Stolen just before our holiday
FIRST BREAK SINCE LOCKDOWN HAD TO BE CANCELLED
A FAMILY have been left heartbroken after their caravan was stolen days before they were due to set off for their first holiday since lockdown.
Leonie and Miles Parry-Jones had been looking forward to taking their two children on a trip to Longleat Safari Park, followed by a week on the North Devon coast.
But the loss of their caravan means the break – booked in June last year – is off.
Having planned to set off on Wednesday, they had booked far in advance, hoping Covid-19 restrictions would not be a problem.
Instead, after packing their caravan in preparation, they returned it to a storage yard in Queniborough – where it was then stolen.
As well as dealing with the loss of the caravan, they are also coming to terms with the disappearance of the items inside it.
Leonie said: “We’ve been looking forward to this for so long and the kids were really excited, too.
“My six-year-old daughter Minnie was in tears when we told them. It was heartbreaking.”
The 37-year-old said she and husband Miles, 42, had bought Minnie and three-year-old Morgan bodyboards for Christmas, which they had been excited to try out.
She said: “We got the caravan in 2019 and we were so happy we did because of everything that has happened with the pandemic. My daughter was only four at the time and she loved it so much.
“She drew a lovely picture that she had stuck next to her bed in the caravan and it’s those things that have now gone as well.”
As the family were due to leave for their holiday on June 21, they were unable to book an alternative trip and their insurance company would not cover the cost of a hired caravan.
Although Leonie looked for alternative accommodation, due to a surge in demand prices were extremely high.
“Throughout Covid, my husband’s business has struggled and I was furloughed for most of last year so we’re not really in a position to pay that much to book somewhere else,” she said.
They shared their story on social media and many people offered to lend them tents or caravans.
“It was so lovely people wanted to help but they are such expensive things we wouldn’t want anything to happen to someone else’s,” Leonie said.
Police said the theft is believed to have taken place between 7am on Sunday, June 18 and 8.30am the next day. A police spokesman said entry was forced through a gate.
Leonie is now appealing to anyone who sees the caravan for sale or has any information to get in touch with her or police.
It is a 2019 Bailey Phoenix 650SE from Lowdham’s. The number plate on it at the time was EA66TZL and the Cris Registration number is SGBSPP6BYKPX02935.