Popular caravan industry website Caravanselecta thinks that caravan buying popularity is set to increase again this year. They recently confirmed that last year was a considered a bumper year for people buying a motorhome or caravan and that 2010 looks to be even better.

The website, which allows both dealers and private individuals to buy and sell touring caravans, motorhomes and static caravans, has seen a huge increase in activity over the past year, from details of 15,000 caravans and motorhomes being posted in 2008, to nearly 67,000 in 2009.

Amy Buckley, Product Manager for Caravanselecta, said: “It’s very likely that this dramatic rise is partly due to the economic situation, with people realising that by investing in the initial cost of a caravan or motorhome means they can save money for years to come on their holidays.”

“There was a growth last year also in people choosing to holiday in the UK, which makes a caravan or motorhome a really sensible option, especially as we have thousands of great campsites to stay on.”

And it seems that Caravanselecta believes this increase in interest in owning a touring caravan or motorhome is set to continue in 2010 as well, with a big increase in the number of adverts placed at the end of 2009 continuing in the first few weeks of 2010.

The benefit of websites such as Caravanselecta is that people can very easily find the caravan or motorhome they want by browsing for the right type of vehicle to suit individual requirements or budget and with new adverts being added all the time there is a great choice of vehicles to consider.

The Caravan Club has also recently confirmed the popularity of caravans continues when it announced that it had to add extra places to its training courses due to the increased demand it has experienced. They also highlighted the fact that in 2009 spending from their members added over £400 million into the economies of rural areas.

With the introduction of two new awning designs for 2010, NR Awnings is set to offer one of the best value awning ranges on the market today.

The new top-of-the range 4Season awning uses high quality heavy duty materials for all season use, with the benefit that the canvas is also easy to clean - very important for extended use. It can take the 4Season annexe made from the same material on either or both sides.

The new Vivaldi Luxe porch awning is based on the Coniston Luxe but made using the Tencate all season sidewall material. It has a removable front panel and a zip door on either side with clear pvc windows with curtains and is designed for use all year round.

NR awnings offer a choice of pole systems, fibreglass or steel, and a range of awning sizes and colours to suit your caravan. With a comprehensive five year warranty and excellent backup, plus a range of optional accessories such as awning storage bags and storm straps, why not consider them for your next awning?

Details of all NR awnings are available to view on our website at www.tilshead-caravans.com/Awnings.htm and if you order from us you actually save more money than if you buy direct from the manufacturer!

From 1 April 2009, the Gas Safe Register replaced the CORGI gas registration scheme in Great Britain.

The CORGI brand is historically well-known in the UK and was born out of the Gas Board as a membership of leading gas installers. CORGI subsequently went on to run the mandatory gas scheme for government for many years.

However, the Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the gas registration body in GB on 1 April 2009 after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out a review of gas safety in 2006. This led to the decision to change to a new gas registration scheme and the contract was subsequently awarded to Capita Group plc and they launched Gas Safe Register.

Gas Safe Register is designed to offer the general public an improved service by making it easier to find and check the qualifications of an engineer. Each Gas Safe registered engineer has a photo ID card with a unique licence number and to check any individual engineer to see what work they are qualified to do you can visit the Gas Safe Register website at www.gassaferegister.co.uk or call the dedicated helpline on 0800 408 5500.

On a day-to-day basis, to legally carry out work on gas installations and appliances, engineers in Great Britain and the Isle of Man must be on the Gas Safe Register. However, this legislation does not generally apply to touring caravans or motorhomes, where the current requirement to service or repair gas appliances in such vehicles is often only to be considered ‘competent’. The caravan industry, through Caravan Industry Training (CITO), has developed a competence based training and assessment course aimed specifically at the requirements of caravan service engineers. This is an ACoP (Approved Code of Practice) industry qualification which is assessed by an accredited ACS (Accredited Certification Scheme) centre. ACoPs should be seen as the minimum standard for anyone working on gas appliances and it is a requirement for a caravan dealer’s membership of the Approved Workshop Scheme that 100% of the dealer’s engineers should have this ACoP qualification.

The next step in qualification is to advance to the ACS training level. This then qualifies an engineer to become eligible to join the Gas Safe Register. This then also allows gas work on touring caravans and motorhomes which are hired out in the course of business, where Gas Safe Register status is legally required. Tilshead Caravans are pleased to confirm that we have full Gas Safe Register status and currently have two Gas Safe registered, ACS qualified, engineers on our team.

Where does that leave CORGI? Well, although no longer recognised in law as a gas safety register, CORGI will remain a name in the gas industry as they will continue to offer a range of services and products to gas engineers and to promote them to homeowners through the addition of a new quality-based membership scheme. Only time will tell if the Gas Safe Register will become as synonymous with gas safety as the CORGI name has.

The current photocard driving licence was introduced ten years ago and has become an important proof of identity as well as a confirmation of which motor vehicles you are able to drive. However, the tenth anniversary has raised some eyebrows with the little-considered fact that you need to renew your licence regularly. Previous paper licences ran until the driver was 70 years of age, but photocard licences, because our appearance changes and photos need updating, are valid for only ten years. The first photocard licences have now started to expire.

DVLA do send out reminders shortly before a licence is due for renewal, which will help all drivers who have kept DVLA advised of any change of address. However, it may be worth checking when your licence expires! To assist you, there are two dates on the front of the photocard licence. The date marked 4a is the date the photocard is valid from and 4b is the expiry date of the licence. Generally there is a ten year period between the two dates, but for some drivers, such as those approaching or over 70 years of age, a shorter period is more usual.

Renewal of a licence is usually straightforward, although inevitably there is a cost to pay to renew a photocard and this is currently set at £17.50. For more details of procedure please visit the DVLA or DirectGov websites.

We hope that this helps inform of the current situation and that when you rush home and check your licence (like the author of this article did), you find everything in order. Remember that having an expired licence will pose serious legal problems such as with insurance and you could face a fine of up to £1,000. On a more basic level, it would prevent you from collecting your motorhome or caravan hired from Tilshead Caravans – ruining your holiday. Perhaps checking now would not be a bad idea………………

It’s official! The National Caravan Council (NCC) recently reported an increase in bookings to caravan parks, rising sales of new and pre-owned touring caravans and a healthy contribution to the UK economy from caravanning.

After a difficult end to 2008, manufacturers such as the Swift Group have seen unexpectedly buoyant sales of new caravans and dealers, including Tilshead Caravans, report that sales of used caravans have been running well ahead of expectation.

Campsites and caravan holiday home parks have seen a substantial increase in bookings and occupancy rates. There is increasing evidence that those who own caravans are using them more and there has also been an influx of new people to caravanning. This has led to the NCC reporting that some parks have seen increases of 25 percent and more in reservations.

The NCC’s Director General, John Lally commented “This is good news for the many local businesses – from shops, pubs and attractions to post offices and petrol stations – that rely on the tourist pound that a caravanner brings”. As for the next few months, for the caravan industry itself he comments “A hot summer, which the Met Office is now predicting, would be the icing on the cake for our industry.”

Caravanning is reported as being worth approximately £6 billion to the UK economy, and supports thousands of jobs in tourism as well as UK manufacturing and support services. Did you know that more than 95 per cent of touring caravans on UK roads are manufactured in the UK?

Both touring caravans and motorhomes will benefit from regular servicing. An annual service will involve the inspection and servicing of the habitation areas of your vehicle, including gas appliances and damp check, plus the often ignored mechanical aspects of the chassis, from brake adjustment to lubrication of corner steadies. It is designed to give you the peace of mind that your caravan or motorhome is safe and ready for use, whatever the time of year or weather forecast! Owners of nearly new caravans and motorhomes will usually need to ensure an regular service is carried out to maintain the benefit of any manufacturer or dealer warranty.

Tilshead Caravans have recently been independently assessed on workshop facilities and customer service standards and as a result have been granted Approved Workshop status. This scheme is overseen and recognised by the National Caravan Council, the Caravan Club and the Camping & Caravanning Club and is designed to ensure the highest workshop and service standards are adhered to. The scheme currently has over 200 member workshops, all following the same code of practise, distributed all around the UK.

At Tilshead Caravans, our workshop is staffed by qualified caravan, motorhome, mechanical and gas engineers, qualified to the highest standards. This means we can undertake all manner of repairs and servicing for all makes of caravans and motorhomes. This includes routine annual caravan servicing, motorhome habitation servicing, motorhome chassis and mechanical servicing for Fiat, Mercedes, Volkswagon, Peugeot and Ford based vehicles plus appliance servicing and repairs for leading suppliers such as Thetford, Truma, Al-Ko, Dometic and BPW. We also have more specialist trained engineers such as Gas safe Register (which replaced CORGI this year) registered engineers. Our on-going training policy means that engineers have also recently undergone training for such diverse skills as fitting Oyster satellite systems and electrical competency qualifications.

Tilshead Caravans also offer full supply and fitting services for all types of caravan and motorhome accessories. This includes caravan movers from PowrTouch, Reich and Truma, motorhome awnings and associated products from Fiamma and Omnistor, security systems such as alarms and tracking systems from Phantom and HAL-Locate plus televisions and aerials, satellite systems, gas changeover systems, door security products, Tyron bands and so on……..

For more details of how we may assist you for any caravan or motorhome related services please do not hesitate to contact Andy, our workshop manager, or any of the Tilshead Caravans team.

UNREPEATABLE deals on new 2008 and 2009 Abbey Caravans

By unrepeatable, we mean GENUINE SAVINGS OF UP TO £3,999

Plus:

Special launch offers on Swift Caravans. See the latest models including the Challenger 580, Charisma 565 and so on………

Special deals on last remaining 2009 Sprite Caravans

Clearance offers on many of our used caravan stock, as we need the space!

Start-Of-Season offers on accessories so you are ready for the summer

Special discount offers on Motorhome & Caravan Hire

We are open between 10.00am - 4.00pm on both Saturday 4th April and Sunday 5th April and hope to see you!