Meet the Escape Owners at Holistic Thinking Holidays
- Meet the owners!
Steve (54) and Claire (50) , live in Bedford and have 3 grown up children, Florence (23), Becca (21), Ben (19). Claire is an Occupational Therapist, Case Manager and Expert Witness with almost 30 years specialising in paediatrics, initially within Social Services, but for the last 10 years has been running her own private practice as Holistic Thinking Company Limited. Claire is also a trustee of the Bedford and District Cerebral Palsy Society (BDCPS). Steve has worked for almost 40 years within Electronic and Electro-Mechanical Manufacturing industries, and in April 2021 will move into semi-retirement to work alongside Claire at Holistic Thinking Company Ltd.
Steve and Claire’s accessible escape is Wilbur the Caravan at the Haven Holiday Park at Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk.
- Can you tell us a little more about your escape?
We have endeavoured to make Wilbur as accessible as we can, within the space constraints of a static caravan, whilst hoping to give a homely feel that is comfortable for all users, not just those who have more physical challenges to deal with. We have tried to cover all of the features that we hope will make your stay more comfortable, and are always willing to listen to any specific requirements you may have, with a view to accommodating where possible. Wilbur the Caravan sleeps up to 7 guests in 2 bedrooms, with a double sofa bed in the lounge, and has wrap-around ramp access, full room coverage ceiling tracking hoist and profiling bed in the large master bedroom (with a flexible configuration of furniture), and an accessible wet-room.
Haven’s Caister-on-sea Holiday park caters well for wheelchair users and we are in conversation with them to make it even more accessible. All shops, entertainment venue, pub and take away food outlets are accessible, the indoor swimming pool has a beach style entry point and a hoist, and from 2021 we will be providing a beach wheelchair for use by our guests. The beach access is a little more challenging, but can be accessed over a short stretch of rough terrain and quite a steep ramp within 3 minute walk of Wilbur; but for more comfortable access you only need to drive for 5 minutes to get access close to the Caister-On-Sea lifeboat station.
- What inspired you to ensure your escape was accessible?
For many years Claire has recognised the shortfall in holiday properties that are affordable and cater for families with accessibility needs and it has been our aim for about 10 years that we would like to provide some accommodation that provides more than the usual wheelchair accessibility, This, along with our love of, and desire to eventually retire by the coast, led to the purchase of our first Accessible Mobile Home at the end of 2019, a 6/7 berth, 2 bedroom, Willerby Rio Gold Mobility, sited at Haven’s Caister-on-Sea holiday park, which has been adapted during 2020.
- What is unique about your escape?
Holistic Thinking Holidays are really passionate when it comes to people with special needs and have tried to provide something that isn’t available elsewhere. There are lots of accessible Static homes available, but few would have a full height kitchen aimed at carer use, a full room coverage hoist, profiling bed or beach wheelchair.
So why Wilbur the caravan? Well we already had Elmer the campervan, who you may well have seen in some of the photos on the website, so since Wilbur is one of Elmer’s friends, we settled for that, and we have some scope when we eventually expand our range of Static Holiday homes, as Elmer has quite a few colourful friends within his stories. So look out for Rose, Red, Eldo and Super El coming soon!
Do you have a favourite local accessible café, restaurant or pub?
Our favourite accessible local pub is the California Tavern which is just 10 minutes away by car and regularly has live music at the weekend, and just across the road there is also a lovely café called Angelo’s.
Can you recommend any local accessible attractions or activities?
Great Yarmouth is just 15 minutes away by car and there are many accessible attractions, beach wheelchair hire and a Changing Places at the JD Wetherspoons Pub. Gorleston-On-Sea and Lowestoft also have Changing Places facilities and are just 30-40 minutes away. For those looking to explore the Norfolk Broads, the Nancy Oldfield Trust provide accessible motor boats, sailing yachts and rafted canoes, to ensure a safe experience for all visitors https://www.nancyoldfield.org.uk/. We have also found this website provides a wealth of information on accessible attractions in the area http://www.accessiblecountryside.org.uk/norfolk
- What is the best part about welcoming guests to your accessible escape?
The best part of welcoming guests to Wilbur is hearing about the way we have enabled families to have time away from home that they would ordinarily struggle to achieve without carrying lots of extra equipment with them.
You can follow our link to find out more about Claire and Steve’s accessible escape Wilbur the Caravan
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/escapes/holistic-thinking-holidays/