Member Article

£500,000 revamp for holiday park

A Northumberland holiday park has invested £500,000 in new facilities for touring caravans as part of a drive to attract more visitors to the north of the county.

Vacant land at Glororum Holiday Park near Bamburgh, which is part of the Northumbrian Leisure Group, has been converted into 42 hard-standing pitches equipped with electricity and waste disposal facilities. The upgrade includes a new shower block and an indoor washing up area to cater for the additional visitors.

The National Caravan Council estimates the UK has around 510,000 touring caravans. Northumbrian Leisure is keen to bring more to the North East, which is benefitting from the continued trend for domestic holidays. The latest figures from the Tourism Alliance show that the region saw a 21% increase in overnight stays in 2011 to 4.3 million Total spend by tourists, who averaged three nights in the region per stay, was up by 17% to £7.12m.

Nigel Thompson, who owns Glororum Holiday Park alongside sister sites at Warkworth, Cresswell and South Shields, said: “Glororum has to have one of the best locations of any caravan park in the North East, being close to iconic Bamburgh Castle and surrounded by miles of amazing beaches. We wanted to create facilities here that matched the park’s unbeatable surroundings here at Bamburgh.

“The upgraded facilities at Glororum means that we will have one of the best sites for touring caravans in the area and this will play an important part in Northumberland’s tourist draw.

“We are keen to bring new caravanners into the area, who, in turn will bring valuable extra spend and trade into the local economy. Our investment in Glororum will certainly enhance the visitor experience and stay quality for existing owners at the park too.”

The new facilities were opened by Francis Watson Armstrong, who owns Bamburgh Castle.

He said: “Top class holiday parks such as this are vital in attracting more people to the area, which in turn impacts favourably on local business and job creation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Karen Dent .