MP celebrates Tourism Week at family’s Ullswater park
Dr Neil Hudson MP flew the flag for Cumbria tourism when he paid a visit to Park Foot Caravan and Camping Park in Pooley Bridge as part of English Tourism Week 2022.
The annual event, which runs until 27 March, shines a spotlight on England’s tourism industry, and the huge contribution it makes to the UK economy.
The Penrith and the Border MP visited the Ullswater lakeside park at the invitation of the Allen family which has owned Park Foot for over 70 years.
Its 90-year-old founder Jimmy still plays an active role in the business, and his daughters Fiona Bell and Barbara Allen welcomed Dr Hudson to the park.
During a tour of the grounds, the MP heard how the former camping field had grown become a multi-award winning holiday centre drawing visitors from across the UK and overseas.
Around 80 people are employed at the park in summer, and 30 jobs are sustained all year round with Park Foot providing a variety of transferable skills training.
The park’s policy, said Fiona, has always been to “buy local”, supporting many other Lakeland enterprises from Cumbria food producers to trades and crafts people.
She explained how the family’s farming background had led to its doing everything possible to protect the natural environment and to run the business on sustainable lines.
Fiona said that the park, like many other tourism businesses in Cumbria, had been hit very hard by the pandemic – but that bookings this year are extremely strong.
She told Dr Hudson that a big factor in Park Foot’s success has been its loyal and hard working team who do everything to ensure that guests enjoy the best possible experience.
The MP was shown some of the new projects taking place, including the development of ten luxury holiday lodges which will be sited on the edge of Ullswater, plus new “super pitches”.
“We were delighted that Dr Hudson was able to find time to visit our park and to hear about our plans, and to show his support for English Tourism Week,” said Fiona.
“Dr Hudson has consistently shown that he understands very well the importance of the visitor economy in his constituency, and its role in sustaining local employment.
“We are grateful for all of the help he has provided to our business over the years, and are looking forward now to our best ever summer,” added Fiona.