Blackberry Wood, East Sussex
Service provided: Insurance
From: Towergate Insurance (07483 929500 / www.towergate.co.uk)
Details: Blackberry Wood is an established holiday park site that branched out into the weird and wonderful world of glamping. Its accommodation selection is certainly diverse, including tree houses, a converted double decker bus, helicopter, fire engine, log cabins and shepherd huts, alongside more traditional holiday site pitches for tents, touring caravans and motorhomes.
When approached for a quote, Towergate Insurance began by looking at the park’s claims history, the existing facilities and the park policies in place. Blackberry Wood was able to demonstrate good site maintenance, staff training and a great approach to health and safety and risk mitigation. This was also carried through to the new niche accommodation, which demonstrated the same considered approach in construction, installation and risk mitigation.
Although this park was claim free, should you have encountered a claim in the past, you can help your site’s overall risk view by showing measures have been taken to diminish further risk.
With its dedicated in-house underwriters’ expertise, combined with Blackberry Wood’s clear policies, good planning and attitude to risk provided, Towergate Insurance was able to go from quote to cover in just a few days.
Feedback: As well as placing Blackberry Wood on cover, including all facilities, accommodation and full liability, Towergate was able to take £1,000 off the cost of the site’s existing policy premium.
Copsegrove Farm, Cotswolds
Service provided: Ecology
From: Diversity Environmental Consultants (01452 771010 / www.diversity.biz)
Details: Copsegrove Farm is a family run livestock farm of around 300 acres where animal welfare, encouraging natural wildlife, and raising environmental awareness are amongst its highest priorities. The farm hosts a highly renowned ‘forest school’ for local schools and provides a much sought-after venue for ‘nature immersive’ camping, with views across the Cotswolds countryside. The farm is continuing to diversify its portfolio with the addition of glamping and luxury holiday accommodation.
Its proposals include the installation of glamping units and conversion of disused barns for farm-stay holidays. From early planning stages owners Kate and Martin Bankes have worked closely with Diversity Environmental Consultants (a company that specialises in ecology and landscape architecture) to ensure that the design reached is sensitive to the farm’s landscape, its natural features and the inhabitant flora and fauna.
Diversity’s staff are knowledgeable in the subject areas of farm diversification and eco-tourism and, being consultees to a number of local authorities, are familiar with the complexities of the UK planning system. Clients include the National Trust, private estate owners, local authorities, architects and property developers.
Feedback: Owners Kate and Martin Bankes said: “We chose Diversity Environmental Consultants because we knew them to be genuine in their interest of farming and nature, and experienced in how to meet the planning and legal requirements associated with land use change. We have found them easy to work with and responsive to our own needs and ideas on farm diversification.”
