Our objective is to develop a portfolio of 5-star camping and glamping sites in amazing locations to give our guests an unforgettable experience whatever the weather and allow them to create long-lasting memories for all the family. WCF currently operates 3 sites, the award-winning Hadrian’s Wall 5-star site Herding Hill Farm in Northumberland, Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site close to Edinburgh and the recently acquired Longnor Wood in the heart of the Peak District. We also have Herding Campers camper van hire.
Our dog-friendly sites offer a mix of touring, camping, glamping, holiday lodge and self-catering accommodation. We have development programs in place to further improve the facilities and premiuimise the accommodations. We employ a mix of on-site wardens and individuals from the local communities to provide the best possible working experience for our teams and offer a personalised guest experience. Longnor Wood is an adults-only site.
We work actively to promote the attractions, events and amenities of the local communities and encourage people to visit these wonderful areas.
We started our mail order business in 1989 and now operate a home shopping portfolio of 3 brands – Country Collection, James Meade and The Classic Boutique. We aim to be the UK’s most trusted retailer by mail order of high-quality, long-lasting, stylish and timeless classics and co-ordinates to the over 65’s. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to look their best no matter what their age or gender. Our confidence in the quality of our products extends to offering a lifetime product guarantee to our loyal customers.
All our own garments and our catalogues are designed in the UK by our in-house teams and manufactured for us by a small number of family-run businesses both in the UK and overseas. Whilst an increasing proportion of our sales orders are now received on-line, we offer dedicated customer service telephone contacts for those customers who prefer to chat to us before placing their order. All products are despatched from our warehouse in Brampton.
We have many customer recruitment and retention strategies both on and off line and have our own dedicated marketing and data analysis teams to ensure that we are placing the right products in front of the right customers in the right places at the right time.
WCF are one of the Top 10 independent oil distributors in the UK, operating around 80 tankers from 12 fuel storage depots from Norfolk to Lincolnshire to Humberside to Northumberland and from Lancashire to Cumbria. Our tanker fleet ranges from baby 4-wheelers for the tightest of access through to articulated vehicles and are fitted with on-truck computers to facilitate deliveries for our drivers. We use automated routing software and the expertise of our transport teams to minimise miles travelled and ensure maximum drop efficiency.
Our 4 fuels businesses operate independently in their own geographies but frequently collaborate to share best practice and benchmark their performance. Our fuels customer base ranges from domestic heating oil customers in rural locations, through agriculture and farmers, a small number of retail filling stations, hauliers and commercial customers. Customers can order on-line, by text or in person by speaking to one of our customer services teams.
We are working closely with our industry body UKIFDA as the UK transitions from fossil fuels into greener forms of energy and have recently started trials of a green liquid fuel as part of a wider government consultation. We have recently started our own Driver Academy to develop our own talent pool of future drivers in response to the widely reported industry shortages.
Our team at Almondbank, near Perth are seed potato experts for the horticultural market and source and pack product for a wide number of retailers including multiples, independent garden centres, e-commerce fulfilment, allotment societies and specialist mail order companies. These packs are sold to gardeners across the UK. We access and supply dozens of different varieties. Quality and bio-security is at the heart of everything we do and we are registered Soil Association suppliers and are members of the Safe Haven Certification Scheme. WCF Horticulture has passed certification in ISO 9001, the quality standard and ISO 14001, the environmental standard.
Our 2 newest brands to the WCF Family are A1 Lawn and Progreen Weed Control Solutions, e-commerce brands which were recently acquired from the families that started them. Both brands offer a wide range of product for lawn, weedkiller and ground care and sell to both individual consumers and across the wider amenity sectors. We also offer training in the specialist application of these products. Both brands have their own websites, as well as a number of own brand products which are also sold through Amazon.
