Q&A Phil Shadforth

What do you think makes this campsite one of our Regional Winners?

We are a family-oriented park. We see the owners, the Maguire family, a lot; their values are projected and kept through our staff, right down to the cleaners. This is a job-for-life sort of place.

How does it work with a large static area and the section for tourers?

Having a touring section puts a different feel on the park; with new people coming in, it’s transient, giving the park more vitality. A lot of people who come here start off with tourers, take up a seasonal pitch and like it so much that they end up with a static.

The new clubhouse has only just opened, which means the people who voted for you have yet to benefit from it!

The was club dated. was The good, family but have it invested £1.6m in the new building. Different jobs – road surfacing, street lighting, play area – are tackled each year to keep the face of the park fresh. Last year, £200,000 was spent on the washblock.

What is the general age range of the people who stay at your site as touring customers?

This is a really family-safe environment, so we see lots of families and retired people in motorhomes. It’s about a 50/50 split between caravans and motorhomes, and about 10-15% of our visitors are touring from abroad. The North Shields/ Newcastle about 75 miles ferry away; port is most of our foreign visitors tend to be touring Scotland, so we are either their first or last stop from the ferry.