UK caravan owners 'devastated' and 'lost everything' as holiday site suddenly closes

Holidaymakers at a UK caravan park have been left absolutely livid after being informed the site will shut at the end of the current season.

The 200 caravan owners at Happy Valley Caravan Park are now facing enormous bills to scrap or relocate their caravans and say goodbye to the close-knit community they've established over decades. The park is located just outside Porthcawl in Walesand accommodates 200 caravan plots.

In 2021, the site closed its touring facility. However, correspondence from LT Management Services seen by Wales Online reveals that the site will close at the end of the current season, on October 31. Carvanners must "make the necessary arrangements" to remove their caravans by the end of February 2026, reports North Wales Live.

The expense of relocating a caravan or having it scrapped can range from around £1,500 to £4,000 – a substantial and unexpected bill for many to pay.

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Alison Williams, who has owned caravans at the site intermittently for about 25 years, said: "I think that paying for the privilege of being booted off is just disgusting. We are all losing out. We were told we'd have to scrap the caravans ourselves for a cost of between £1,800 and £2,000 or we'd be taken to court.", reports Wales Online.

Many owners have witnessed generations of their family enjoy the holiday park. Wendy Boylin, who has lived at the site for 34 years, explained: "I also have a lot of friends on the holiday site. I've had children, they've grown up and had children, and their children have played with my friends' grandchildren."

Amanda Jayne, from the Rhondda, who has owned a caravan at Happy Valley for more than a decade, described the site as a "home from home" for her and her husband.

She said: "Nobody wants to leave. Everybody helps everybody out – there is very much a community spirit there and it has always been that way. We're all friends and look out for each other on the site and if we see each other in the town."

Alison expressed her frustration about the announcement. She criticised the owners' behaviour as "shoddy". Whispers and gossip about what lay ahead had been circulating, but they hadn't received any formal confirmation until now.

"There's people there who are in their late 80s and live there for seven months a year. It's their livelihood, their community – they've got nothing else other than their vans. They've now got a few weeks just to get off," Alison added. "There was always a great sense of community but it's basically been run into the ground."

Lisa Powell, another caravan owner, feels particularly hard done by having only purchased her caravan in August 2024. She said: "We are totally devastated. We only bought it last August. We paid £7,500 and lost everything.

"How can they give us a few weeks' notice? We paid a full year and now everyone over the next few weeks will be having to pack up all their belongings and not having the enjoyment we paid for."

Following the sudden closure of the holiday park, residents living on the unaffected residential site are left in fear of what might happen next. Wendy voiced her concerns about the potential shutdown of the residential facilities. She said: "I'm worried to death because I know it's bad what's happening on the holiday site but they have got homes to go to. We as residents haven't. [On Thursday] I was just an emotional wreck because I've got nowhere to go.

"Me and my husband we both have mobility issues – my husband's 76. Where would we go? I don't want to be put in a position where I've got to move to an area I don't want to move to. There's a lot of very sad people who have beautiful memories and it's all just gone in a letter. It wasn't just a holiday park – it was a community. It was just such a wonderful wonderful place to be."

LT Management Services has been contacted for comment.