Disney v. Yorkshire

216 million visits to Yorkshire are made every year, equivalent to the total number of visitors to Walt Disney Attraction Theme Parks worldwide.

(Top 10 Amusement/Theme Park Attraction Chains - World (2008)).

Having listened to Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, use a similar quote to the one above at an event at Scarborough Spa I started the think of the comparisons between Yorkshire and Walt Disney World Parks.

The first comparison is that our family love both! We are all very proud Yorkshire folk but are huge Disney fans – as Twitter followers will know – and it has been described as our second home.

So where is Yorkshire’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom? We don’t have the weather that WDW Florida has but I’m sure that Disneyland Paris has very similar weather to us – it was absolutely freezing when we went that’s for sure.

There are no theme parks in this country that come close to the magic of Disney yet Flamingoland, 15 minutes drive away from us, has Mumbo Jumbo so those wanting the thrills of fast rides etc can still find them in Yorkshire. Flamingoland still needs an "Its a Small World" ride but if you go close to Little Monster's Den of Mischief you will hear a tune equally as irritable and one which will stay in your head all day.

Epcot's World Showcase shows the diversity of different countries around the world - Yorkshire has just as much diversity within one county - who needs to go right around the world! We have the Dales, the Moors, the Coast, the Cities and alot closer to home, the Howardian Hills - this county has something for everyone.

Free entry into the National Media Museum makes it alot cheaper than Disney Studios and you don't need an aeroplane to get there. And with so many film and television locations dotted around Yorkshire you really could become part of the action. Check out this you-tube clip if you don't believe me!

Yorkshire Wildlife Park doesn't have quite the same "Tree of Life" as Disney's Animal Kingdom has but I'm sure if you looked in some of our forestry's you may find something that comes close.

All Yorkshire needs is Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Donald and some more of the Disney characters........but I'm sure that Gary Verity and his team could slot themselves into some of those roles.

Tiring Week

It started so well with a day at the Welcome to Yorkshire Tourism Conference. I met up with 6/7 twitterers on Malton Station platform - purely by chance - and they were a great bunch of people to travel through to Leeds with. Once at Leeds Station we then caught a shuttle bus up to the Theatre - it was really did feel like we were on a school outing with so much giggling going on - I was almost disappointed there wasn't a lollipop man to escort us across the road.

Y11 was fascinating with some great speakers. I'm not going to tell you anything that was mentioned - just keep an eye out so see exactly how far the brand will go around the world this year.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at Jasmine Park - a great couple of days at the park that my brother manages with the help of two wardens. It was just exhausting getting up at 6am to complete 3 hours of work on Robin Hood work and then a full day at Jasmine before working until 10pm getting things uptodate here. I look forward to spending time there again but may manage my time a little differently.

Yesterday was VAT, today was running around alot and now I just want to curl up in bed and sleep alot - instead I'll be sorting bedding, cleaning equipment etc for tomorrows check-ins - when the week will start again!

Award Winners

I seem to have lost a week with my blogs - maybe its because I was a little hungover this time last week after a fantastic evening at The Old Lodge Hotel in Malton where we were named winners in the Pride Of Malton and Norton Awards for Customer Service.

The other nominees in our category were Malton Tourist Information Office and Ian Brown Tyres so we feel very lucky to have won.

The evening hadn't started too well as all our arrivals were late so we were both trying to get ready at the same time as serving in reception. I must warn those guests that I'm not normally so smartly dressed and I never work with such high heels.

We were given a lift to the awards evening and I did feel like I was arriving at the Oscars when the driver opened the door for me and I proceeded to walk up the red carpet. It wasn't quite champagne on arrival but the Bucks Fizz was just as gratefully received. We were then escorted through the hotel to a marquee in the grounds of the hotel. This is when I really did believe the evening was going to be a total disaster as we were on a table in the very back corner. Noone ever wins when seated in the back corner!

A three-course meal was served and then it was down to the awards evening proper. Luckily our award was first so we didn't have to wait too long. This is what was said about us:

Nominated for the genuine care and attention that they give each and every person that stays with them and always going the extra mile for their customers. Rebecca and Damian Palmer-Bunting, the owners of Robin Hood Caravan Park, Slingsby, are described as "kind, caring people" whose business is a way of life for them and whose primary concern is the needs of their visitors – whatever those may be and are always willing to provide extra support to families and those experiencing problems during their stay in the area. The passion they have for their business and their customers is described as ‘’exceptional.”

I couldn't say anything more other than "Thank-You!" as we were named winners in our category. I actually had to ask one of the organisers what was said about us as I was just too nervous to listen properly when it was said and then when our names were read out I shot up onto cloud nine and didn't really hear what was said then either.

After all the awards had been given out it was time for the raffle and we won in that as well. Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at the Old Lodge in Malton so thats my wedding anniversary gift sorted.

As for the bad luck table in the back corner - it turned out not to be! Another couple on the table won an award in their category and between us all we won three raffle prizes so it was actually quite a lucky table.

Another finalist placing!

What a week it has been! Firstly the downs - its accounts time again and with two other parks to take in as well its a long process!

However, the huge up of the week came yesterday when we found out we were finalists in the Pride of Malton & Norton Awards for Customer Service - we have improved our customer service procedures massively over the last 12 months and the changes are obviously paying off. Firstly with a nomination in the Visit York Awards and now this, in our local awards. The finalist placings are certainly spurring us into thinking about entering this years White Rose Awards - the elite of the awards for tourism in our county.

Over the winter both of us took a course with Welcome to Yorkshire called Yorkshire Pride. Susie Brindley and Kim Broderick led the course all about welcoming our guests, how we could help ensure our guests had a great time and discussed ways of building lasting relationships with our guests - it was great, superbly delivered and it was great to meet other people within our industry.

The other bonus from the course is that we both received our little green Y badges. The larger Y badges which you may have seen are reserved for the Yorkshire Patrons - a group of approx. 300 influential business leaders and celebrities taking the Yorkshire message to a global audience. We are both immensely proud of being "Yorkshire Folk" so to be able to wear our little badges is a great honour.  

What a couple of weeks it has been since my last blog and so much to tell you about!


The site is, of course, now open and we are currently waiting for our first guest to come into one of the static caravans. There is a definite buzz in the air as Damian and I get ready for the first set of guests. We have added a few new things into the static caravans this year so it was nice to be putting ideas into practise and we look forward to getting feedback from them.

The really exciting news is that once again we have been shortlisted as “Self-Catering/Caravan Park of the Year” in the Visit York awards. Sadly, the two categories have been combined once again this year – hoping that one year we can shine in our own category.

We have also been shortlisted in the “Outstanding Customer Service” category which to me is the one that would mean the most. Keep an eye on our twitter feed on the night of 6th April as that is where we will be breaking the news – whether positive or not our followers will find out first.

This blog isn’t going to be as long as I’d hoped as another car has come into view which means I’m needed in reception once again!

Its nearly here!

Just 4 days before we open for a new season! Attraction leaflets are being delivered, the plumber is here ready to put water back onto the site, and the new welcome books are just about ready to go into the caravans so it is all systems go!

Even the kids are looking forward to opening the gates again – opening up always affects them more than we thought it would. We often have tears because they feel like we are abandoning them after having us all to themselves during the winter. I think they are old enough now to see the benefits of living on the park – they can whizz round on their bikes, meet new friends and they know exactly which guests to visit when they are on the lookout for biscuits (in several caravans they know exactly where they are kept!)

They also know the little traditions we have for them based around the park, particularly opening and closing. Immediately after those gates shut on the first Sunday in November we go to the cinema and have Frankie and Benny’s afterwards and we do exactly the same just before we open.

Although my Dad ran a park it didn’t affect us in the same way – for a start we didn’t live there. It was somewhere to go to see Nanna and Grandpa as they lived in a house on the park but we didn’t have anyone knocking on our door at all times of the night needing our Mummy and Daddy.

I am also very aware that I want our kids to remember us as doing things with them during their childhood rather than working all the time. So, some people do get upset that we have a couple of hours off on a Sunday afternoon when they are wanting to buy ice cream from the shop but I hope that they appreciate there are times we need to be selfish and put our kids first – ice creams have to wait until we re-open the shop in the evening.

Don't forget our new hashtag!

We want to be able to help our guests plan things to do or at least have some ideas about what to do in the area - particularly things that maybe don't get the coverage that our larger attractions have.

So, we've come up with a new hashtag for twitter - simply search for #family2follow and it will give some details about what previous guests have been upto.

Its been a fun day!

Its school holiday time and despite opening in less than 7 days we have been spending some time with the kids before the site opens. We've been playing "guests" and have found loads of things to do that we can recommed to our guests in the summer.

Having attended a marketing course with Visit York a couple of weeks ago I met Chris and Tamsyn from Treasure Trails - York and Humber. They have created several trails around the region with three specific to York. I loved the sound of these trails and quickly ordered the three with a view to selling them on the site during the season.

The girls (aged 5 and 8) chose the one that they wanted to do first - Murder Mystery and off we went. We always advise our guests use the park and ride facility in York. It costs £2.30 per adult and upto two children travel free with each paying adult. Its much cheaper that the carparks in the city centre and saves the hassle of having to find a space.

We walked from the bus stop to the Minster picking up a hot chocolate and some treats along the way. I can't tell you much about the trail because I don't want to spoil it when you have a go but it took us all over - places that we have never been before.

The trail states that it will take 2 hours but I would advise that this is a minimum - we had a break for lunch but we could have had numerous other breaks at the various attractions that we passed along the way - some that we didn't know existed.

And, did we solve the murder? Yes we did - we found out who the murderer was and the weapon! The girls were very proud of themselves - when we came home we logged onto the treasure trails website to confirm our answer.

The trails are suitable for all ages. We took our 5 year old and she only whined a couple of times - which is usual - if we'd had a younger child we could have used the pushchair/pram with no problems whatsover and the same could be said for wheelchair users - the Shambles is a cobbled street as are many of the old streets around the city so it could be a bumpy ride in a few areas but well worth it.

And the cost of this fab day out? £5 for the trail - not many places you can take a family of 4/5/6 (as many as you like) for only £5. We enjoyed it so much we are doing another one on Thursday!

Its nearly here!!

Can't believe that we are so close to the start of another season with a very long list of things to do before March 1st - eeek!

A previous comment asked for funny customer stories and I have several but the one that comes to mind happened about 10-15 years ago (and yes - I still remember it). I was working on our other park which has a huge reception (imagine ours and times by 8) and it was packed with people. Someone was dealing with the guests whilst I was on the phone to a customer.

Sadly, this phone customer had felt the need to leave the park during the night and felt it necessary to complain. Obviously, I put my best "phone voice" on and explained I was sorry that he felt like that but if he could tell me what happened I would ensure the same thing didn't happen twice.

"It was the noise"

It was a Bank Holiday weekend so there was a possibility that this could be a genuine reason so I explained that we do have security staff on the park throughout the night and had the gentlemen mentioned the disturbance to the security staff they would have happily sorted the situation for him. Obviously we want the noisemakers to be the ones that have to leave not the quiet guests.

"It was the wind - it was too noisy" said the customer

Struggling to keep a serious face on I continued the conversation with the gentleman.

"The noise you are complaining about was coming from the wind, sir?" This caught the attention of the person I was working with and the first few guests that were checking in.

"Yes, the wind was far too noisy, kept us awake, we've had to leave so I want my money back!"

"I'm very sorry sir, there is nothing I can do about the volume of the wind" I managed to say as by this time everyone in reception was starting to smile and giggle "If it was something I could control I would have turned the volume down for you but sadly I can't so it doesn't warrant a refund - maybe you could try your insurance company"

Well, luckily the gentlman put the phone down on me at this point because my sides were hurting with trying to stop myself laughing. How would you have handled that?

How has the first week back been?

It’s gone quite well actually! We have both restarted work again after a nice 8 week break in November and December. Had some fun times together as a family – saw Lion King in London, the real Father Christmas in Lapland and JLS in Manchester (guess which was Mummy’s fave) but now the girls are back in school after the Xmas hols it’s time to start focusing on 2011.

Beki recently completed a Welcome Host Gold course and got some great ideas for little extras we can put into the caravans to help our guests get the most out of their time with us – so she has spent time sourcing new products as well as bringing all the databases up to date, printing all the envelopes ready for a brochure drop and keeping our facebook/twitter pages up to date.

And Damian – well he has been stuffing those envelopes with the new prices – the tent/touring prices are exactly the same as they were in 2010 despite the rise in VAT – with a little help from the girls.

New Years “work” resolution is to keep this blog a little more up-to-date. Let’s see how long it lasts!

Out of the mouth of babes.........

I don't normally write about personal stuff on here - in fact its a while since I've written anything on here but I have just had one of those conversations with my 8 year old that I want to remember for ever! Where better place to log it.

I was happily driving along with her in the front next to me and her friend in the back when she suddenly said "There's a bar around here". Now anyone local will know that the back roads from Malton to Castle Howard through Easthorpe and Coneysthorpe do not have a bar on so I didn't have a clue where this information had come from:

Mummy: What makes you say that?
Child: There was a road sign back there like one of Daddy's birthday card and it is for a bar.
Mummy: There aren't any bars around here - I don't think you did
Child: It said it was a bar on Daddy's card. The sign with 2 hills on it means that there is a drunk woman on the road in front of us

At this point Mummy nearly crashes the car into the nearest ditch at the same time as thinking that I need to put a warning out to people not to send Daddy those cards!

Back to driving along the dark, country roads when another random thought is mentioned:

Child: When I have a baby I'm going to call it Stephanie or Bethany - anything with thanie on the end of it really
Mummy: Thats nice but not something you really need to be worried about just yet
Child: I've already found my husband. "Child C has asked me to be more than friends"
Mummy, nearly crashing the car, asked when this happened
Child: In my bedroom on Xmas Eve - he asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend and I said yes
Mummy: Aww thats nice but you should be a bit older.
Child: We are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend, then husband and wife, then mummy and daddy, then Grandma and Grandad, then we'll die
Mummy is now rapidly trying to change the subject!

We safely drop her friend off and I quickly go through what my child has said just in case her child mentions any of it.

Of course on the way home she starts again:

Child: I'll have to think of some other names Mummy
Mummy: Why?
Child: Well if I call her Bethany someone at school might call her Better Knees and I don't want her to be teased
Mummy: Very thoughtful of you and you will have lots of time to think about it.
Child: You know "Child X" from school - you told me I have to be nice to him/her so he/she will be nice back
Mummy: Yes (now wondering if i'm having to chat to the head in the morning)
Child: Well, i don't like him/her and don't think I'll ever like him/her so i'm not going to bother.

Moral of the Tale: Daddy can do the Brownie run next week!