COVID-19 CAMPING AND CARAVAN PARK UPDATES TO PROVIDE SAFE HOLIDAYS IN SOMERSET

Dear customers, friends and the South Somerset community,

We have no clear message from the UK Government regarding staying open or closing. It is therefore our own moral judgement that we should close our gates for the timebeing, beginning Monday 23 March.

This is the first time under our 23 year ownership, and to our knowledge under the site's 75 years in business, that we have had to make a prolonged closure.

The impact of tourists looking to self isolate in small, rural areas is becoming very clear on the news. We feel, as a responsible business, that we cannot inflict further strain on our GP surgery, our NHS and our shops at this time. Our customers are finding the “non-essential travel” suggestion to be very vague, so we will do our best to make it clear: if the human travel stops, the viral travel stops too.

A large number of our customers are in the high risk category, whether that is the over 70s or those with underlying health issues. We cannot continue to allow for the spread of this virus to have a knock on effect on vulnerable people.

We have been in constant contact with the BH&HPA, sometimes emailing across concerns several times a day to be put to Government. We have taken advice from Tourism Industry experts across the South West. We have spoken to many, many site owners and small businesses about the impact of this and to share insights and advice. However, the decision lies with us to do the best we can here.

We are very proud of how well our customers have conducted themselves during this time, making sensible decisions to postpone their own enjoyment for the sake of others. We too, passed on extra precautions with increased cleaning, new check-in procedures and regular updates to all concerned. There is no clubhouse, games room or bar and we all but shut down any communal indoor areas. We can't thank you enough for being so understanding, even when we changed our procedures several times a day!

We are a small touring caravan park, with no seasonal pitches or storage to rely on for income, so this decision hasn't been an easy one for us. At present, we are still unsure whether our insurance will cover a closure, but this is a risk we have to take as a responsible business. Working and planning throughout the night has become the norm for us for weeks and we won't be stopping, despite our temporary closure. We're still here, keeping everything on track.

Any outstanding bookings, we will be contacting you imminently. We would request at this tough time that you kindly defer your booking rather than ask for a refund, so that we are able to re-open when this is all over. We are accepting re-booking for up to one year from the end of your travel date with us, in order to apply the least restrictions possible.

Currently, we are waiting for a Government announcement to determine when we will re-open. We are making it our number one priority to keep you all updated.

It is safe to say, we have learnt a lot from this. Whether that's making quick decisions for the safety of our customers; the ability to adapt to new, unprecedented situations; or knowing when the time is right to do our bit and close the gates.

We're going to take this time to work outside on the grounds, to ensure that everything looks the best it possibly can for when you come back and visit us again. We appreciate your understanding at this time. You are all in our thoughts.

Please keep well and keep safe.

Alan, Pamela and Christina

22 March 2020