6th November 2008

Local supplier makes True Taste of Wales Awards Final

Congratulations to Aber Valley Fruits for reaching the finals of the prestigious True Taste of Wales Awards.

At Pencelli Castle we are pleased to stock the very popular Aber Valley Apple Juice. With food miles playing an ever increasing importance in food choice, Aber Valley Juice is produced 3 miles away at Aber Village by Eifion Morgan and Richard Preece. Local apples are pressed, pasturised and bottled with no added ingredients or preservatives producing "Cloudy" Juice which, has been proven to be more health beneficial than clear juice.

The Glitzy Awards ceremony was held at The Vale Hotel, Glamorgan and hosted by ITV Wales presenter Hywel James, before an audience of 630.

The company, eventually pipped at the post, took the runner up spot. None the less, this is a most commendable achievement at their first attempt.

19th September 2008

Wales in Bloom 2008 - Winner

Touring caravans & Camping, Static and Holiday Parks under 100 pitches

Llandudno hosted this years awards presentation and lunch. Liz and I set off early on the long journey north but failed to allow for endless roadworks above Betws y Coed. Once parked we wasted another 20 minutes trying to open the boot of the car to get our 'best clothes' out. Are these electronic gismos progression?

We calmly walked into the back of the hall in time to hear the vote of thanks!

However, Wales in Bloom chairman, John Shipman, was sympathetic to our case, recalled the photographer and presented our beautiful slate award as everyone else prepared for lunch.

The journey home was more relaxed!

It is the fifth year in succession for Pencelli Castle to win this much coveted award and thanks go to our loyal staff for all their hard work yet again.

August 2008

Gold - David Bellamy Conservation Award 2008

Pencelli Castle has retained the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award for the eighth year in succession.

David Bellamy Conservation Awards are given each year to parks which demonstrate policies showing active concern for the environment. Assisted by local nature groups and holidaymakers, David Bellamy looks at every aspect of park management - from the protection of plants and animal habitats to the efficient use of energy and recycling. Helping visitors to understand conservation is also considered an important qualifying feature. Three levels of excellence can be achieved : Gold, Silver and Bronze. For a full listing see David Bellamy results

16th May 2008

London Marathon update

Doug, leading the field, cheekily ignoring the stewards offer of water in favour of his own bottle of G&T!

Congratulations must go to Doug for running his first marathon in the commendable time of 5 hours 12 minutes 11 seconds. He raised over £2000 which will be divided equally between Macmillan Cancer Support and Brecon Mountain Rescue.

Doug said " My fav bit (other than running half the course with the gorgeous girlie I met) was running with the Masai warriors for about 20 mins (2 miles ish) and its amazing how being chased by chaps with spears keep you moving - I felt like an extra from Zulu dawn".

14th March 2008

Loyal Camper to run London Marathon

One of our loyal and longstanding campers it in full training for the 2008 Flora London Marathon which takes place on April 13th.

Douglas Hedger (Doug - pitch 30), who has been using Pencelli Castle for about 15 years, is in the condition of his life. He is already clocking up to 50 miles a week with 6 weeks to go which, is no mean feat for this accountant. Does this mean he will be 300 miles away by the time the race starts?

Doug, who turns 40 in May, received some bad news during training yesterday when the Chancellor announced in his budget speech that beer and cigarettes are to go up in price. Doug said " That news was like hitting 'the wall' in a marathon with 5 miles to go. It is hard enough to run in a Batman suit, without having that news thrown at you but, I just took on more water and re-focused on the job in hand". "I feel good and look great - although my looks were never a problem" he quipped.

Seriously, Doug, who is fun loving and generous, is doing this to raise money for Brecon Mountain Rescue and Macmillan Cancer Support, two charities that do great work.

If anyone would like to sponsor Doug please click below go to a secure way of donating money.

Everyone at Pencelli Castle wishes Doug well with the run and fundraising.

5th December 2007

Loo of the Year 2008

Best loos in Wales or so the judges think and that's not just for the 'Camping, Touring & Static Caravan Sites' category which Pencelli Castle comes under but best out of all 57 categories which range from train stations to hotels.

The Loo of the Year Awards which were held at The National Motor Cycle Museum, Birmingham have a huge following nationally and this year nearly 1500 establishments were brave enough to throw their mops into the ring to be judged.

Pencelli Castle received a 5 Star award along with four other caravan parks in Wales before scooping best in it's category.

Further delight was to follow as Pencelli Castle was awarded overall 'National Winner' for Wales out of the 57 categories.

The competition grew stronger for the next round - Best in Britain - with P&O Ferries representing Northern Ireland, J.D. Wetherspoon representing Scotland and Pencelli Castle flying the flag for Wales but it was Asda Stores, representing England, who emerged victorious.

Gerwyn and Liz Rees paid tribute to their loyal team of staff for the hard work and dedication they constantly give.

28th September 2007

Wales in Bloom 2007 - Winner

Touring caravans & Camping, Static and Holiday Parks 50 to 100 pitches

Caerphilly Castle was the venue for this very popular prize presentation event. The Banqueting Hall was decked in it's finery and 250 guests enjoyed a wonderful feast. The presentation was hosted by Wales in Bloom's Donna Jones and professionally staged using hi-tec computer imaging equipment.

Pencelli Castle are delighted to win this large class for the fourth year in succession, bringing home a beautiful Welsh slate engraved trophy.

5th August 2007

Tourism Awards for Wales 2007 - Not entered

Many regular visitors are wishing us well for the forthcoming National Tourism Awards for Wales competition. However, since Pencelli Castle has won this prestigious bi-annual award on the last two occasions, 2003 and 2005 we decided not to enter this year.

Having held the title for four consecutive years has been a great honour and the amount of publicity received during that time most welcome.

We wish all businesses entered this year every success.

8th December 2006

Loo of the Year

Pencelli Castle recently received the Loo of the Year 5 Star Award for the sixth year in succession. The 5 Star Award is a standard of excellence and only 8 parks in Wales were deemed to be of a high enough standard to receive the award. www.loo.co.uk/winners.html

15th September 2006

Wales in Bloom

Criccieth Town played host to the 2006 Wales in Bloom awards lunch and presentation.

Two hundred and fifty guests were entertained by local school children, who sang in Welsh and English. This was followed by the winners of each category receiving beautiful Welsh slate trophies. A very tasty lunch completed a most enjoyable afternoon.

Pencelli Castle won the 'Touring Parks' category. As usual, there was a large number of entries and the competition was as keenly contested as ever. This is the 3rd time in succession for Pencelli Castle to win this much coveted prize.

Wales in Bloom has been in existence for over forty years, encouraging towns, villages, communities and businesses to look carefully at the environment and to enhance it where possible. Therefore it was disappointing to learn that this may well be the last year for the competition to run, due to a lack of sponsorship.

For a full listing of winners see www.walesinbloom.org.uk

14th September 2006

Gold - David Bellamy Conservation Award 2006

Pencelli Castle has retained the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award for the sixth year in succession.

David Bellamy Conservation Awards are given each year to parks which demonstrate policies showing active concern for the environment. Assisted by local nature groups and holidaymakers, David Bellamy looks at every aspect of park management - from the protection of plants and animal habitats to the efficient use of energy and recycling. Helping visitors to understand conservation is also considered an important qualifying feature. Three levels of excellence can be achieved : Gold, Silver and Bronze. For a full listing see David Bellamy results

5th January 2006

AA Campsite of the Year for Wales 2006

"For the second time in four years this attractive campsite in the heart of the Brecon Beacons has won this coveted award. The Rees family who own the park run it to impeccably high standards and have left nothing to chance when it comes to providing holidays and breaks for the discerning family" - AA Caravan & Camping Guide 2006

20th October 2005

Gerwyn and Liz attended the Wales Tourist Board’s National Tourism Awards for Wales 2005 in Cardiff and came away with broad grins having won the ‘Best Place to Stay – Caravan Park’ Award. They received their crystal trophy from BBC Presenter, Roy Noble in front of 500 guests. The event was hosted by BBC 10 O’clock News anchorman Huw Edwards and Katherine Jenkins provided star entertainment. 4am getting to bed!

10th October 2005

WiFi has recently been installed at Pencelli Castle for park users. The Orchard and The Oaks have become an 'Internet Hotspot' so that any customer with a suitably equipped computer or PDA can access the internet through a wireless broadband connection from the comfort of their own caravan, motorhome or tent. This facility is free of charge. All you need is a WiFi 802.11 wireless card for your laptop or PDA and the password from reception.

There is also broadband Internet Access for other customers via an on-site computer station.

6th October 2005

Wales in Bloom

Wolfscastle Country House Hotel, Pembrokeshire was the venue for the 2005 Wales in Bloom awards. 240 people enjoyed humorous speeches and lunch before the presentations were made.

Pencelli Castle won the 'static, touring, camping and holiday home park Award' in 50 to 100 pitches category. We had been told previously that there was a large number of entries in this category and were overjoyed to learn that Pencelli Castle had won, for the 2nd year in succession, and returned home with a magnificent trophy.

For a full listing of winners see www.walesinbloom.org.uk

27th September 2005

Loo of the Year

Gerwyn and Liz traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland to receive three awards in the much coveted Loo of the Year Awards ceremony which was held in conjunction with the World Toilet Summit. These awards have a huge following nationally and this year over 1000 entries competed in 50 categories ranging from hotels through to crematoriums. The presentations were made in The Waterfront Hall and was followed by a Civic Reception and Banquet in the City Hall.

The 5 Star Award is a standard of excellence and was received by 34 caravan / camping / holiday parks in Britain. However only 4 parks in Wales were deemed to be of a high enough standard to receive the 5 star award and Pencelli Castle was chosen as the winner (National Category Winner). We are proud to say it is the 4th time Pencelli Castle has won this award.

Wales Winner Babychange Facilities is for the best toilets and associated facilities serving parents and children. This award was judged out of the 50 categories and not just the caravan parks. We were delighted to have won this award for the 3rd time.

For a full listing of winners see www.loo.co.uk/winners.html

September 2005

Gold - David Bellamy Conservation Award 2005

Pencelli Castle has retained the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award for the fifth year in succession and will therefore be receiving a Platinum Award from the great man himself.

David Bellamy Conservation Awards are given each year to parks which demonstrate policies showing active concern for the environment. Assisted by local nature groups and holidaymakers, David Bellamy looks at every aspect of park management - from the protection of plants and animal habitats to the efficient use of energy and recycling. Helping visitors to understand conservation is also considered an important qualifying feature. Three levels of excellence can be achieved : Gold, Silver and Bronze. For a full listing see David Bellamy results