Fencing top activity as ‘Jack Sparrow’ fever sweeps the nation

With the latest Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster hitting cinema screens this week Haven Holidays reports a surge of interest in swashbuckling.

Britain's favourite family holiday company says its fencing lessons are now more popular than free football coaching as young fans of Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, seek to copy their hero.

Haven offer a whole range of family activities including coaching in football, archery, tennis, golf and fishing – but interest in fencing is out stripping them all.

‘We’re looking to arrange more fencing sessions to cope with the demand,’ said a spokesperson for Haven Holidays. ‘The highlight of last year was the World Cup and football coaching was our most popular activity – but this year interest in fencing has been phenomenal!’

All 35 Haven Holiday parks around the UK provide families with award-winning facilities and an action-packed choice of activities. Expect heated indoor and outdoor pools, multi-sports courts and parks that offer climbing walls and the nerve-tingling ‘Leap of Faith’; Adventure Golf; boating lakes and Laser Combat – facilities vary from park to park so check the website (www.haven.com ) for details.

Prices for May Bank Holiday start at just £199 for a family of up to six arriving on May 27th for three nights in a two bedroom ‘Superior’ holiday home. The special deal is available at a choice of parks including Caister on the Norfolk coast; Haggerston Castle in Northumberland and Craig Tara on the Ayrshire coast. Riviere Sands, close to St Ives where some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were rumoured to have been filmed is offering a similar break from £269.

Fencing sessions are subject to a moderate extra charge – but buy an ‘Activity Pass’ to pre-book activities and save 30% of the cost.

Call 0871 230 1900 or click on www.haven.com for other special offers and immediate bookings.

16th May 2011

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Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

There’s no getting away from it –we’re an island race and most of us Brits like to get away from it all by heading to the seaside whenever we have the chance...

As the nation basks in unexpected sunshine Haven Holidays – Britain’s biggest family holiday park operator - have reported record levels of families trying to book a last minute break at the coast.

And with Half Term and another Bank Holiday just around the corner Haven’s message is quite clear, ‘If you’d like to be beside the seaside – book soon to avoid disappointment!’

With prices from as little as £199 for a family of up to six people it’s hard to resist the chance of a break by the sea!

Haven have 35 family holiday parks around the UK – and almost all of them have direct access to the coast. Call 0871 230 1900 or click on www.haven.com. The special £199 deal is available at a choice of holiday parks in ‘Standard’ two-bedroom self-catering accommodation for a family of up to six people. Or a seven night half term break will cost from just £429. Prices include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a wide range of family activities and a full programme of daytime and evening entertainment. Facilities vary from park to park and some activities are subject to moderate additional cost – so check the website for details.

Ten reasons why the British seaside is good for you!

• Sea air helps you sleep better (it’s to do with the ozone in the atmosphere which tires you out more quickly!)
• Sea water is good for your skin (sea water has antiseptic properties and has been linked to reducing the infections associated with eczema. It may also help to heal the skin)
• Sunshine is good for your wellbeing (It’s all thanks to the Vitamin D which is made by our bodies through the action of the sun’s UVB rays on our skin)
• Sand is good for your skin (it acts as a natural exfoliant helping to slough off all those unwanted dead cells)
• Swimming makes you fitter (swimming exercises almost all your muscle groups making it one of the best aerobic workouts all round)
• Fish suppers are packed with vitamins and minerals (Fish is a major source of Omega-3)
• Beach games help you to exercise (it’s not just the exercise – the extra resistance of working out on sand maximises the fitness effect)
• Holidays are good for families (it’s a chance to enjoy each other’s company and spend some real quality time together)
• Staying in the UK helps minimise your carbon footprint (ditch air travel in favour of a ‘greener’ holiday close to home)
• British seaside holidays are good for your bank balance (Haven Holidays are offering Bank Holiday breaks from £199 for a family of up to six people)

http://www.eastbournecousins.com/idolovetobe.htm

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Hundreds of “would be” holidaymakers disappointed!

The early arrival of a ‘seaside summer’ created a surge in Haven’s bookings over the recent double Bank Holiday weekends with thousands more families taking a break over Easter and the May Bank Holiday than last year.

However many people were disappointed as they simply left it too late to book.

With the next Bank Holiday break only just a few weeks away a spokesperson for Haven Holidays said: “We had hundreds of people contacting the Call Centre at the last minute wanting to take advantage of the exceptional weather and enjoy a few days away over the recent long weekends but unfortunately we were fully booked. Our message to families looking to take their families away is don’t leave it too late or you may be disappointed. And those families who do book early are most likely to be able to take advantage of the best value offers as prices tend to rise closer to the holiday start date.”

Holidays in the UK have become increasingly popular in recent years with many families returning to Britain’s wonderful seaside resorts.

Haven is Britain’s No 1 family holiday company with 35 award-winning parks across the UK, all in stunning locations with easy access to the seaside.

Each park has a full programme of activities, kids' clubs and entertainment at no extra cost to holidaymakers, so it’s easy to see why they’re so popular.

Prices for a Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend break at Haven Holidays start from £199 based on three nights at Hopton Holiday Park arriving on May 27th. But if you prefer to avoid the busy Bank Holiday traffic three nights from 20th May will cost from just £149 at selected parks. A seven night break in June starts from £299 (available at a number of Haven Parks). Prices are based on a Standard caravan holiday home for a family of up to six people.

Visit www.haven.com or call 0871 230 1900.

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How Green is your holiday?

As Britain’s leading family holiday company with 35 parks around the UK, Haven Holidays takes great pride in looking after its visitors – especially as some may have travelled from far overseas undertaking quite perilous journeys.

And unlike most guests, when they arrive these visitors often stay for weeks or even months at a time!

Like most of us, they’re big fans of the seaside, but what they like most are the natural attractions rather than the swimming pools, state-of-the-art sports facilities and entertainment venues.

Visitors who regularly check in at Haven holiday parks include dingy skippers, marbled whites, clouded yellows and red admirals. These are just some of the many species of butterflies and moths that are regularly seen on the parks, particularly on the East and South coasts, during the summer.

As custodian of some of the finest countryside around Britain, Haven has a long tradition of caring for the environment. They even provide around 600 bird and bat boxes to encourage them to stay on their Parks.

Members of the David Bellamy Conservation Scheme since it started, many of Haven’s 35 parks have held the prestigious Gold Award for more than ten years.

The awards recognise excellence in waste management, recycling, saving power and water, links with the local community - and protecting the local wildlife such as those butterflies.

More recently, Haven was one of the first holiday companies to enter the Green Tourism Business Scheme which analyses businesses according to 150 rigorous criteria. To date, they hold 32 GTBS awards including two with the most sought-after prize, gold.

And every park has a Green Team who arrange all sorts of fun and exciting activities to help look after our countryside and coast – and holidaymakers and holiday home owners are always welcome to get involved.

Among the events are beach cleans, nature walks, path-making, installing bird and bat boxes. The Big Green Weekend which takes place at all Haven parks on July 15th promises to be bigger and better than ever.

This year the Wildlife Trust have partnered with Haven to devise a nature trail on each park as part of their Wildlife Detectives programme which encourages kids to discover all sorts of fascinating facts about our wonderful flora and fauna. And older children can follow an orienteering course to make the trail even more fun.

Haven Holidays’ Managing Director John Dunford said ‘Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.’ Whether you want to minimize your carbon footprint by holidaying closer to home or just crave a more simpler, back to nature holiday – Haven might surprise you as one of the most eco-friendly holiday operators in the UK.

And booking a greener holiday doesn’t cost the earth. Breaks at Haven Holidays during May half term cost from £199 based on up to six people sharing a Standard holiday home at Haggerston Castle (in Northumberland), Wild Duck (in Norfolk), or Combe Haven (in East Sussex), arriving on 27th May for 3 nights.

Call 0871 230 1900 or click on www.haven.com


Fascinating facts and figures

• Haven recycled the equivalent weight of over 200 double decker buses in 2010.
• The carbon emissions Haven saved last year are equivalent to planting nearly 2 million trees or a car travelling around the planet 2,040 times, a total of over 51 million miles.
• There are 15 nature reserves and 16 nature trails across our parks.
• Haven have more resident park rangers than any other holiday company.
• 33 Haven parks hold David Bellamy Gold Conservation Awards.
• The woodland in the nature walk at Devon Cliffs dates back to the Ice Age.
• There are 130 species of birds at Primrose Valley – as well as wild garlic!
• Cornish choughs returned to Perran Sands last year for the first time in 70 years.