Are the awards worth it?

Why have you entered so many awards?

I’ll be completely truthful with you – marketing, PR, publicity – put it however you want, at the end of the day the publicity we have received as finalists in so many awards has been priceless. Whether we are a winner of not we are allowed to use a finalist logo on all our publicity material which can make us stand out from other parks in the area.

We also get so much more from them – the learning curve has increased sharply since we started entering. Each award has its own judging process – but for each of the caravan park/self-catering awards this process has included a mystery visit and a mystery phonecall. The feedback we get from these visits has been invaluable. We see the site everyday – the mystery visits make us see it through a completely different set of eyes.

 Judges have come up with new ideas that we have been able to put into practise, they have given us advice on where modifications could be made. Extra signage is on order for our tourist information area specifically due to a comment made in the feedback report in an award application last year. Both shower blocks shown on Look North in October last year have now been completely retiled as we could see they needed brightening up.

No-one has run a course on how to run a caravan park – 12 years later we are still learning –  we can’t build new ideas sat behind a desk – we have to find new ways of learning. The only cost involved in the awards is time (plus new dress, bag and shoes) but the rewards are incalculable.

How do the Outstanding Customer Service awards differ?

We were nominated for the customer service awards by guests and they mean so much to both of us. Last year a child fell over on the park – no fault of ours I hasten to add – his parents had been drinking outside their tent so had been unable to take him to hospital. Instead Damian took them all – he waited with them at Malton hospital and when a transfer to York hospital was needed Damian stepped in to help again. He waited at York hospital with them until all x-rays were completed and then brought them back to the site. Damian didn’t do that because it’s part of his job – he did it because he is a genuinely nice guy (although when I sprained my knee back in February it was 2 days before he would take me to hospital).

Will you be entering more?

To be honest we haven’t made that decision yet. There is alot of time that goes into each entry and its knowing what to put into each entry. Obviously we have made huge improvements to the shower block this year so there is scope for an entry this year but a time will come where we can’t do that. We will just have to wait and see – if Nick enters we will have to J A younger guest has asked if he can enter the girls into an awards so we may have to hold our own.

Scoial Media/PR Workshop

Scoial Media/PR Workshops always leave my head in a spin and yesterday's was no different. Thanks to Denise Howard from Welcome Training, Carol Arthur from Northern Lights PR and Visit York my head is filled with so many new ideas about how we could promote the business.

The event, attended by finalists of the Visit York awards, begain with an interesting talk on PR and how to successfully get your story into the public eye.

On the back of last year's sibling rivalry story, Denise and I spoke about the fantastic media coverage Nick and I got from last year's White Rose awards. People remember the Radio York and BBC Look North items - they don't seem to mind that neither of us won the actual award nor do they know who actually did - but they remember our "fights" and the fun we had.

Denise and Carol spoke at length about the importance of having professional photos taken and I didn't like to mention that our Dad took the photo of Nick and I whilst running in and out of reception sorting guests (or maybe they realised that). Our brochure will be redesigned over the next few months so maybe we should call in the professionals.

Carol spoke about all the different social media sources that could be used and I'm happy to say that our Twitter and Facebook pages were used as good examples of how to do it - phew! I've just got to look a bit further into linkedin and pinterest so watch this space!

I've just got to find a way of keeping up with it all now as, in its own way, all social media tools work for us:

Our facebook site is a great way of keeping regular/previous guests in touch with what we are doing and discounts can be offered but we have to find a way of reaching new/potential guests.

Twitter is a fab way of keeping in touch with people that work in our industry and I've met some great people through it that have helped promote the business. We've been able to share ideas of best practise so twitter has been a great learning resource.

We use foursquare to promote attractions that we have in the area - showing our guests that we are a great base to use for getting out and about in the area. We had such fun fighting over mayorships last year and hope to again this summer. Using a #family2follow we can incorporate foursquare into our tweets.

The one thing I'm not sure of is this blog - but you're reading it and hopefully whether you stay here or recommend others to stay here you will realise that we are a friendly site to use, we  are approachable and we enjoy connecting with our guests.

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.