Birch Hill CL Covid Secure Commitment

Birch Hill CL Covid-Secure Commitment

Welcome to Birch Hill – a family-run caravan site for members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club

Covid-Secure Procedures. Please see below how we have changed some of our procedures to ensure we keep guests and our own family, safe and well whilst you are touring with the Club.

Whilst there are some new processes and procedures that may be unfamiliar, rest assured that our usual high standards of friendliness and cleanliness will ensure you continue to enjoy the great outdoors with us.

Before you arrive on site

Plan ahead and check your outfit is roadworthy and safe, including sterilising your water containers.  The following may help – https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/blog/practical-tips-and-ideas/repairs-and-maintenance/getting-your-outfit-ready-for-the-road/

PLEASE NOTE: Birch Hill CL will not be providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for your stay – you will need to bring your own PPE – e.g. face masks, sanitiser and disposable gloves etc.

Covid-19 (Coronavirus) precautions:

  • Do not travel to the site if anyone in your household, or if anyone you have recently been in contact with, has symptoms of Covid-19.
  • Guests are not to use Birch Hill CL as a base from which to self-isolate, shield or quarantine.
  • We will allocate a separate water tap to each outfit so that only your family group will use that tap during your stay.  The tap might be a distance from your pitch.  This is a Covid-19 precaution and not what is called a ‘serviced pitch’, i.e. you are not to leave a hose connected to your tap.
  • Guests wishing to receive day-visitors.  If you wish to meet family & friends whilst on holiday, please do so off-site. This includes pick-ups and drop-offs.  In exceptional circumstances:
    • Day-time visitors might be allowed by prior arrangement with the CL Owners and will be limited in number and duration of stay.
    • To assist with NHS ‘Track and Trace’, we require names, addresses, phone numbers and vehicle registration numbers of any visitors, which we will keep for 21 days.
    • Our guests are responsible for the behaviour of any visitors (including animals) they invite.  This is a quiet site and our main concerns are safety and that visitors do not disturb fellow guests.
  • Regularly wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds and keep a safe distance from other campers.
  • Wear protective gloves during and immediately after contact with communal facilities such as the toilet emptying point and rubbish / recycling bins.
  • To protect ourselves from Coronavirus, we no longer accept cash or cheques.  Your pitch fee is therefore payable in full before arrival via our online booking system.  If online payment is a problem, please contact us by telephone or email before arrival.
  • To avoid cross-contamination, we no longer issue our site information packs, so please use the information on our website – https://www.BirchHill.co.uk

If you are staying on-site and feel unwell please follow the guidance below.

  • In an emergency, ring 999.
  • In a non-urgent case, ring the NHS on 111 or go online to https://111.nhs.uk
  • Ring us on 01691 622951 or 07968 694029 and let us know the situation.

Arriving on site

Please email us to book your intended arrival time.  We would like to greet you on site when you arrive, whilst maintaining social distancing requirements.  Bear in mind that this is a family-run site – we have other commitments and are not always at home.

  • If your arrival time changes, please ring us on 01691 622951 or 07968 694029.
  • Please stay in your vehicle and ring to say that you have arrived.
  • If you are unable to check-in by phone, please advise us before arrival so an alternative process can be put in place.

Pitching up

Do not pitch until speaking to us. 

  • This is a large site so we already have good social distancing in place.
  • If pitching on the top field, keep to the left of the white fence post marked ‘Limit’.
  • Keep a safe distance from other outfits.
  • We have 5 grassed hard standings immediately adjacent to our tarmac drive, but if the ground is firm, there is more space if you pitch on ‘ordinary’ grass. 
  • If pitching on our grassed hard standings and using an awning, please site your outfit on the outer edge of the hardstanding so that the awning goes on the adjacent grass.  Do not knock awning pegs into the hard standings – this is likely to damage the weed-proof membrane beneath the hard standing.

Waste disposal – toilet emptying, rubbish & grey water

Our common facilities such as the toilet emptying point & waste disposal areas will be limited to use by one family group at any one time to meet social distancing requirements.

  • Wear gloves when emptying toilet waste and touching bins.
  • Should the facility be occupied or in use, you will need to queue.
  • Please observe the appropriate social distancing requirements or return when it is not in use.
  • Grey water can be piped or emptied into a hedge line.

Wi-Fi

We make no charge for the use of our Wi-Fi, but as we are in a rural area, we cannot guarantee the speed or stability of the internet signal.  It is OK for basic browsing, but please avoid watching online films or gaming online as this reduces to bandwidth for other guests.

We will issue Wi-Fi passwords on arrival.

Dogs

Dogs should be ‘under control’.  Although our Golden Retrievers are very friendly, please do not feed them or pet them.  Do not pet animals belonging to other guests.

Provisions etc.

Ellesmere is a quiet lake-side market town with sufficient shops, chemists, pubs, fuel, bottled gas, banking and a laundrette.  We are 1 mile from town and there is a footpath with street lighting for most of the way.

  • You may arrange deliveries, such as food, but we will NOT make orders or accept deliveries on your behalf.
  • If you wish to arrange a food delivery here, our address is Birch Hill, The Cross, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0LP.  Remember to provide delivery instructions along with your order.  This should include giving them your vehicle registration number and putting on your 4-way flashers to identify your outfit when the delivery is expected.
  • Our experience of living in this rural area is that online supermarket deliveries such as Tesco, Morrisons & Asda usually need to be booked about 7 – 10 days in advance.
  • A quicker delivery (within 2-3 days) can be obtained by telephoning our local independent supermarket – http://www.stans-superstore.co.uk on 01691 772348 (Stan’s does not have online ordering – just telephone during normal shop hours and tell them what you want.  They charge £6 per delivery).
  • Milk deliveries.  https://www.edwardsdairies.co.uk have online ordering and deliver in this area on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

What if I’m unwell on site?

We really hope this doesn’t happen but if you’re staying on-site and feel unwell (with Covid symptoms), please follow the guidance below.

  • Ring the NHS on 111 or go online to https://111.nhs.uk
  • Ring us on 01691 622951 or 07968 694029 and let us know the situation.
  • If you have COVID-19 symptoms or are contact-traced you need to go back to your place of residence immediately.  This is to protect other guests and us as site owners.
  • If a guest becomes unwell and is advised to have a test, the NHS track and trace guidance will need to be followed
  • If you are unable to go home and have to isolate on-site, your party/family are not permitted to make use of any communal facilities whilst self-isolating on site.
  • All refuse from your outfit should be doubled-bagged and taken home with you, not disposed of on-site.
  • You can use a designated service point to dispose of toilet waste, but only by contacting the site owner in advance and arranging a specific time to do this.  We will then need to clean the service point with the appropriate chemicals before anyone else uses it.
  • If you are unable to leave the site we may relocate your unit away from the CL pitching area for isolation.
  • We can give advice about delivery of medicines, food supplies and extra cleaning materials as required.  This will include creating a designated delivery area outside your pitch.
  • Whilst we will try to assist in a short-term crisis, we are unlikely to be able to provide ongoing assistance.  This is for two reasons:
    • The Site Owner is ‘vulnerable’ due to a medical condition.
    • The Site Owner might become a carrier if dealing with other guests.

Departure

We are almost fully-booked during July and August, so please depart no later than mid-day, ideally earlier, to allow us to prepare for the arrival of our next guests.

Please contact us urgently if you experience Covid-19 symptoms within 14 days of departure.

Doing your bit on site

As the saying goes, ‘we are all in this together’ and by respecting each other and the guidance provided by the Government we can all stay safe and well.

  • Please use your own onboard facilities and PPE, sanitiser etc. to help manage cleanliness on site
  • Please be considerate of other members’ needs to access shared facilities by minimising your dwell time.
  • Please wash your hands after visiting communal facilities such as waste disposal, chemical toilet emptying points etc.
  • Keep to social distancing guidelines where possible and avoid shortcutting across pitches.
  • Always follow the current government guidance on-site and in the local area.
  • Limit outdoor social gatherings to maximum number of people specified in current government guidelines.
  • Regularly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

What we will do

If you inform us of your arrival time we will try to meet you on site when you arrive – maintaining social distancing requirements.

  • We will clean ‘touch points’ once a day, such as gate latches / bolts, bin handles and the tap and handles at the toilet emptying point.
  • To keep face-to-face contact to a minimum, we will try to answer any questions you have by phone on 01691 622951 or 07968 694029.
  • To maintain social distancing – weather permitting, we will try to carry out maintenance (mowing of grass etc.) when most guests are away from site.

To see our full Terms and Conditions visit:  https://www.birchhill.co.uk/prices-booking

Ian & Janet Kelly
01691 622951

Birch Hill, The Cross, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0LP
www.BirchHill.co.uk

Birch Hill Farm – an award-winning hideaway in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire for members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club

If non-caravanning friends wish to join you, please see our new Glamping Pods – www.ArchersMeadow.co.uk