RAF commander pays a flying visit to Shropshire caravan company
The station commander of RAF Shawbury has paid a fact-finding visit to leading Shropshire caravan dealership Salop Leisure.
Group Captain Warren James was keen to learn about the work of Salop Leisure, based alongside Shrewsbury bypass at Emstrey and to explain the role of RAF Shawbury, which trains around 1,000 helicopter and air traffic control personnel every year.
Salop Leisure, which also has satellite sales centres in Machynlleth and Stourport, employs 140 people and sells caravan holiday homes, touring caravans and motorhomes. The company supplies holiday homes to more than 200 parks across the Heart of England, Shropshire and Mid Wales.
“Salop Leisure is a fascinating company, which believes in developing young apprentices and we were able to share common views,” said Group Captain James. “It’s a very impressive site.
“I explained to Tony Bywater, Salop Leisure’s chairman, what we do at RAF Shawbury and how we do it. We like to open channels of communication to explain why our helicopters are sometimes seen flying near caravan parks.
“RAF Shawbury has a fairly major impact on the Shropshire as it generates £20 million a year, which is spent in the local economy.”
Mr Bywater discussed the potential to install helipads on selected caravan holiday home parks within Shropshire and Mid Wales.
“A number of our caravan holiday home customers either own or have a share in a helicopter,” he explained. “Over the next decade, this is going to become their preferred way of getting away for a holiday or a short break.
“We are therefore looking at the possibility of installing helicopter landing pads on certain of our caravan parks.”
Group Captain James said: “Salop Leisure would need to speak to the planning department and the Civil Aviation Authority about the right place for a helipad, but they do exist in many places.”
