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Guests relaxing in the bar of a toe refurbishment.
For Martin’s Bar at Highlands End Holiday Park in Bridport is also home to one of England’s largest and most important private collections of fire service memorabilia.
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Exhibits on view range from histored 1936 Leyland fire engine, and a 1902 Merryweather horse-drawn steam engine.
The collection has been built up over three decades by Martin Cox, a member of the family which has owned Highlands End – and today its four sister-parks – for 45 years.
The park has provided a bar and restaurant for holiday guests since 1985, but last year it was decided to give the facility a complete makeover with added features.
It was also an opportunity to provide an even more eye-catching setting for the exhibits which celebrate firefighters and their life-saving achievements through the ages.
A wall of photors.
The unique character of Martin’s Bar – where specialities include locally brewed ales and meals based on fresh Dorset produce – has won it a large following.
Now it also offers chic and comfortable new surroundings, rooms to celebrate events such as anniversaries, a children’s play area, a beer garden and a host of traditional and modern games.
But pride of place still goes to see the exhibits that have been carefully curated by Martin over the decades.
A recent addition is a Land Rover Fire Engine which promotes the park and the history of the fire service at local events and fetes.
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Martin himself previously served for many years as a Retained Leading Firefighter with the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service.
The local main contractor in the bar refurbishment was specialist Dorset builder C G Fry & Son which is also involved with Prince Charles’s Poundbury development near Dorchester.
Martin says that the company’s craftmanship and enthusiasm – tors and designers – has created a truly unique holiday park bar.
With a commanding cliff-torhomes and tents.
As well as Martin’s Bar, its highly-praised facilities include a leisure club which incorporates a pool with sauna and steam room, and a shop specialising in fresh Dorset produce.
The park has received a number of additional awards for its care for the natural world, including the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.
Martin is a former national chairman of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association, and currently serves as one of its vice presidents.
He is also the president of the European Federation of Campingsite Organisations & Holiday Park Associations (EFCO&HPA) which represents 20,000 holiday park businesses across Europe
For more information about the park, visit www.highlandsendholidaypark.co.uk
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