A leading Shropshire company has teamed up with other businesses to provide a caravan holiday home on the Cambrian Coast for children with life limiting illnesses.
Caravan dealership Salop Leisure, which has sales centres in Shrewsbury, Machynlleth and Stourport-on-Severn, quickly offered to help when Lorraine Lloyd and her team at Brynrodyn Caravan Park, Borth, near Aberystwyth came up with the idea last year of forming a charity, Little View Holidays, to raise money to provide holidays by the sea for children and their families.
Caravanners, businesses and the local community have got behind the fundraising and, with the support of caravan manufacturer ABI and Shropshire and Salop Leisure, the charity has now raised enough money to buy the holiday home.
Vyrnwy Transport, based in Llansantffraid, has transported the ABI Derwent caravan holiday home free of charge to the caravan park, which has The View entertainment centre and bar, soft play area, gym and direct access to the beach.
Travis Perkins in Aberystwyth is donating wood for decking and A. J. Phillips is going to install it at the caravan holiday home, which has a sea view.
Lorraine, who runs the park with her husband, Alan, said the charity still needs to raise the final £11,000 to pay for the caravan holiday home but Salop Leisure and ABI had agreed to let her have it this months so that holidays for children and their families could begin, hopefully at Easter or early May.
She explained that the idea for the holiday home stemmed from Oldbury Young Firefighters who have been bringing a group of children with special needs to camp at Brynrodyn every September for around eight years in all types of weather.
Two families, who own holiday homes on the park, had also lost children to leukaemia in recent years.
“When we put the two things together, we thought we could do something on the park to help children with life limiting illness and their families,” explained Lorraine. “We have donated the caravan pitch and Ceredigion Care Society has offered to help identify children and their families who could benefit from a holiday at the seaside.”
She hopes that the Little View Holidays charity venture will be used as a template to establish a network of similar caravan holiday homes around the country. She says all that is needed is caravan park owners willing to donate a pitch for a caravan followed by fundraising.
“The response we have had to the appeal from customers, businesses and the local community has been absolutely brilliant,” added Lorraine. “When businesses have heard what we are doing they have offered support.
“We even have five trained nurses who are customers and they have all said they will support families using the caravan when they are here. People do really care and they can see that all the money raised is going to where it is needed.”
Dylan Roberts, Salop Leisure’s managing director, said both the company and ABI were delighted to support such a worthy cause.
“Lorraine is to be congratulated for her initiative and we would like to thank all those involved in fundraising to ensure that these deserving children can spend quality time with their loved ones on the beautiful Mid Wales coast,” he added.
Set in 15 acres of landscaped grounds overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Dyfi Estuary, Brynrodyn Caravan Park has been carefully and progressively developed since it was first licensed in 1960 to meet the needs of caravanners. The park has 135 caravan holiday homes, 50 pitches for touring caravans and space for around 50 tents.
