Caravan and Motorhome Club announces the winners of its Sites in Bloom awards and its brand new Sites to Inspire and Sustainability Chairman’s awards

Sites in Bloom

The Sites in Bloom Awards were created in 2003 by Club Life Member, the late Alan Payne OBE who sought to recognise the creative agricultural skills of site staff and volunteers by showcasing their creation on site, to provide visitors with a colourful and warm welcome.

This year’s winners are Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire and Englethwaite Hall in Carlisle. Tewkesbury Abbey Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite is the winner of the ‘multi-couple’ category (a set of site staff and a set of assistant site staff), while Englethwaite Hall Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite won the ‘single couple’ category. 

Nick Lomas, Director General at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “I’d like to thank our incredibly dedicated and passionate site teams who work hard to ensure that every campsite in the network has attractive grounds. Every year we receive so many wonderful entries for the Sites in Bloom so there is plenty of competition. Thanks to everyone who entered and worked hard on their displays, and congratulations to both worthy winners.” 

Sites to Inspire

The Sites to Inspire Award is new for 2021 and has been created to celebrate the campsite staff who go above and beyond to make a stay at their site exceptional. 

Members and non-members were asked to nominate campsites that inspired them during their stay or provided a ‘magic moment’ that they took away with them as a memory. The data collated from the nominations collected in visitors’ post-stay questionnaires was sorted, using occupancy figures, into large capacity and small capacity site winners.

Large Occupancy Site Winner:

Blackshaw Moor Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite on the southern edge of the Peak District is the first winner of the large occupancy site category.  

Comments from those who nominated the site included:

“The staff were friendly and professional and have done an excellent job in keeping us Covid safe.”

“Overall the staff were very approachable and friendly, they showed genuine interest in what we thought of our stay. Nothing was too much trouble for them.”

Small Occupancy Site Winner:

Gwern-Y-Bwlch Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite between Snowdonia and old Montgomeryshire is the first winner of the small occupancy title. 

Comments from those who nominated the site included:

"A biodiversity site like this is right up our street. Definitely will be back… Site was also immaculate.’’

“Both site teams went above and beyond to ensure we were okay after a breakdown. They checked on us daily, towed our caravan to the pitch for us and remained cheerful and helpful throughout.”

Nick Lomas, Director General at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “We’re delighted to have introduced the Sites to Inspire awards as we really value the feedback we receive from our members and guests and we’re so happy that we can now award the site teams that make their stays so special. I would like to thank all the nominees for maintaining such exceptional standards and ensuring members and visitors have a fantastic stay, and congratulate our very first winners.”

Sustainability Chairman’s Award

Also new for 2021, the Sustainability Chairman’s Award has been created to celebrate the campsite network’s environmental, social and economic commitment, actions and engagement.

From tree planting and waste reduction to raising money for local charities, the entrants were judged on the criteria set by Club Chairman, Grenville Chamberlain OBE, who personally assessed each application and made the final decision on the winner, Cirencester Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite.

Cirencester Park has shown great dedication to biodiversity and sustainability, which is evident across the campsite. Staff have not only upcycled materials to create items for members, but they have also created bug homes for the benefit of the wildlife that surrounds the site. All food vendors that are involved in trade with the site have to use either recyclable or biodegradable materials and the campsite’s shop supports local entrepreneurs by selling their produce.

Grenville Chamberlain OBE, Chairman of the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “I am honoured to introduce this new award, which demonstrates the Club’s commitment to sustainability, innovation and charitable initiatives. We had many wonderful entries and so it was a close call, but Cirencester Park is an exceptional campsite and a deserving winner.”

For more information on the Caravan and Motorhome Club, please visit www.camc.com