CL opening date!

2

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  • Skybarn Farm CL
    Skybarn Farm CL Club Member Posts: 25 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020 #32

    There's definitely Chinese whispers going about! surprised

    No CL owner that I know, and I'm in touch with lots, has had any guidance from CAMC (they keep promising some though yell) about re-opening our sites other than it is hopefully happening on 4th July subject to Government go ahead.

    We have not been told to leave pitches vacant for 24 hours, we have not been told to close toilets/shower (that is up to individual owners) nor are the club's requirements too onerous as they haven't actually given us any.

    Hope that answers a few questions. wink

    We are hoping for some guidance before 4th July!

    Nicola
    www.skybarnfarm.co.uk
    Telephone: 01522 681218
    Email: enquiries@skybarnfarm.co.uk
    Site 920, page 392 of the 2019/2020 Sites Directory
    Read our many wonderful reviews!

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited June 2020 #33

    Thanks Nicola, hope everything goes well. smile

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2020 #34

    Just to clarify, here is an email sent by the Club to a CL owner (and friend of ours), yesterday:

    From: CL Response <CLResponse@camc.com>

    Date: 19 June 2020 at 16:48:32 BST
    Subject: Caravan and Motorhome Club Communication to CL Owners in England  - 19th June 2020


     
     

    Dear CL Owner

     

    Further to our recent email regarding the expected re-opening of the tourist industry in England on 4th July we are still awaiting confirmation of this date from the Government. 

     

    Thank you for your continued patience.  We were hoping to be able to share with you our guidance documents today, but unfortunately we have not as yet received the guidelines from the Government to help all tourist business, including CLs, prepare for reopening on this date.  We will of course forward this to you as soon as it is received.  

     

    Any bookings you take from 4th July should be on the basis that members are informed that bookings may have to be cancelled or postponed should the Government change the date from which sites can be opened.  To clarify - the first provisional booking should be overnight on 4th/5th July.

     

    Any provisional booking you may have taken for arrival between 1st and 3rd July must be cancelled and rebooked for a later date.

     

    We will be in touch as soon as we have further information for you.  

     

    Kind regards

     

     

     

    Jane Springham

    Certificated Locations Manager

    Caravan and Motorhome Club

     

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,032 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2020 #35

    Thank you Nicola, hope you have a good season.

  • harryb
    harryb Forum Participant Posts: 1,536
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    edited June 2020 #36

    Nicola

    It appears you are making comment on my post on the 18th.

    My first sentence was taken from the clubs website. What I then reported was what I was told. Neither of these cl owners said they had been advised by the club so presumably the decisions on what I commented were there's.

    If you read my post again I did say, "I didn’t ask questions but where is this advise coming from, not from the club "

    So it's not so much a question of Chinese whispers but a question of mis-understanding what I posted

    Just today I have made another booking and again was told toilets would not open.

    Quote from booking confirmation email, "
    Thank you for your booking, dates as below. Our info sheet is attached, please note our requirement to use green bio toilet fluid only at our site. Please also note our onsite toilet will not be available due to Covid 19." 

     

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited June 2020 #37

    I spoke to a CL owner yesterday about our booking. She was tearing her hair out about the lack of guidance from the government. She is ready to open and has provide gloves, hand gel, cleaning sprays and even envelopes in which to put payments but doesn’t know if this will be enough. She doesn’t know what else she could do but at this moment in time doesn’t think she will be opening again on 4th July.

    On a slightly different but related subject, I’ve just managed to book a CL for late July. The CL has an online automated booking system which I was asked to use. It worked quite well apart from a couple of little issues which aren’t really of any major concern. However, I was surprised that although it is a CL and my access to their website and booking system was via the club’s website, there was no mention of it being a site restricted to CaMC members, even in their terms and conditions of booking. It appears that I or any non-member could just enter their website directly from a browser. I’m not going to identify the CL until at least after I have been and established the facts more positively but it does seem a bit strange.

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2020 #38

    I suppose we will have to wait and see what's eventually announced by the govt, but I'm getting more and more confused by the day - so I have every sympathy for CL owners.  The Mail on Sunday has published an article in which they say that whilst B&Bs, hotels etc will be able to open on 4th July - those with 'shared facilities' such as campsites will have to wait until later. This is supposedly on the advice of a 'senior government official'undecided

    Common sense suggests, therefore, that the answer is simply to close the toilet facilities on sites that have them - but if the govt in their infinite wisdom decree that no caravan sites will be allowed to open until later (because some civil servant/advisor doesn't understand or hasn't bothered to find out how these places operate), it looks as if the 4th July start date for CLs might not happen.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited June 2020 #39

    Government, common sense? Come on now.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,032 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2020 #40

    A lot of CLs with their own websites and booking systems operate a small private site alongside the 5 van CL. They will have got planning permission, all above board. It’s one of the reasons we have let our Club membership lapse. We know we can still use some of these “CLs” but using a private area pitch. Down the years we have noted such provision, and are perfectly happy using such Sites. Some of our favourites are now ex CLs, don’t come up now via Club’s website, so lots of members won’t know they are there. 

     

  • grin factor
    grin factor Forum Participant Posts: 20
    edited July 2020 #41

    I thinks it’s very sad that people are taking the government “Guidlines” as law. They are just that a guide. They will be the first to point that out if you try to sue them for something.

    Common sense, something lacking with the men in suits, needs to prevail, and people allowed to take personal responsibility for themselves.  We do in flu season, so do we need to be led by the hand? 

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited July 2020 #42

    Perhaps those living in Leicester have been ignoring the guidelines and doing what they consider to be the right thing as you suggest, grin factor, and look what that has led to!!

  • grin factor
    grin factor Forum Participant Posts: 20
    edited July 2020 #43

    Something for you to digest Nellie. Its the same in the UK.

    https://youtu.be/a9rFxEusAJI

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited July 2020 #44

    Link doesn't work!

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited July 2020 #45

    Fake news

  • grin factor
    grin factor Forum Participant Posts: 20
    edited July 2020 #46

    Shame the link didn’t work. Have a look on YouTube for 

    Dr Rashid A Buttar. He has many interesting videos on there about the virus, masks etc. It’s food for thought. 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited July 2020 #47

    Dr Rashid A Buttar

    Definitely fake news Nellie laughing

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited July 2020 #48

    Well he's a doctor, so it must be right....and he's American so it must be more right what he says....and by Jove he posts regularly on YouTube so it really must be right!!wink

  • grin factor
    grin factor Forum Participant Posts: 20
    edited July 2020 #49

    Closed minded sheep. I suppose you both believe Coronavirus has killed thousands, and lockdown saved lives? 

    What about the thousands killed by hospital ops, cancer treatments being cancelled? Suicides up, domestic violence up due to lockdown.

    my father died as his operation was cancelled! Wake up man! 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited July 2020 #50

    Closed minded sheep.

    I thought the term amongst conspiracy theorists was 'sheeple'? 

  • CholseyGrange
    CholseyGrange Forum Participant Posts: 289
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    edited July 2020 #51

    If you are looking for CL availability and have not yet seen the latest map, here's  a link to a map of 215 CLs and their availability status over the coming months.

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=13C_J5-s3NMVutO6us4A-f8GHWys4moUe&amp;ll=54.57545802742296,-2.9238412499999855&amp;z=6

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited July 2020 #52
  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited July 2020 #53

    Re my post above, 21/06/2020, I have now returned from a quite pleasant four nights away. As I mentioned above, I was surprised that there is no request for my membership number when booking. Although it is a CL and has two CL plaques at the entrance stating members only and 5 units only I still believe that anyone could very easily book this site.  During our stay we did not once get a visit from anyone from the farm. We went to their coffee shop to get some ice cream and told the staff that we had just arrived and had a booking on the CL. Although friendly enough they didn't really appear to be that bothered. No check on name or membership number. As we were the last of the five to arrive perhaps they just assumed who we were.

    On arriving home and just out of interest I entered the farm name into Google and their web site, including a link to their caravan site online booking form, came up. So my suspicions are correct, anybody, club member or not, could book a pitch.

    Talking of pitches, The CL has a very spacious and fairly level area for grass pitching but also has hard standings which we and the others were obliged to use because there had been a substantial amount of rain. However, these hard standings are very small and cramped. They are probably about 1½ caravans wide but with only approximately 10 feet between the edge of our HS and the next. Our neighbour put up an awning, (not big), the side of which was about four feet from our caravan. I 'm surprised the club allow this. Surely it has been inspected ??

    All in all we had a good time and, despite the chance of non-members using it we would certainly return providing we could pitch on the grass and have more space.

     

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited July 2020 #54

    So I guess that as it suit your needs you will not be reporting what you consider to be breached of the club's rules to the relevant section at NO then!!😁

  • InaD
    InaD Club Member Posts: 1,701 ✭✭
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    edited August 2020 #55

    Edited: I had asked for the name of the CL in question, but have found it under your profile, as you have reviewed it, thank you.

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited September 2020 #56

    Sorry Nellie but you are wrong. I was in touch with the club who agreed that some of the hard standings were too close to each other to allow awnings to be used. They also said that they would take up the matter of the web site not stating that it was a CL for C&MC members only but as yet there is no change to the CL's web site.

    As I have stated previously I would go back to the CL again but not if it was to be on a hard standing. Hopefully it wouldn't be fully boked by non-club members.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited September 2020 #57

    Glad to read that you've contacted HO and managed to get word back from them. I wonder how long it will take for their recommendations to be implemented, if at all, and for that to be reflected in the web site.

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited October 2020 #58

    As an update to the above, I've just had a look at the CLs own website again and find that despite staff at East Grinstead saying they would take up the matter of it being for members only, there is still no mention of this 3 months later. I just hope that if members try to book they don't find it is already fully booked by non-members.

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
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    edited October 2020 #59

    Not awful at all but what I object to is not being able to use a club facility, in the guise of a CL in this instance, because someone who is not a club member and therefore not entitled to use the facility, has prevented me from using it. I'm sure this will be the feeling of most members. If not, why are we all paying our membership fees each year if CLs can be available to anyone? It isn't even a case of non-members paying a higher nightly fee when it comes to CLs.

  • harryb
    harryb Forum Participant Posts: 1,536
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    edited October 2020 #60

    Spot on.

    It's not a question of not wishing to mix with non-members, it's a question of a cl being available for members only

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited October 2020 #61

    CLs are privately owned 5van sites as CSs with the ccc and are expected to be used as per the certificate issued by any organisation that is allowed to run them ,and unless those legally staying on such sites report to their clubs that non members are being "welcomed?"by the owners then how can it be policed? when there are thousands of 5van Certified Sites around the UK