We are battling it out against some of the UK’s most successful insurance brokers in the “Customer Service Provider of the Year” and “Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year” (which names the UK’s best broker that offers insurance to the general public).

Chris Nettleton, Director of Leisuredays, will be representing us at the event and had this to say on the fantastic news,

“To be nominated for just one of these prestigious awards in what are hotly contested categories would have been fantastic, so to be shortlisted for two is something which we are hugely proud of. It’s testament to the hard work our whole team put in on a day to day basis to ensure we offer the best possible cover, value and service.”

During the last 12 months we have surpassed our own extremely high customer service standards – something which greatly contributed to us being named finalists in both these awards.

Some of our measures include being more accessible to customers, with extended 7 day opening, including late nights and early mornings on weekdays, and a 24 hour online quote and buy service for holiday home owners.

Leisuredays also take measures to ensure that when you do call you get the best possible service, Chris Nettleton explains,

“Leisuredays aim to resolve 80% of incoming calls first time, meaning that the first person you speak to will generally be the person that deals with your entire query, so you’re never passed from person to person. This is achieved using unique customer phone numbers for different types of enquiries, and an intelligent call tracking system that automatically directs you through to the relevant highly skilled insurance adviser.”

We also carefully monitor our claims service to ensure a high level of satisfaction, and evolve their insurance products to meet customer needs whilst remaining good value for money.

Leisuredays and Caravan Guard received the “Customer Service Provider of the Year” award in 2008 so we are keen to claim it back again this year, and also hope to add the prestigious “Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year” award to our trophy cabinet.

Chris added, “We won the Customer Service Award in 2008 and hope to regain it this year after further improvements to the excellent service we offer our customers. We work extremely hard to continually improve our customer service, so to be recognised in this way is a very welcome reward. On top of that, the Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year category is a very high ranking award that is often the reserve of the UK’s biggest brokers, so to be shortlisted in this category is also a massive achievement. ”

If you’re in the market for a holiday home which won’t cost as much as a medium priced car, then Willerby’s three bedroom Salisbury Select home could be just what you are looking for. Or there’s a two bedroom version it that’s what takes your fancy.

The home sits on a 5 inch painted chassis and has aluminium cladding and a steel pantile roof. A galvanised chassis and PVCu double glazed windows are two options which anyone intending to site the home near the sea or use it during the colder months might find well worth the extra expense. Additionally, if the home is to be surrounded by raised decking, an optional pair of French doors in the end of the lounge wall would not come amiss.

On entering the Salisbury through the front door halfway along the front elevation brings you immediately into the lounge and dining area with the kitchen facing you. Immediately to the right of the doorway is space for a fridge/freezer. To the left of the doorway is the dining area which is furnished for six people. This we have to say is pushing it a bit and if six people were to sit down together we think the table and chairs would need to be moved into the lounge.

The lounge is rectangular and comes complete with two x two seat sofas, one of which becomes a sofa bed at night. There is also a wall mounted fire surround on the home’s back wall into which is fitted an electric fire. Above the fire surround is an open display unit and adjacent to the surround, in the corner, is a base unit and a TV point. There is a second unit in the opposite corner, the space between them – below the window – being taken up by a seat which would be lost if the owner chose to have the French door option. Lighting in the lounge and dining areas is via two pendants suspended from the pitched ceiling, each having five halogen lights.

Behind one of the sofas is a low wall which separates the lounge from the U shaped kitchen. The kitchen is fairly small but considering the price of the home it is adequately equipped with a double oven and four-burner hob above which is an extractor hood fitted with two downlights. On the back wall is the sink and drainer unit, and running long the aforementioned low wall with the lounge, is another base unit with plenty of working top space. Above this unit is a cantilevered wall unit projecting from the home’s rear wall and supported by a column down onto the worktop at its front end. There’s also a dedicated space for a microwave, plus plenty of shelving and storage space in the cupboards and drawers. A unit with three adjustable halogen lights has been fitted to the ceiling.

From the kitchen a door leads into the other half of the home. Immediately on the left is the third bedroom. Although small it has two divan beds separated by a bedside cabinet whilst above each headboard is a wall cupboard. There is also a wardrobe on the wall above the right-hand bed, which although small does offer some space for clothes which would otherwise have to be stored elsewhere in the home.

Next to the third bedroom is the home’s second bedroom. This too, is fairly small and is almost identical to the third bedroom, the main difference being that the wardrobe has been fitted above the bottom of the left-hand bed. Across the corridor from the two bedrooms is the toilet compartment – again small but having a small pedestal washbasin in addition to the low level toilet suite.

Adjoining the toilet compartment is the shower room. This has two entrances; one from the corridor and one from the main bedroom at the end of the home. It has a large shower cubicle with a thermostatically controlled shower, as well as a large washbasin set into a base unit with toiletry storage. On the party wall with the toilet compartment is a low level toilet suite.

The main bedroom has a kingsize double bed with lift-up storage. Above the headboard is open shelving and two cupboards and in the corner of the room is a built-in wardrobe plus a freestanding tallboy with six drawers. All three bedrooms have blown-air plinth heating.

Main features

• 5Inch painted chassis
• Blown air plinth heaters to bedrooms

Verdict

Willerby has long had a reputation for offering value for money and this is nowhere better seen than in the three bedroom Salisbury Select. It has all the necessaries to make holidaying in it a real pleasure. It also has a host of optional extras for the buyer with a bit of extra in the bank and who wants to use the home throughout the whole 12 months. Hence we consider it good value for money from one of the country’s longest established not to mention, leading holiday home manufacturers.

Specification

• Type: Single holiday home
• Standard: EN 1647
• Size: 38ft x 12ft
• Bedrooms:3

For further information: Willerby Holiday Homes, Imperial House, 1251 Hedon Road, Hull, HU9 5NA. Tel: 01482 713838. Email: lodges@wwh.co.uk Web: www.willerby.com

RSA’s business started in 1710 with the Sun Fire Office in London, who later joined the RSA Group, making them one of the world’s oldest insurance companies.

We have forged a strong working relationship with RSA, who not only underwrite all of our holiday home policies, but also our new park home insurance scheme which they helped develop thanks to their extensive knowledge of household insurance.

“RSA are one of the largest and most experienced insurers in the UK, and we are very pleased to be able to work with them when developing insurance products for the leisure insurance market. We’ve worked with RSA for many years now and know that their claims handling and underwriting expertise are vital to the award winning customer service we offer our holiday home and park home customers.”

Chris Nettleton, Director, Leisuredays.

We recently handed over a £1000 cheque as part of our sponsorship of the 17 year old athlete, and have pledged to continue our support right up to the 2012 games.

Hannah’s bid for glory is becoming increasingly likely after an intensive winter training program and new coach seem to have paid dividends, with a string of fantastic results already this season including breaking the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m World Record in her classification this weekend. In fact, she broke three World records which were held by top UK athlete and Olympic Gold medallist Deborah Brennan, who was also racing in the events.

Hannah had this to say about Leisuredays continued support,

“My competition schedule has increased a lot this year in the need to get qualifying times for the 2011 World Championships that will lead to the 2012 games. The money helps me get to and compete in all these vital races and also have the equipment I need to perform to the best of my ability.”

One of our Directors Louise Wilby, visited Hannah at her local training track in Halifax to hand over the £1000 cheque,

“Myself and everyone at Caravan Guard and Leisuredays have been hugely impressed by Hannah’s accomplishments over the last few years – her dedication to the sport is astounding and we’re extremely proud to be able to support her at the beginning of what we hope will be a long and successful sporting career.”

Hannah is a mixed distance athlete and as well as her World Records in shorter distances also won the Virgin Mini London Marathon and recently took silver in the 10k BUPA Great Manchester Run, just behind Paralympic Bronze medallist Shelly Woods.

Our 70 members of staff are kept up to date with Hannah’s progress and racing results with regular emails and photos being sent through by Hannah herself – she says it’s a two way street and that knowing the whole company is behind her is a real confidence booster.

“The Caravan Guard and Leisuredays staff are there to support me every step of the way. They are interested in all my achievements and are there to celebrate them with me. Everyone there is friendly and full of encouragement and so their well wishes and hard work to help me achieve my dream keep me going even through the long hard winter months of training.”

Externally, the Ridgeway has aluminium cladding but plastic is an option. So too is an environmental green finish. A painted chassis is standard but again there are two options – pre-galvanised and fully galvanised. UPVC double glazing is standard as is the steel pantile pitched roof. Slightly unusually, there is no option to have a patio or French doors, either in the front elevation or in the end wall of the lounge. Instead, the lounge end wall comprises a bay with a large centre window and a smaller one at each side of it.

The home’s single entrance is about a quarter of the way along the front elevation, the door leading immediately into the lounge area with the dining area to the right and the kitchen opposite. As a result we felt that the lounge area was not particularly large but, on the other hand, it did have U shaped wrap around seating from just beyond the door, across the bay and along the rear wall It is also worth mentioning that the seat below the bay window makes into an additional bed so that the home can actually sleep six people.

From the home’s back wall a low level, angled, party wall extends into the lounge area separating the lounge from the kitchen. A very attractive electric fire has been fitted on the angled section of the party wall, supplementing the wet central heating which is standard to the home. Freestanding furniture includes a nest of tables and a storage cabinet. A pendent light with three branches has been suspended from the pitched ceiling supplemented by two ceiling downlights.

The dining area, to the right of the entrance, has an oval table and four chairs as standard. Above the table is a second three branch pendant light. Opposite the table is the kitchen which we felt was one of the home’s best features. Although fairly small, it has a four burner gas hob, grill and oven, plus an extractor hood, and a fridge/freezer – all as standard. The sink unit runs along the home’s back wall to a tall window unit. The inclusion of a base unit on the low level party wall with the lounge, means that there is an adequate amount of working top space. We also felt that there was sufficient storage in the base units and wall cupboards. The one thing we weren’t sure of was whether the light bar on the ceiling with three adjustable halogen lights would be sufficient.

Going through the door from the kitchen brings you to the shower room on your right. This has a large shower cubicle but the room then tapers to the opposite wall where the toilet has been fitted. The shower unit is thermostatically controlled with the washbasin being fitted immediately next to the cubicle. Generally, we considered the shower room to be adequate but would have liked to see a bit more storage for toiletries.

Opposite the shower room is the home’s second bedroom which comes complete with two divan beds. Between the beds is a cabinet and behind them a panel on which have been mounted padded headboards – a most attractive feature. A wall unit with four cupboards has been mounted above the headboards whilst opposite the foot of the beds is a built-in unit containing two wardrobes separated by a dressing table.

At the end of the corridor is the door into the main bedroom. The bedroom spans the width of the home with a double bed on the end wall. To the right as you enter is a base unit with two cupboards and three drawers, next to which is a small en suite washroom and toilet. Above the bed is a row of wall units with further ones along the home’s back wall and the wall opposite the foot of the bed.

Main features

• Painted chassis
• UPVC double glazing
• Wet radiator heating
• Fridge/freezer
• Thermostatically controlled shower
• En suite washroom and toilet to main bedroom

Verdict

The Carnaby Ridgeway 39ft x 12ft two bedroom holiday home isn’t going to set the world alight. Externally, it doesn’t appear much different from many similar homes from other manufacturers. But that said, it does offer good value for money coming as it does with double glazing and central heating as standard. The kitchen too, is more than adequate, as are the two bedrooms both of which have plenty of storage space for clothes. We did feel however, that the lounge area was somewhat smaller than we would have liked although it did have plenty of seating, including one sofa which makes up into a bed when necessary. So our overall impression was that this is a holiday home owners will find to their liking.

Specification

Type: Single holiday home

Standard: EN 1647

Size: 39ft x 12ft

Bedrooms: 2

For further information: Carnaby Caravans Ltd., Lancaster Road, Carnaby Industrial Estate, Bridlington, YO15 3QY. Tel: 01262 679971. Fax: 01262 670315. Email: info@carnabycaravans.com Web: www.carnabycaravans.com

Do you own a Carnaby Ridgeway? Got some advice for prospective buyers? Let us know by leaving a comment below.