Half a century ago the Mini was born, Frank Sinatra and Elvis were topping the charts, we were all eating Spam and Pauline Simmons made her first ever visit to the Sussex coast.

Five decades later and – although our eating habits may have changed – the Mini is as popular as ever, Sinatra and Elvis are still played on the radio and Pauline is still visiting the very same holiday village in Selsey, West Sussex.

The family-owned business is celebrating being named as Caravan/Holiday Park of the Year by Tourism South East.

Bunn Leisure, 50 this year, won this prestigious award at the Tourism ExSEllence Awards which were held at the Wentworth Club in Surrey on Thursday 23 October.

The 2010 Caravan Industry Awards were presented this lunchtime, with Swift, Auto-Sleepers and Willerby Homes’ BK Bluebird division picking up the key tourer, holiday home and motor caravan awards respectively.

The awards are a regular feature of International Caravan and Motorhome. They are organised by Caravan Industry and Park Operator.

Swift picked up the prestigious Tourer of the Year prize for its Conqueror 360. The 360 was also top in the “tourers over £16,000” category. Swift also won the “best tourer up to £12,500” prize for its Charisma 220.

The Costwold EB, which was launched by Auto-Sleepers at the show on Tuesday, also picked up the washroom of the year for motorcaravans, while its group managing director, Mike Crouch, won the Caravan Industry Personality of the Year.

Bailey picked up one of the Whale Awards For Innovation for its new Alu-Tech body shell construction system. The other one went to Wheelhome for the design of an elevating roof on its Skamper mini-motorhome.

Beat the credit crunch in 2009 with Red Funnel’s exclusive camping packages to the Isle of Wight.  

Packages start from just £26 per person for four sharing (plus up to two dogs!) and include return Ferry travel with Red Funnel and five nights’ pitch. Choose from four award-winning four and five star campsites set in stunning locations, all of which have won awards in recognition of their green credentials.

The Isle of Wight is the perfect destination for a family holiday or a cosy get-away, with gorgeous scenery to explore, restaurants and shops selling fresh local produce and a packed events calendar.

The Swift Conqueror 630 fixed bed, end washroom, twin axle layout topped the 2010 Caravan Industry Awards by winning the Overall ‘Tourer of the Year’ award and for the second year running was crowned ‘Best Tourer in the Over £16,000’ category making it a truly award-winning model.

The improved Charisma 220 with its revised L-shaped kitchen layout won the 2010 Caravan Industry Award for the ‘Best Tourer Under £12,500’ category and is proving to be a very popular model for those with a smaller tow car.