By the time the 1960s began, the family had grown our Silverdale park to include 200 pitches. More than quadrupling the park’s original capacity, this was a sign of bigger things to come.

Manufacturing operations cease at Great Harwood, giving the family time to focus on building up Silverdale Holiday Park.

Expanding again and again, by 1967 Middlebarrow Plain had 420 pitches welcoming touring caravans to the site as well as statics.

The dawn of a new decade brought even more growth, with the introduction of better facilities such as: the first outdoor pool at Silverdale Holiday Park, expanded shop and new café. A growing collection of facilities meant an extended family of staff. Established facilities welcome everyone from pool attendants to admin support and café waiters, highlighting the park as a popular destination both for visitors and the local economy. Frank and Judith settled into their roles at the head of the company, ensuring the day-to-day running and customer service were both the best they can possibly be. Having built an enviable reputation across the region, new visitors were flocking in from Manchester, Bolton, Liverpool and beyond!

Major improvements to the infrastructure at Silverdale Holiday Park welcomed our first indoor swimming pool, resurfaced roads across the park and a remodelled café and shop. Silverdale Holiday Park opens for 10 months a year, giving visitors the chance to squeeze more holidays into each year.

By the late 1980s the park was unrecognisable from its humble beginnings in 1956. Holgates was on the way to becoming a leading holiday park group. By the late 1980s the park was unrecognisable from its humble beginnings in 1956. Building a fantastic destination at Silverdale for over 30 years and taking the first steps beyond Silverdale, Holgates was on the way to becoming a leading holiday park group.

In the works since the mid-90s, permission was at last granted to build a larger pool and redevelop the café, bar & restaurant, providing premium facilities to be enjoyed by holiday home owners and guests. The challenges faced with development in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscape) were well worth the wait!

A momentous year for the family and business, marking 50 years since Holgates Caravan Parks was incorporated. A year of reflection for Frank Holgate, he decided to take a step back and let his children lead the way. Michael took over the parks with Roger’s support, whilst Susan took the reins at Park Cliffe in Windermere.

The fifth park to join the Holgates Family Group was Hollins Farm, a small camping and touring park at the foot of Arnside Knott. Sat between Silverdale and Far Arnside, purchasing the park and giving it the Holgates touch was the only option!

In January 2015, Frank Holgate sadly passed away. Pancreatic Cancer continues to be a cause close to the family’s heart, with countless charity events and fundraisers held in the years since his passing.

2016 was also time for a new venture in the shape of The Royal Silverdale. Lovingly redesigned and restored after being closed for several years, our friendly local pub also brought with it two holiday cottages – the start of our Holgates Cottage Collection.

Just across the road from our Silverdale Park at the old Leeds Children Holiday Camp we regenerated the land into a new luxury holiday lodge park called The Cove. A hallmark of the quality and craftsmanship provided by Holgates for over 65 years.

In the face of uncertainty during a global pandemic, development and expansion continues across the Holgates Family Group. Never standing still, the enforced closure of our holiday parks brought development in Wifi across a handful of our parks and the start of our second swimming pool at Silverdale Holiday Park.

March 2022 saw Marsh House reopen as our 9th park following significant investment. Boasting exquisite views of Morecambe Bay, this park was the perfect fit to join our family.

A record-breaking donation of £10,000 was raised at our Family Fun Day & Ceilidh Dance. The total was evenly split between Pancreatic Cancer UK and St John’s Hospice

A further £5,500 was raised for St John’s hospice after our 2024 charity Ceilidh.