful; it is a great place if you like walking or cycling.

About a mile away from Hebden Bridge there is a Caravan Club site, called Lower Clough Foot, which is a pretty site set in a grassy terraced enclave. It lies in the Cragg brook valley in the southern Pennines. This has proved to be a convenient place to stay when spending time in the area.

Useful information.

There are very easy walks which are suitable for parents with pushchairs, people in wheelchairs; short walks 2 to 3 miles; medium distance 5 to 6 miles; long hill walk for the more experienced; a country bike ride about 8 miles and bicycles can be carried on the Hebden Bridge buses. Passengers can pre book their space 01422 422100.

• Hebden Bridge Tourism Know Before You Go. Read Reviews from Real Travelers. http://www.tripadvisor.com/

• Walking Hebden Bridge Full Guides & Activities for UK's Canals, Rivers and Lakes www.Waterscape.com/Walking

• Visit Batley Yorkshire Escape to Pennine Yorkshire - where to stay & what to do this Summer http://www.escapetopennineyorkshire.com/• Kids Go For Free - Offer Free Tickets To Top UK Attractions With So Good's Delicious Soya Milk www.SoGood.co.uk/Kids_For_Free

Anne

Fleetwood Caravans

Had a lovely day out yesterday at Alton Towers!

We were invited to the Fleetwood Caravan Product launch. So, instead of going on all the rides, we spent the day looking around the new range of caravans for 2009. After 41 years as one of the UK’s leading manufactures, yesterday’s 2009 range did not disappoint.

They have three model ranges - the Sonata, Meridien and the Heritage. All models included innovative and updated features, but the range topping Heritage was magnificent. You are greeted with seductive lighting, beautifully designed bathrooms with glass wash bowls, and a choices of upholstery to suit everyone’s taste.

Anyone thinking to change their caravan in the near future would do well to look at. www.fleetwoodcaravans.co.uk

Anne

Driving Abroad

We are always getting email asking what the different road regulation are for driving in Europe.

So I was very interested last night when watching ITV Holiday Driving Hell.

Ginney Buckley had done a report on how many of us Brits would be driving down to Dover to cross the channel over to Europe, with no idea on the differtant road regulations.

This is resulting in hefty on-the-spot-fines and, for some, having their vehicles confiscated.European police are cracking down on drivers as soon they leave the ferry. There are hidden radar cameras and spot fines to law breakers.

As many as five thousand accidents a year are caused by British divers abroad.

The Highway Code between the differtant countries is worlds apart... and so are their Speed limits. So, if travelling around Europe, check the driving rules for each country before entering.

The excuse that you thought the speed limit was in miles and not kilometres per hour simply won’t wash with the traffic police any longer - so make sure you're prepared before you go. Further information about what you need to know before driving abroad can be found through: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/staying-safe/driving-abroad.

And remember

• get adequate travel insurance

• check the FCO’s country travel advice

• research your destination – know the local laws and customs • visit your GP at least six weeks before travelling

• check your passport is in good condition and valid and you have all necessary visas

• make copies of important travel documents and/or store them online using a secure data storage site

• tell someone where you are going and leave emergency contact details with them

• take enough money and have access to emergency funds

Enjoy your travels

Bon Voyage

Anne.

Owners' Clubs

World of Motorhomes and Caravans hope you all had a good weekend and I am sure plenty of you will have been out and about on rallies.

I have noticed how many of you go onto our Owners’ Clubs website to get general information about what is happing with your club - like any forthcoming rallies and shows.
We do like to keep all this information up to date, but without your help sometimes it can be hard to keep track of all the changes that happen over the months.

If anybody notices that their Club is missing from our website, or your entries are not up to date, please email us on sales@ukwom.com and we will update the information free of charge.

To find your club entry look on the left hand side of our Home page and go into Clubs and Magazines; from there go into Owners Clubs and click on to your club. From that page there is a direct link though to the Club’s own website where you can find all forthcoming events.

Happy Rallying.

Anne

Website Contributors

I would like to announce the recent launch of our latest website www.worldofwaterways.com and would like to thank Clive Edwards for all his help and support. Clive has years of experience on English and French waterways and has worked with unstinting drive to provide the main information and articles to create another interesting website.
Clive, who is the Programme Director for the new site, is a qualified Yachtmaster, former auxiliary coastguard and spent many years as a rescue officer for the British Olympic sailing team. This site is full of useful information, which includes, Boating Matters, Boating in Britain, France and Europe. You will also find weather reports and waterways alerts.
You can find all you need to know by going on to www.worldofwaterays.com/

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We would also like to thank Adrian French on his contribution on World of Motorhomes and Caravans.
Adrian has been writing about cars, caravans, motorhomes and the leisure industry for about 20 years. Over the last year Adrian as contributed some very interesting articles on both websites. He recently changed from being a caravanner to becoming a motorhomer. If you would like to read any of Adrian’s articles you will find them on our Information Centres within www.worldofmotorhomes.com and www.worldofcaravans.com under Adrian’s Arena.

Anne

worldofmotorhomes

www.worldofmotorhomes.com would like to thank all of our customers for their continued support while we strive to make this site the number 1 information website for motorhomes, caravans and waterways on the internet. We would appreciate if you would give us any feedback on our site you feel we need to know.