A MARWOOD caravan park owner is to name a significant extension in honour of his father who started the business 30 years ago.
Chris Holmes and his wife, Julie, were last month granted planning permission to add 30 new static pitches to Hetherick Caravan Park, near Marwood Community Centre.
The park was created by his father, Ernie, and has gone from strength to strength over the past three decades to include an existing 86 static pitches and 41 touring pitches.
Sadly, his father died in January 2019 before his vision of the extension could be achieved, but his memory is to live on as it will be named for him.
There has already been interest in the new pitches, particularly from existing owners.
Mr Holmes said: “People are asking when it will happen because they are wanting to upgrade. It due to the views – they are tremendous.”
The extension overlooks a pond and land which features pygmy goats and alpacas, numbers of which the couple hope to increase.
Mr Holmes said: “We want to make it a bit of a petting farm. You get a lot of enjoyment seeing the children smiling [when they interact with the animals].”
His wife added: “We want to achieve a family orientated site.”
Also enjoyed by residents are the flock of Mule sheep, and their fat lambs.
Mr Holmes said: “People love that half-mile drive into the site through open farmland.”
He said most of the static pitches are owned by people from Sunderland, Tyneside and Hartlepool, but the touring sites are increasingly being booked by people from nearby Bishop Auckland and Darlington.
Mr Holmes said: “They say ‘why travel hundreds of miles for the same thing?’. I think lockdown has done us favour – it has made people see what is in this country that they never knew was there.”
However, Covid-19 has had a negative impact because the shared toilets and showers cannot be re-opened until later this month when restrictions are eased further. Mr Holmes says this is ludicrous.
He said: “It has put a lot of people off booking.
“It is absolute madness because I can go to Morrisons and walk straight into the toilets. The whole thing has been crazy.”
It has also caused some trouble with the ordering of static caravans.
Mr Holmes said: “It is nigh on impossible to get stock – I have to order a new static caravan for 2023 because a lot of the components are made abroad.”
He said the extension would be done over three stages with about ten new caravans being installed at a time.
