The Camping and Caravanning Club is a
not-for-profit
A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives.
While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
membership organisation for camping and caravan enthusiasts in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It was founded in 1901, and has over 730,000 members.
History
The Camping and Caravanning Club was founded in 1901 as the Association of Cycle Campers. One of the club's founding members was
Thomas Hiram Holding, who also founded the Bicycle Touring Club in 1878, which became the Cyclists' Touring Club, now renamed
Cycling UK. Holding wrote ''The Campers Handbook'' in 1908 to share his enthusiasm for the great outdoors.
In 1906, the association, now known as The Camping and Caravanning Club, opened its first camping site in
Weybridge
Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge district in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a cro ...
. By that time, the organisation had several hundred members. The club changed its name several more times, to the Amateur Camping Club (1909), The Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland (1919), and The Camping and Caravanning Club Ltd. (1983).
Club membership rose to 100,000 by 1967, and to over 300,000 by 2000.
Structure
The Camping and Caravanning Club is a not-for-profit membership organisation with over 600 staff and a turnover of more than £50 million. The club's governing body is the National Council, comprising 18 elected councillors, 15 appointed councillors, 7 section advisory officers, the chair of the National Youth Committee, and the honorary treasurer, a total of 42 individuals, all of whom are members.
The club's five operational areas are headed by staff directors who report to the director-general, who in turn works closely with the club's executive committee and national council.
The club is split into 13 regions across the UK, each made up of a number of district associations (DAs). The role of the region is to support and promote communication between DAs. The club's special interest sections (including The Association of Lightweight Campers, British Caravanners Club, Canoe-Camping Club, The Walking and Cycling Section and The Folk Dance and Song Group) are also represented at regional level.
Campsites
The club operates nearly 100 club sites and over 1,100 certificated sites across the UK.
Certificated sites (CSs) are small campsites that can accommodate up to five caravans or motorhomes and up to ten tents at any one time. There are over 1,100 CSs across the UK; they are independently owned and open only to club members. The club is recognised as an "exempted organisation" by the
Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, which allows the club to issue certificates to landowners, giving them permission to operate a small campsite on their land without specific planning permission.
Notable presidents
*
Hamza Yassin – current president
*
Julia Bradbury
Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an English journalist and television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs.
She is best known for presenting a series of outdoor walking progr ...
– 2013–2023
*
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English academic, botanist, television presenter, author and prominent environmental campaigner in the UK and globally. His distinctive, energetic style of presenting became wel ...
– 2001–2013
*
Robert Crause Baden-Powell – 1992–2001
*
Robert Baden-Powell
Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...
– 1919–1941
*
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova Expedition ...
– 1909–1912
See also
*
Caravan and Motorhome Club
*
Caravan parks
References
{{Authority control
Camping in the United Kingdom
Clubs and societies in the United Kingdom
1901 establishments in the United Kingdom
Recreational vehicles