Hols from £9.50 super fan is named ‘Mr Sun Holiday’ after booking a hundred of the bargain breaks
- Pete Hill has been given the title of Mr Sun Holiday
- By this summer he would have been on 100 Hols from £9.50
DAD Pete Hill is proud to be called "Mr Sun Holiday".
That’s because he has been on 96 of our fabulous bargain breaks - and next summer he will hit an amazing record of 100 Sun Holidays.
Pete’s amazing 63,000-mile Odyssey in the family’s Ford Mondeo began on April 23, 1993
In those days our hols were just £7.50 and he could not believe the quality of the resort.
Pete, from West Bromwich, West Midlands, said: “The value for money of Sun Holidays was mind-boggling back then and it still is today.”
The family had such a brilliant time that they just kept on booking our bargain breaks.
Down the decades he has criss-crossed the UK from Cornwall to Edinburgh, from Cumbria to Suffolk and from Essex to Merseyside.
Although we offer Sun breaks abroad, Pete has only hopped over the Channel once to France to visit D Day beaches in Normandy - all courtesy of the classic Sun offer.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, the kids are grown up in their twenties and engineer Pete, 61, has retired from his job as a maintenance engineer.
He went on his 96th Sun Holiday just two months ago, to Ainsdale Beach, Southport, and is now planning next year’s holidays.
Next June he expects to reach a century – a record for any Sun reader.
Pete can’t wait for the next time he can start collecting our latest set of tokens, and he's looking out for our glossy 2018 brochure and booking form.
He's planning two Sun holidays in March, probably one on the Isle of Wight and another in Cornwall.
Holiday number 99 is likely to be in Edinburgh in April.
Pete said: “I can’t decide where to go for Number 100. I’d do them all again to be honest.
“I enjoy myself on every one of my Sun Holidays over the years. I’ve never had a bad experience.”
Well... except for the time his wife Dawn's boss offered the couple a free week in his swanky apartment in Tenerife.
But she had to go alone because Pete insisted on going on the Sun Hol he'd booked near the not-so-sunny Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales.
Or the time he was so eager to go on a bargain break in Essex he got the dates wrong - and the family arrived a week EARLY.
Pete said: "The park was booked out and we almost had to drive all the way back to West Bromwich but the staff were great and found us a caravan to stay in the for a week.
"That's part of the appeal, really. The staff are always helpful and welcoming on Sun Holidays - I've met some fantastic people from all over the country.”
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While big-hearted Pete's been saving the pennies with our super-cheap breaks, he's been piling up the pounds for children's charities.
He and a group of pals calling themselves the Black Country Ale Tairsters set out in the 1980s to visit as many UK pubs as possible to raise money for charity.
Back then bitter was 64p a pint and to keep costs down they would camp out in tents.
But all that changed after Pete booked his first Sun Holiday in 1993.
He said: "When the Sun launched the holidays it transformed things for us.
“We couldn’t have visited 20,451 pubs and raised more £26,000 for children’s charities without using Sun Holidays as a base. We would just not have been able to afford it.
"Our children were just a couple of nippers when we went on out first family holiday and now they are grown up.”
Pete's son Wade is now 26 and daughter Jodee is 24.
A chip off the old block, Wade loves going to caravan parks, just like his father.
In June he went on Sun Holiday 93 with Dawn and Pete to the New Haven Park at Dymchurch, Kent.
Pete says: “If I have to choose my favourite holidays with the family, it would be when I taught the children to swim, at places like Swanage Park in Dorset and Saltwick Bay near Whitby.
He continued: “The one site we have been to more than any other is Kidwelly on Carmarthen Bay because that's where we stayed for our charity challenge to visit every pub in Wales.
"Thanks to Sun Holidays I've met some fantastic people from all over the country and drunk some lovely beer in some great pubs.
"All I can say is 'Thank You My Sun' - and see you on the next one."
All of Pete's 96 Sun Holidays
1 | 23/4/1993 | QUAY WEST (NEWQUAY)WALES |
2 | 7/5/1993 | ST MARTINS (LOOE)CORNWALL |
3 | 6/6/1994 | (BUDE)DEVON |
4 | 13/5/1994 | CRESSWELL TOWERS NORTHUMBERLAND |
5 | 17/3/1995 | ROCKLEYPARK(POOLE)DORSET |
6 | 31/3/1995 | LAKELAND PARK (FLOOKBURGH)CUMBRIA |
7 | 12/5/1995 | SWANAGE PARK (SWANAGE)DORSET |
8 | 29/3/1996 | GOLDEN SANDS (MABLETHORPE)LINCOLNSHIRE |
9 | 3/5/1996 | WHITBY (SALTWICK BAY)NORTH YORKS |
10 | 20/9/1996 | GREENACRES (PORTHMADOG) WALES |
11 | 11/4/1997 | WINCHELSEA SANDSEAST SUSSEX |
12 | 2/5/1997 | STEEPLE BAYESSEX |
13 | 16/6/1997 | DONIFORD PARK (DUPORTH)CORNWALL |
14 | 19/9/1997 | CAYTON BAY (SCARBOROUGH)NORTH YORKS |
15 | 20/3/1998 | JOHN FOWLER (ILFRACOMBE)DEVON |
16 | 3/4/1998 | BROADLANDSPARK(CORTON)SUFFOLK |
17 | 8/5/1998 | SUSSEX BEACH (EARNLEY)WEST SUSSEX |
18 | 13/7/1998 | SHEERNESSPARK(SHEERNESS)KENT |
19 | 9/4/1999 | BEACON FELL (LONGRIDGE)LANCASHIRE |
20 | 7/5/1999 | PA1GN'fONPARK (PA1GN'f0N)DEVON |
21 | t4/ /1999 | WILDD U K_P _(ij ijI/f ON)NQRFO _I( |
22 | 1/10/1999 | FLOOKBURGH CUMBRIA |
23 | 7/4/2000 | SETON SANDS (EDINBURGH)SCOTLAND |
24 | 5/5/2000 | GOLDEN SANDS(MABLETHORPE) LINCOLNSHIRE |
2 | 1515/JQQQ | OCEANVIEW (SHALPON)PEVQJV |
26 | 16/3/2001 | SUSSEX BEACH (EARNLEY)WEST SUSSEX |
27 | 27/4/2001 | OGWENBANK (SNOWDONIA)WALES |
28 | 7/5/2001 | ORCHARDS PARK (ST OSYTH)ESSEX |
29 | 15/3/2002 | BERWICK ON TWEEDNORTHUMBERLAND |
30 | 10/5/2002 | PAR SANDS (ST AUSTELL)CORNWALL |
31 | 16/9/2002 | LOWER HYDEISLE OF WIGHT |
32 | 14/3/2003 | SHOREFIELD (MILFORD ON SEA)HAMPSHIRE |
33 | 6/6/2003 | SOLWAY VILLAGE (SILLOTH)CUMBRIA |
34 | 12/3/2004 | CAMBERSANDS(CAMBER)EAST SUSSEX |
35 | 7/5/2004 | KESSLINGLAND PARK (LOWESTOFT)SUFFOLK |
36 | 15/4/2005 | WHITLEY BAYTYNE&WEAR |
37 | 6/5/2005 | HEACHAMPARK(HEACHAM)NORFOLK |
38 | 24/3/2006 | NEWLANDS_PARK(CHARMOUTH)DEVON |
39 | 19/5/2006 | JOHN FOWLER (ST IVES)CORNWALL |
40 | 17/7/2006 | COMBE HAVEN (ST LEONARDS)EAST SUSSEX |
41 | 30/4/2007 | BRYNOWEN (BORTH)WALES |
42 | 19/10/2007 | CRJMDON DENE (BLACKBALL)DURHAM |
43 | 27/4/2008 | SILVERCLIFFS (BALLYCASTLE)NORTH IRELAND |
44 | 30/6/2008 | BIDEFORD BAY (BUCKS CROSS)DEVON |
45 | 10/10/2008 | PRESTHAVEN SANDS (GRONANT)WALES |
46 | 27/4/2009 | HAFANY MOR (PWLLHELI)WALES |
47 | 28/6/2009 | RIVIERE SANDS(HAYLE)CORNWALL |
48 | 2/10/2009 | TY MAWR (TOWYN)WALES |
49 | 19/3/2010 | BLACK ROCK SANDS (PORTHMADOG)WALES |
50 | 26/4/2010 | QUAY WEST (NEWQUAY)WALES |
51 | 24/9/2010 | TYMAWR(TOWYN)WALES |
52 | 15/10/2010 | HAFANY MOR (PWLLHELI)WALES |
53 | 18/3/2011 | QUAY WEST (NEWQUAY)WALES |
54 | 1/4/2011 | MANORBIER(NRTENBY)WALES |
55 | 2/5/2011 | KILN PARK (TENBY)WALES |
56 | 10/6/2011 | PENDINE SANDS (PENDINE) WALES |
57 | 9/9/2011 | PENDINE 'SANDS (PENDINE)WALES |
58 | 30/9/2011 | CARMARTHEN BAY (KIDWELLY)WALES |
59 | 16/3/2012 | TRECCO BAY (PORTHCAWL)WALES |
60 | 30/3/2012 | CARMARTHEN BAY (KIDWELLY)WALES |
61 | 27/4/2012 | CARMARTHEN BAY (KIDWELLY)WALES |
62 | 28/9/2012 | CARMARTHEN BAY (KIDWELLY)WALES |
63 | 19/10/2012 | TRECCO BAY (PORTHCAWL)WALES |
64 | 12/4/2013 | CARMARTHEN BAY (KIDWELLY)WALES |
65 | 26/4/2013 | TRECCO BAY (PORTHCAWL)WALES |
66 | 27/9/2013 | LAKELAND PARK (FLOOKBURGH)CUMBRIA |
67 | 4/4/2014 | ALBERTA PARK (SEASALTER)KENT |
68 | 19/5/2014 | CHATEAU-DEL-LEZ EAUX(NORMANDY) FRANCE |
69 | 16/6/2014 | SANDYLAND(SALTCOATS) SCOTLAND |
70 | 11/7/2014 | BLACKHALL COLLIERY (PETERLEE)DURHAM |
71 | 3/10/2014 | SEARLES(HUNSTANTON)NORFOLK |
72 | 17/10/2014 | SEASHOREPARK(GREATYARMOUTH) NORFOLK |
73 | 31/10/2014 | AINSDALE BEACH (SOUTHPORT)MERSEYSIDE |
74 | 27/3/2015 | DEVON VALLEY (SHALDON)DEVON |
75 | 10/4/2015 | HIGHFIELD GRANGE (CLACTON) ESSEX |
76 | 8/5/2015 | PARK RESORTS (ST MARGARETS)KENT |
77 | 14/6/2015 | GRANNIES HEILAN HAME (EMBO)SCOTLAND |
78 | 4/9/2015 | BERWICKCENTirn(BERWICK)NORTHUMBERLAND |
79 | 2/10/2015 | WEMYSS BAY PARK (WEMYSS BAY)SCOTLAND |
80 | 23/10/2015 | AINSDALE BEACH (SOUTHPORT)MERSEYSIDE |
81 | 18/3/2016 | NEWQUAY VIEW (NEWQUAY)CORNWALL |
82 | 22/3/2016 | TOLROY MANOR (HAYLE)CORNWALL |
83 | 8/4/2016 | BUE DOLPHIN (FILEY) NORTH YORK |
84 | 15/4/2016 | REGENTBAY(MORECAMBE)LANCASHIRE |
85 | 13/5/2016 | FELIXSTOWE BEACH (FELIXSTOWE)SUFFOLK |
86 | 9/9/2016 | BLUE DOLPHIN (FILEY)NORTH YORKS |
87 | 30/9/2016 | REGENT BAY (MORECAMBE)LANCASHIRE |
88 | 7/10/2016 | BEACON FELL (LONGRIDGE)LANCASHIRE |
89 | 21/10/2016 | AINSDALE BEACH (SOUTHPORT)MERSEYSIDE |
90 | 17/3/2017 | BUTLINS (BOGNOR REGIS)WEST SUSSEX |
91 | 31/3/2017 | ROCKLEYPARK(POOLE)DORSET |
92 | 5/5/2017 | BIRCHINGTON VALEKENT |
93 | 30/6/2017 | NEW HAVEN (DYMCHURCH)KENT |
94 | 8/9/2017 | PONTINS (BREAN SANDS)SOMERSET |
95 | 13/10/2017 | CRIMDON DENE (BLACKHALL)DURHAM |
96 | 27/10/2017 | AINSDALE BEACH (SOUTHPORT)MERSEYSIDE |