Our Blog Has Now Moved...

Thank you to everyone who has been reading our blog over the last couple of years.

We have now relocated our blog onto the Shorefield Holidays website, where you'll be able to find out about all the latest news, events, offers and all things Shorefield.

So to find out what we've been up to, head to the brand new Shorefield Holidays blog.

Have a Spooktacular Time this Halloween!

Here at Shorefield Holidays we're getting ready to welcome our guests arriving for half term, of course this half term is extra special as we will also be celebrating Halloween. We've got lots going on at all our parks, so come and join in with the fun.

At Shorefield Country Park we have a whole host of events including kids club activities such as Pumpkin Carving, Freaky Finger Puppets, Trick or Treat Bags and many more. Then in the evening get the whole family together for fantastic fancy dress themes, Family Prize Bingo, Resident Entertainers Shows and much more including the fantastic Elvis Tribute act on Thursday 30th October. There will also be a chance to create your very own caravan as part of our George Clark Competition on the 30th October at 1pm, so come along and get creative.

Nearby, at Lytton Lawn Touring Park, be prepared for Halloween Fancy Dress on Friday 31st October which will be followed by a trick or treat wander around the park. Once again there will be a small prize for the best decorated pitch during the week so bring along your fairy lights and make Lytton Lawn shine. The fairy light competition will run from Saturday 25th October until Saturday 1st November with the winner being notified after half term; so even if you are not here for the whole week you can still enter.

If you're staying at Merley Court Holiday Park this half term, join the team for a Halloween fancy dress trick or treat around the park. There will then be a disco at the Merley Inn and also a prize for the best fancy dress costume. Also, as a guest at Merley you're welcome to enjoy all the entertainment we have going on at Oakdene Forest Park, including some great kids club activities running throughout half term including Zombie Boot Camp, Pumpkin Carving, Ghost Walks and much more. Then in the evening, as usual there will be lots going on to entertain you including Halloween Gameshow Bonanza, a Rocky Horror Tribute Show on Tuesday 29th October as well as the very spooky Horror Walks running on Halloween night on Thursday 31st October. 

So take a look at our entertainment calendar and let us know what you got up to this Halloween half term at our parks. Also, don't forget to post your pictures on our Facebook page.

Announcing Shorefield Holidays Brand New Website

After many months in the planning, we are pleased to announce the arrival of our brand new website. We've been listening carefully to customer feedback and we have made many changes which will make your journey through our website simpler.

• We have streamlined our content, making it easier for you to find what you need.
• You’ll now find it easier to book a holiday online with us and your holiday results will be returned quicker.
• Our website is now mobile compatible, so whether you’re on your tablet or your phone you’ll be able to browse our website with ease.
• We’ve redesigned the events calendar so it’s easier to find what’s going on when you visit our parks.
• We’ve improved the Holiday Home Ownership search, so you can find out even more about your favourite holiday home for sale.

We’ve got many more exciting additions coming over the next few months, so keep checking back and remember to visit our social channels for all the latest news on the website.

To celebrate we’ve got two fantastic website launch offers; receive 25% off self-catering holidays for arrivals from the 1st to the 29th  June 2015* when you book by the 31st October 2014, simply quoteSC25JUNE at checkout to redeem this offer. You can also receive 20% off touring holidays when you book by the 31st January 2015**, quote TOUR20 at checkout to redeem this offer.

We hope you enjoy our website and we’d love to hear any feedback you might have.

* Excludes Signature units, applies to new bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
** New bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Bournemouth Air Festival 2014

This was the second year in a row that we attended the Bournemouth Air Festival, last year we took a brand new Regal Ambassador to the festival which attracted a lot of attention. This year however, we decided go bigger and better with two brand new caravans, a Regal Kensington and a Regal Henley. 

We had a great location on the beach near to Bournemouth Pier where we spoke to lots of festival goers and also managed to catch a lot of the impressive aviation displays. Unfortunately, due to the cloudy and windy weather on Friday some planes scheduled to fly were cancelled but that didn't affect the crowds, there was still a beach full of people waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite aircraft's. 

The Air Festival was a great success for us and it was great to meet so many people as well as hand out plenty of Shorefield Holidays beach balls.

For more photos of the 2014 Bournemouth Air Festival, take a look at our Facebook page.

New Forest Tour Day 2014

We've been very lucky with the weather lately, the sun has been shining non-stop here and it's been great for getting out and about. The lovely weather has arrived just in time to welcome the New Forest Tour Bus back for its 2014 season; kicking off on the 28th June the open top bus returned to cover its three routes across the New Forest calling at various towns, villages and attractions throughout the forest.

Our itinerary for the day

Shorefield Country Park and Lytton Lawn Touring Park are on the blue route for the second year running after the new coastal route was added in 2013. We had great success with the New Forest Tour last year and many of our guests took advantage of the opportunity to explore the New Forest without having to take the car.

The first bus we caught, the red route from Lyndhurst

To publicise the return of the New Forest Tour, a social media day was organised by the New Forest National Park Authority and we were lucky enough to be invited along with several other business' that are located on the three routes. So, on a beautiful Wednesday morning we all assembled at Lyndhurst ready to catch the first bus on the red route to Burley, which is well known for its history of witchcraft. We stopped in Burley for an hour, giving us time to properly explore the village with its vast array of speciality shops including New Forest Cider, Burley Fudge Shop, gift shops and much more. There were also plenty of New Forest ponies wondering about, some had even taken up residence in the pub car park, probably waiting for a drink to cool down.  

New Forest ponies waiting for the pub to open

After a stroll around Burley, we hopped on the blue route which visits some lovely coastal locations including Keyhaven, Barton-on-Sea, Milford-on-Sea and of course Lymington, which is where we got off to take a look around. Lymington is not only fantastic for shopping but it also has a wonderful cobbled street leading down to Lymington Quay. There are boat trips that leave from the Quay ranging from short river trips to longer cruises to the Needles, you can also catch the ferry to the Isle of Wight from here.

Lymington Quay

Once we'd explored Lymington we hopped on the New Forest Tour once again, this time it was the green route, which takes you to some fantastic attractions such as Exbury Gardens and Beaulieu Motor Museum. It also stops at the popular village of Brockenhurst, a great place to spot ponies roaming free amongst the village. The green route also took us back to Lyndhurst, where we concluded our day out on the New Forest Tour.

Beaulieu

I had a great day on the tour and got to see so many sights and attractions throughout the forest, a highlight was seeing plenty of New Forest ponies and foals wondering through the forest. I can highly recommend a trip on the New Forest Tour, a great way to see the beautiful New Forest in all its glory. Take a look at some of our photos from the New Forest Tour day on our Facebook page.

A great time had by all on the New Forest Tour

The New Forest Tour runs every day until the 14th September and tickets can be purchased on-board or from the New Forest Tour website, where you'll receive 10% off your ticket price when you book online. WI     

    

Our Favourite Walks

There are plenty of wonderful walks near our parks, why not try out some of these fantastic places this weekend.

Hengistbury Head

Voted number 4 out of 25 in TripAdvisor's top beaches in the United Kingdom, this is an ideal place for those who want to see the abundance of wildlife that thrives here. More than 500 plant species and more than 300 bird species have been recorded here over time as well as many reptiles and amphibians, making Hengistbury Head a place of importance for wildlife. Hengistbury Head is also great for dog walking as the beach is dog friendly.

 You can find out more on the Hengistbury Head website.

 New Forest

There are plenty of fantastic walks around the New Forest for all ages as well as a selection of pubs on route so you can refuel after your stroll. There's also the chance to spot the famous New Forest pony as well as cattle, deer and lots of other wildlife which call the New Forest their home. 

More details on walking routes in the New Forest can be found on the New Forest National Park website.

Swanage

Swanage is the perfect place to take in some beautiful views as well as historic landscapes. There are many walks that take you throughout the countryside and heathland, some are for more experienced walkers, however there are some suitable for pushchair and wheelchair users.

Corfe Castle, located nearby, is also great place to explore. With its high vantage point across the surrounding area you can take in some beautiful views and you might even see the steam train cut across the landscape.

There are some fantastic Swanage walking routes on the Walking in England website.  

Brownsea Island

Filled with plenty to do for the whole family, Brownsea Island is the perfect place to explore. There are many varied habitats including woodland, heathland, lagoon and more, making it a fantastic place for wildlife. Brownsea Island is also one of the few places in southern England where you can see red squirrels; due to the lack of predators and grey squirrels, the population is thriving.

You can find out more about Brownsea Island walking routes on the Brownsea Island website.   

Milford on Sea

There are some beautiful walks only a few miles away from Shorefield Country Park. Enjoy a stroll along the cliff-tops or maybe take a walk on one of the many dog friendly beaches in the area.

There are some spectacular views of the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth and Swanage to be enjoyed as well, so remember to bring your camera along with you.

You can find out more about walking in Milford on Sea on the Enjoy Milford on Sea website.

So if you do head out on any of the walks we've suggested, remember to post your pictures on our Facebook page. WI 

English Tourism Week 2014 supported by Shorefield Holidays

English Tourism Week 2014 is a week-long celebration of events from the 29 March to 6 April 2014 showcasing the quality and vibrancy of the visitor experiences and the value our industry brings to our nation. Shorefield Holidays remains a family run business of six holiday and leisure parks based throughout Hampshire and Dorset, offering a vast range of services to visitors and local customers alike. The tourism sector within our area touches everyone, visitors, local residents and employees and is one of the few sectors active in every part of the country.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole Lib Dems, visits Merley Court

22% of all UK tourist beds are on holiday and touring parks and we are proud to have such a major impact on the local community and its economy. We employ over 250 full time employees, rising to over 300 in the peak tourist periods, of which 98% of them reside within a 10 mile radius. Over 212,000 visitors stay across our 350 lodges, caravans and chalets each year, including its residential guests, bringing valuable cross spend into surrounding local enterprises and businesses. A recent survey equated this figure to be nearing £27million.

Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West Conservatives, visits Shorefield Country Park

As part of English Tourism Week Shorefield Holidays welcomed local MP’s to its parks, showcasing each ones diverse facilities and services as well as the multi-million pound investments made, improving our guests holiday experiences. Annette Brooke MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole Lib Dems, Christopher Chope MP for Christchurch Conservatives and Desmond Swayne MP for New Forest West Conservatives visited Merley Court, Wimborne, OakdeneForest Park, Ringwood and Shorefield Country Park, Milford on Sea, respectively. Christopher Chope MP, opened the new café and restaurant at Oakdene Forest Park and Desmond Swayne MP, was proud to open the latest exclusive development of luxury lodge holiday homes for sale at Shorefield Country Park.

Christopher Chope, MP for Christchurch Conservatives, visits Oakdene Forest Park  

Simon Pollock Chairman of Shorefield Holidays commented. ' I'm delighted that our local MPs all recognise the vital role that Holiday Parks such as Shorefield Holidays ltd play in supporting the local economy and community'. 

Eggciting Easter Activities at Shorefield

Easter is one of our favourite times of year here at Shorefield Holidays; the sun is shining (most of the time), the evenings are longer and our parks enjoy fabulous displays of daffodils and bluebells. It's also time, once again, to welcome many families back to the parks to enjoy the many activities we have planned throughout the two weeks.

At Shorefield Country Park, we have got lots going on throughout the Easter break including kids club activities such as Critter Making, Mini Golf, Face Painting, Easter Card Making, Family Rounders and much, much more. The highlight of our kids club activities has to be our Easter Egg Hunts on Easter Sunday, come along and see how many eggs you can find! Our Easter Egg Hunt for under 9's starts at 11am and over 10's can join in from 12noon. We've also got plenty going on for the whole family in the evening including quizzes, discos, bingo, Resident Entertainers Shows as well as some fantastic cabarets including the Blues Brothers, a Kylie Minogue tribute, Diva Las Vegas and more.

Also, don't forget to pop into see our Holiday Home Sales team for their Regal Open Weekend on the 5th and 6th of April. The weekend will give new customers and our current Holiday Home owners a chance to look at the fabulous Regal Holiday Home range starting from £34,995.

Oakdene Forest Park have got lots going on too, our younger visitors can enjoy Easter Olympics, Parachute Games, Dodge Ball, Circus Workshops, Nature Trails and much more. There's also an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday at 2pm and on Sunday 13th April at 2pm. Evening entertainment starts from 6.30pm, you can enjoy bingo, party dances, Resident Entertainers Shows as well as cabarets from a George Michael tribute, Ray Charles tribute, Wanted Direction and more.

To find out further information about everything that's going on at our parks over the Easter break, take a look at our entertainment pages. We hope all our guests have a fantastic break and remember to share your pictures on our Facebook and Twitter pages.    
       

The Show Must Go On

Last month was the start of a busy year of shows and exhibitions for Shorefield Holidays. The season opener commenced with a week away in Birmingham at the National Exhibition Centre for the annual Caravan & Camping Show, showcasing the latest season's models from the major caravan and motorhome manufacturers to holiday inspiration and accessories.

So having loaded up our van with our stand, banners and half a tonne of brochures we headed up the motorway to find our home for the next week, at least it was dry and not snowing like last year. Although a breeze to get to, the real pain began with unloading all the equipment and the long walk to find our stand. So we quickly ‘commandeered’ (pinched would be too strong a word), a large trolley and before we knew it, all was ready to go, whilst all around us, carpet was still be laid, stands and decking’s being bolted together, it was time for a pint and reflect on the uv lighting and horrible air conditioning that lay ahead and consider if all the others would actually be ready in time.

This year was the first time we actually stayed in the centre of Birmingham. In previous years we had always stayed on the outskirts in a lovely Country Hotel, complete with its very own 9 hole golf course and health club. As nice as it sounds, it is a little too far out, the commute to and from the show isn’t great, the choice of dining options in an evening is limited and, most importantly, it’s too dark when I get back to hit a few golf balls on their famous par 3 course. If only the show was in the summer! So it was off to the bright lights and the hustle and bustle of the Bull Ring for us.

Conveniently situated a short walk from the train station, our well known ‘branded’ hotel was comfortable enough. There was a bar, most important, and dining room, however, with so many excellent watering holes and restaurants a short walk away, we were certainly not confined to our lodgings. The majority of us found the rooms to be pleasant enough, especially those of us on the 9^th floor, the higher you are the less noise you experience, needless to say, I slept like a baby. The rooms, although basic were comfortable enough, with some nice touches, if you could get past the two thermostat settings of Arctic and furnace. It certainly wasn’t like staying in our park accommodation and the bath was no hot tub.

I am not sure if there is some weird and wonderful reasoning by this, (any feasible reasoning would be greatly accepted), but why don’t hotels ever put plugs by the side of the bed? And persist in situating your nearest power supply somewhere on Spaghetti Junction.

Breakfast was always pleasant and had the desired effect of filling you up, before a busy day at the show. So after a short train journey, although on the whole painless as long as you ensure you get on the correct train, with the correct ticket, as this is not always clear, with different operators running different trains and some rather over effective ticket collectors, catching you out. It was still a lot easier than our previous year’s commute.

We always really enjoy the Caravan & camping show, as it is a great opportunity for us a business to chat and engage with our customers and promote ourselves at the start of the season. I always find it strange that not more of our competitors display themselves more prominently. Many other holiday parks choose to ‘hideaway’ on manufacturers’ stands, rather than promoting themselves as a destination in its own right like we do. Even our neighbours either side of our stand, seemed content with simply giving out ‘free stuff’, rather than chatting and actually listening to their customers. Perhaps that comes down to who you having working at an exhibition like this, sometimes there is just no stopping our team.

It was really fantastic to hear such great feedback relating to our parks from the people we met at the show and there was certainly a really good feel to this year’s event. Although I think it wasn’t as busy as previous years, I pretty sure the recent weather has delayed the holiday buzz. The recent storms and the devastation at Milford on Sea was certainly a talking point, ‘oh I saw you on the news’ were an ice breaker when explaining where our holiday parks are located.

Our Busy Holiday Home Sales team were situated over the other side of the Hall with our local holiday home manufacturers Regal. The organisers of the show certainly got the layout of this area completely wrong. All cramped in rows something reminiscent of a 1970’s holiday park. It certainly didn’t show off the lovely new Regal Riviera to its full potential. Another strange inclusion was to the static holiday home area, was the dog show arena. Now our parks are all pet friendly and bringing one’s four legged friend on holiday or to your holiday home is certainly a market for us, but I am not sure how well this fitted with the parks and manufacturers. Throughout the day, ear plugs were a must, to drown out the incessant barking and although Ashleigh and Pudsey were certainly a crowd puller, I am not sure the organisers got this right.

Let’s hope next year the organisers listen to the feedback and make some needed changes, but one thing is for sure, we will be there again. In the meantime it is onto Romsey for the South Coast Caravan and Motorhome show on the Broadlands Estate, between the 4^th & 6^th April. SB

Working with the New Forest Trust

We are extremely lucky that our parks are located in such a beautiful part of the country and surrounded by historic country side.

We are very pleased to confirm that we will be working with the New Forest Trust to help fund some exciting projects that are currently under way. 
These projects include:

• Funding reflective paints and stickers on ponies and donkeys to make sure that are visible at night to help prevent accidents.

• Purchasing of bat boxes to help research Bechstein and Barbastelle bats which are incredibly elusive.

• Funding creation of Ferny Crofts Scouts Activity Centre which will allow young people to discover the wildlife which thrives here.

plus many more projects that help benefit this beautiful area.

We are very pleased that we are able to contribute to this worthwhile cause, which will help safeguard New Forest flora and fauna for future generations. WI  

The New Forest Wildlife Forum

Here at Shorefield Holidays, we are always looking at ways to help all the fauna and flora that reside at our parks; making us incredibly proud to have received a Gold Standard David Bellamy Conservation Award once again having been one of the only parks to receive this award since its inception in 1997. 

Bobbie Lawrence, Marketing Assistant, receiving the Gold Standard Conservation Award from David Bellamy. 

We were thrilled to receive the following comments from David Bellamy about our environmental work at Shorefield Country Park; "I’d just like to say that I am particularly impressed by the work you have done to improve the ecological management of your park by reducing your mowing regime. The fact that this has resulted in more windflowers shows that you are doing the right things. It’s also good to learn that you have used old concrete bases to provide footings for verandas – heavy-duty recycling in action!"

As well as all the work we do on our parks, we also like to involve ourselves in what conservation efforts are going on in surrounding areas such as the New Forest. This Saturday I attended the New Forest Wildlife Forum, the first event of its kind in the area, which bought together local conservation groups for presentations and discussions. The event was entitled 'Growing the Forest - Bigger, Better, More Joined Up' and focused on bringing together ecosystem groups to work together.

Speakers from the event doing a Q&A session.  

Ten presentations were planned from wildlife and conservation experts ranging from the National Trust to smaller charities such as New Forest Woodcock Group. Each focusing on specific projects, surveys and research going on in the forest; all of these provided some fascinating facts and definitely reinforced the importance of the New Forest as a haven to many species of wildlife. For example, 70% of all dragonfly species, 80% of all bat species and a quarter of all fungi species can be found in the New Forest. The tadpole Shrimp, the oldest animal species in the world, is currently found at only two locations one of these being the New Forest. We were also told that the New Forest has the highest number of ancient trees in Western Europe. Interestingly, at Lytton Lawn Touring Park we have a yew tree that is thought to be over 300 years old. In fact not only is it old but it is planted in the same way they grew yew trees when they were used for long bows; three saplings, twisted together to grow as one tree.   

Yew tree at Lytton Lawn which is thought to be over 300 years old.

Of course, work continues to make sure wildlife continues to flourish in the forest. Much work is being done to banish non-native invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam which can take over large areas. Training is also important and courses such as timber extraction with horses which  promotes old fashion methods which not only encourage growth of new trees but is also less damaging than using vehicles. Education in schools and local areas also helps to promote the ecological benefits of the forest, long term outreach programmes have been set up as well as bioblitz and pond dipping events.

This was a very educational day and I'm sure this event achieved what it set out to do; to bring groups who care about the future of the New Forest together and join up the many projects for the long term benefits of this beautiful place. WI  

Tour de Shorefield

At the beginning of the month some of the team at Shorefield Holidays took part in a sponsored static cycle ride called the "Tour de Shorefield". The team cycled the 80 miles between our 6 parks on both Saturday 4th and Sunday 5 January, which is 160 miles in total, all in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

£151.00 was raised in total over the weekend and will help Macmillan continue their fantastic work supporting as well as providing practical, medical and financial support to those affected by cancer. WI

Christmas at Shorefield Holidays

Christmas is our favourite time of year at Shorefield Holidays and to celebrate we have lots going on at our parks. So if you're staying with us you're in for a treat!

At Shorefield Country Park there's plenty going on for the whole family; our Christmas events kick off on the 23rd December with festive Kids' Club. Over Christmas, your little ones can enjoy Festive Finger Puppets, Festive Finger Painting, Christmas Critters, Snowflake Spinners and much more. In the evening there will be visits from Cyril and Cybil every night of the holiday as well as all your usual favourites such as Party Dances, Quizzes, Family Bingo as well as special cabaret nights where you can see the likes of Maximum Robbie and The Motown Sisters.

Oakdene Forest Park have lots going on as well; festive Kids' Club begins on the 23rd December and throughout the holiday there will be activities such as Christmas Decoration Making, Christmas Card Making, Crimbo Movie Time and Santa Cyril will be popping in for a couple of activities. In the evening Cyril and Cybil will be making an appearance as usual and alongside Family Bingo, Quizzes and other fun activities there will be cabarets acts performing. Chicago Hit Squad will be singing the hits of the Blues Brothers and the Buddy Holly Band will also be performing.

You can see a full listing of events for both Shorefield Country Park and Oakdene Forest Park on our website and don't forget to post your festive pictures on our Facebook page!

Finally, on behalf of everyone here at Shorefield Holidays, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you in 2014.  

New Forest Brilliance in Business Award

We were extremely delighted to have received a New Forest Brilliance in Business award this month. We were selected for our commitment to excellent staff training, career development and mentoring support, all of which have enhanced our performance and the experience that all our guests receive.

The New Forest Brilliance in Business awards scheme is an annual event that celebrates the achievements of local businesses, highlighting good business practice. Seven specialist categories, of which the Training and Development award is one, recognise companies demonstrating high levels of achievement within their core business and in specialist areas including investment in the workforce, enterprise and innovation, entrepreneurship, development of technologies and green policies. 

David Goldsmith, Group Sales Manager and Simon Bransgrove, Marketing Manager attended the award ceremony and networking evening on our behalf. Simon said ‘we are extremely honoured to accept this award on behalf of all the team, across all our parks. It is fantastic to receive recognition for everyone’s efforts. We are really proud that so many of our guests, be they holiday makers, leisure club members or guests attending private functions, return year after year and it is our staff that feature in all the positive feedback we receive.’

Something for the Weekend - No Tricks Just Treats this Half Term

It's Friday, which means the weekend is almost upon us as well as half term! Of course it's extra exciting because Halloween also falls in the same week as half term. So we thought for this weeks 'Something for the Weekend' we would let you know what spooky activities you can enjoy at our parks.

At Shorefield Country Park we have a whole host of events including kids club activities such as Pumpkin Carving, Spell Books, Creepy Critters and many more. Then in the evening get the whole family together for fantastic fancy dress themes, Family Prize Bingo, Resident Entertainers Shows and much more including the fantastic Soul Party Band on Wednesday 30th October. There's also Pumpkin-Fest in the Country Pumpkin, a beer festival with a spooky twist on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th October from 6pm till midnight. There will be various ales, ciders and nibbles for you to try as well as a fantastic atmosphere.

Nearby, at Lytton Lawn Touring Park, be prepared for Halloween Fancy Dress on Wednesday 31st October which will be followed by a trick or treat wander around the park. Once again there will be a small prize for the best decorated pitch during the week so bring along your fairy lights and make Lytton Lawn shine. The fairy light competition will run from Saturday 27th October until Saturday 3rd November with the winner being notified after half term; so even if you are not here for the whole week you can still enter.

Next on to Oakdene Forest Park; we will have some great kids club activities running throughout half term including Goosebump Story Making, Pumpkin Carving, Trick or Treat Bag Making and much more. Then in the evening, as usual there will be lots going on to entertain you including Halloween Gameshow Bonanza, a Rocky Horror Tribute Show on Tuesday 29th October as well as the very spooky Horror Walks running throughout Halloween night on Thursday 31st October. You can also take part in some Halloween themed Go Active activities including Killer Crossbow, Zombie Archery, Swamp Water Walkers and more.

So let us know what you got up to this Halloween half term at our parks and don't forget to post your pictures on our Facebook page.

The Marathon Man

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I was going to meet Simon Reed, who is in training for the next London Marathon. Simon is currently being trained by Jon and Maggie, two of our Fitness Instructors at Shorefield Country Park; Maggie has given us an update on how Simon is getting on with his training.

"I started training Simon Reed about seven months ago. He came to me asking for my help! Simon had to pull out of last year’s Marathon 2013, at the last moment, due to injury.

Since March 2013 I have been working with Simon to reach his goals and one of those is to running the London Marathon 2014 injury free, with in four hours. We have been working on improving core strength, increase flexibility and improving muscular tone in a functional (day to day life) way.

Simon and I are just about to embark on his cardio training for the marathon and Simon also attends running club with Richard Penn in a Saturday morning. Simon is very committed to his training sessions with me every Sunday morning at 7:30am and so far we are on track. Well done Simon for sticking with your training".

Good luck to Simon and we'll be catching up with him in November to see how his training is going. WI

Something for the Weekend

It looks like autumn is on the way, there is a slight chill in the air and the nights are starting to draw in. There is still plenty to do both on and off our parks though, including our fantastic open weekends which are coming up this Saturday and Sunday.

Firstly at Shorefield Country Park we have our Health and Fitness Open Weekend (14th & 15th Sept, 10am - 6pm), a perfect place to warm up in the autumn and winter months. We'll have a whole host of offers, including free classes and taster sessions on the day, free health checks and free swim and and sauna. You can also join the gym for just £30 for a five week trial with no commitment, making it ideal if you want to get back into fitness. There will also be a representative from our functions department on hand to answer any questions you may have about planning your event at Shorefield Country Park including Christmas (only 14 weeks and 5 days to go!).

Once you've popped into Shorefield Country Park, head over to Merley Court Holiday Park for our Holiday Home Sales Open Weekend (14th & 15th Sept, 10am - 5pm). There will be £10,000 off holiday lodges and we'll even provide you with a tasty complementary lunch as well, which you can then work off at our Health and Fitness clubs. There are only four lodges left at Merley Court, so make sure you come and see us. 

We look forward to seeing you over the weekend. WI

Corfe Castle

This weekend I decided to visit Corfe Castle, a place full of history perched on a hill overlooking the beautiful village of Corfe. The castle was partially demolished by Parliamentarians in 1656 but there is still plenty to explore despite this and there are often re-enactments and events going on throughout the year which are very interesting. One such event was happening on the day I decided to visit, which made the experience all the more worthwhile.

The re-enactment was the perfect way to find out more about the history of the castle; in this case the moment the castle was captured by Parliamentarians. Alongside the re-enactment there were plenty of stalls and those dressed up were very convincing in their roles, even asking on my entrance to the castle if I was a Parliamentarian or a Royalist.

I definitely recommend a visit to Corfe Castle; not only is there an abundance of history but the views are beautiful, especially when you see the steam train pass through the countryside. There's also plenty to explore in the village of Corfe including pubs, restaurants, shops and just a short drive away there is Studland Beach as well as Swanage.

You can see more photos on our Facebook page. WI