Skelwith Fold News

26th July 2007
We will be holding another one of our popular Batty BBQ's on Saturday 28^th July for which tickets are still available.  The barbecue starts at 8:00pm and we'd be delighted if you will come and enjoy the night with us.  The barbeque is followed by a guided bat walk (bat detectors are provided) and all proceeds from the event go to conservation tasks upon our woodland park.

Can't make this weekend?  Don't worry.  There will be a second Batty BBQ on Saturday 25^th August also beginning at 8:00pm.  We look forward to seeing you there.

30^th June 2007
Congratulations to Mr Gibson for winning a free nights stay at Skelwith Fold Caravan Park for use whenever he wishes.  The free night was awarded again for simply letting us know which pitch he selected on the park.  Many thanks to all those who have been returning there entry slips.

31^st May 2007
Congratulations to Mr Pearson for having won a free nights stay at Skelwith Fold Caravan Park for whenever he wishes to next return.  Every guest of our touring pitches has the chance to win a free nights stay simply by reporting which pitch they have chosen to pitch on.  Don't forget to let us know when you're next here or you may miss out.

19^th April 2007
Skelwith Fold Caravan Park has been declared overall winner in the holiday park section of the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, announced at a ceremony in London last night.

We are one of only 12 'Gold' award winners covering all types of holiday accommodation and attractions in England.  In order to take the Excellence award, for which some 3000 holiday parks were eligible, Skelwith Fold was subjected to a strict judging process which involved detailed inspections from VisitBritain tourism experts, and the scoring of its standard of facilities and services as well as being assessed for aspects such as its atmosphere, quality of upkeep, helpfulness of staff, and contribution to "green tourism".

Judges commented that “Skelwith Fold was a clear winner through its deep commitment to the environment, and that the Wild’s were wholly committed to the green agenda, and demonstrated the same dedication to encouraging staff development and providing first-class customer service”.

Thank you to all our guests for respecting rules and common sense green code which helps us to keep the site looking tidy in an “as-nature-left-it” sort of a way.  Commiserations to our fellow Cumbrian businesses that didn’t quite make it to victory in their respective categories.

12^th April 2007
Easter was as busy for us as ever but was made so much easier by continued hot weather.  Smiling faces all around then, especially as we achieved our goal after a concerted effort of opening our newly refurbished main toilet block in time for the Easter holiday makers.  Feedback on the finish of the block has all been positive and we thank all of our Easter guests for their smiling faces.  With the sun beaming and the Rhododendrons blooming at Skelwith Fold it’s hard not to smile.

05^th April 2007
March the 1st has come and gone and with it comes the start of another season.  Slightly unexpected is the early arrival of some very sunny spring weather interrupted only very briefly by a mini snowfall in March and the odd-April shower.  Thankfully (or regrettably depending on your personal preference) the snowfall was short-lived and settled for just half a day or so, failing to mimic the snow fall of March 2006.  Forecasts of further heavy snow didn’t prove true and we’re now enjoying beautiful bright sunshine and a site covered in real daffodils much earlier than expected.  What a wonderful place to see the vibrant changeable colourings of spring.  We look forward to the seeing the bluebells shortly.

28^th February 2007
As we reported back in December we have been automatically entered into the England for Excellence Tourism Awards following our win at both the Cumbria for Excellence Awards and North West Tourism Awards in the category of Best Holiday Park.  We have just received news that of the nine parks up for the National prize we have been short-listed to the final three and have been invited to the awards ceremony to be held in London in April.  While we will be crossing our fingers for an outright victory it is hard not to be flattered enough that we have been recognised as being amongst the top 3 Holiday Parks in the whole of England.  We await with much anticipation the result of April’s awards ceremony.

6^th December 2006
Next season, during the Whitsun holiday, we intend to hold an “Arts & Crafts” show.  Similar shows held in previous seasons were always very well supported and we do have a lot of very talented painters, sculptors, needle workers and photographers (professional and amateurs) on the park and, also, who visit each year as tourers.  So, we thought that we would give you all plenty of notice, so you can start thinking and get busy over the winter to produce more top quality exhibits.  We intend to put on refreshments and hopefully arrange for some local artists to exhibit their work to add interest and also join the judging panel.

There will be certificates and prizes in each category and in the photography section we will also be looking for the best 12 pictures taken within the park of nature or wildlife for our 2008 calendar.

In order to gauge the interest and set the categories, please collect and complete a “show form”, which will be available from reception at the start of the 2007 season in March, and return it as soon as you are able.

3^rd November 2006
Following our success at the Cumbria for Excellence awards we are pleased to announce that we have now also been presented with the North-West Tourism Award for Best Holiday Park. It was with pride that we were nominated for the award and with much glee that we scooped the award above stiff competition.  We weren’t the only winners from Cumbria and give our congratulations to Bridge End Farm Cottages winning Self-Catering Holiday of the Year, Averil Dawson and Ann Cook at The Beacon who together were awarded for Excellence in Customer Service and Low Wood Hotel who won the Excellence in Business Tourism award.

Pic Right:  Piers Mortimer (GM The Samling, right) presenting Skelwith Fold's Henry Wild (left) with the Best Holiday Park award at the NW Tourism award ceremony, 25th October, Manchester Hilton Hotel.

14^th & 15^th October 2006
On the weekend of the 14^th and 15^th of this month we would be pleased if you would join us for an informal get together for coffee and biscuits, between 10:30am and 4:00pm on Saturday and Sunday in the Function Room, in order to become better acquainted with our current team at Skelwith.

We will also be opening up our ‘show’ caravans for you to browse, should you wish, and some knowledgeable person will be around if you have any questions.

If you have any spare time during the weekend, please come along and meet us all when we will be delighted to chat over a cup of coffee and light refreshment.

20^th September 2006
Storm damage update:  You may have spotted Alex and helper hard at work on the Coppice touring area converting all the fallen oaks into useful wood product.  Much has been converted into oak beams for the building trade as well as flower troughs and bird boxes. Currently, benches for around the park are being made and all waste wood is being converted to chip wood.  See the benches taking shape in the gallery.  All profit from sales of this stock is being put into replanting, with particular attention being given to special wildlife habitats as well as the planting of wild flower in the margins of the park as befits our conservation policy.

5^th September 2006
A warm welcome to Mike and Jeanette Bullock, our new Wardens, who begin here this month and have now moved into the Chalet on the East side of the Reception Office with their daughters, Hannah and Emma, and their dog “Woody”.

1^st September 2006
A film debuts at the Lawns Caravan Show this week made by CITO designed to aid training for the caravan industry on safely siting static caravans.  Much of this film is set on Skelwith Fold Caravan Park and features our own team siting a caravan on the Fir Trees area of the park.  The film has been made to highlight the extra precaution and planning necessary when siting on a woodland park such as Skelwith Fold.

28^th August 2006
Our “Batty Barbecue” this weekend, held to raise funds for the wildlife fund, was a great success.  More than 50 people were in attendance to enjoy the barbecue and many waited for night to fall to join the ‘bat walk’ armed with our electronic ‘bat detectors’ and led by one of our knowledgeable volunteers.  The evening was a big hit with the kids too and all were pleased to see and hear lots of bats.  Thanks go to our bats for their participation.

21^st June 2006
A sculpture has been installed in the meadow here at Skelwith Fold for all visitors to see.  It is a unique piece sculpted by local artist Katie Eveson.

Katie: "The 'Henge' is a monument to the trees that died in the January '05 storms, bringing together themes of ancient monuments and folklore.  These are shown in different elements of the sculpture: the circular layout, circles being the symbol of strength and life, the alignment of the centrepiece North to South and the faces to represent the spirits of these wise old oaks.  I wanted to create a tribute to the trees giving the trees a new purpose and life, providing seats amongst the circle where viewers can sit, look and think.

See photos of the 'henge' in the gallery section.  This piece is currently unnamed, but going by the name of "Skelwith Henge" so all sugestions are greatly appreciated.

14^th June 2006
Skelwith Fold has been awarded the 'Cumbria for Excellence' Award. As a result, we now go on to be entered for the North-West of England for Excellence Award.  Cumbria for Excellence is a highly prestigious award and we are delighted to have been recognized above all other entrants as the winner.  We look forward to being scrutinized for North-West of England for Excellence award though our competition is strong indeed.

Pic Right:  Skelwith Fold's Henry Wild (left) with Eric Robson (right) at Cumbria for Excellence presentation held at Carlisle Race Course.

13^th January 2006
Phase 1’ of modernising the top facilities block adjacent to Loughrigg, Garden and Blake Beck has taken place. This means, you’ll find the top block is now better insulated and re-roofed with skylights fitted, meaning brighter and warmer facilities for those using the toilets, showers and washrooms at the top of the park.

16^th December 2005
Having just completed a survey of all holiday home owners and tourer customers, we are reviewing the feedback and will be announcing our findings shortly. Our winter programme will involve looking at some of the areas raised in the survey so we can maintain the high standards at Skelwith Fold.

1^st November 2005
We have distributed our second ever customer survey to all our residents and tourer customers at Skelwith Fold. There is a free prize draw which offers a digital camera or a set of binoculars to the lucky winner.