‘A real adventure’
Couple from U.K. opening Summerside B&B after two years of COVID-19 delays
SUMMERSIDE – It was late April 2021, and Lesley and Garry (Jason) Lloyd had just finished their two-week isolation period in their new Summerside home.
The couple, who had immigrated from the U.K., went for a drive and pulled into a local Tim Hortons drive-thru for tea.
They got their first taste of P.E.I. life when they pulled up to the window and the staffer at the window asked, “are you the British couple who have bought 156 Summer Street?”
Word gets around quickly on Prince Edward Island.
They had a great laugh about it and added the anecdote to the list of things they love about life in P.E.I.
“I just thought that was so cool that the woman knew who we were,” said Lesley, smiling at the memory.
“I just love it here – even the snow.”
Originally from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, the couple now resides in Summerside and is busy getting ready to open a new B&B they’ve dubbed The Boardwalk Inn. Located at 156 Summer St., the home was built in 1916 and is known as the M.F. Schurman House.
The property was not previously a B&B, so they have had their work cut out for them over the past year with constant renovations and repairs. They plan to officially open by May. “We are really excited. We just want people to enjoy this property as much as we love it, because we really do,” said Lesley.
HOW IT STARTED
The Lloyds had lived in the U.K. all their lives but decided to make a major change after they became empty-nesters.
They have two sons, and once the younger was out living on his own they started to reevaluate what they wanted to do for the next stage in their lives.
“The boys left home, and we thought, ‘quick, escape now while they’ve gone,’” chuckled Lesley.
She taught drama and musical theatre for 32 years, both at a private school and through her own business. Jason operated his own busy plumbing business. They were happy and comfortable in their lives, but the more they talked about it the more they realized they wanted a change.
“I lived for what I did, I loved teaching … but you just sort of think, is there more to life,” said Lesley.
They initially started looking at buying property somewhere else in Europe, then the U.S. and finally focused on Canada. They chose the Maritimes because, usually, flights back to the U.K. are relatively short and easy to get.
They took an interest in P.E.I. and landed here in early March 2020 to look at homes.
“We viewed lots of different properties all over the Island. But we were drawn to Summerside because I think we sort of felt there was a lot of potential here. I think in a few years I see a lot of good things happening here. And the house just lent itself to being an inn, I thought it was crying out to become an inn,” said Lesley.
“P.E.I. in many ways reminds us so much of North Yorkshire, certainly the parts we grew up in,” added Jason.
“Which is great. So, you almost feel at home straight away.”
They put in their offer for 156 Summer St. and headed back to the U.K. to make their arrangements to immigrate.
HOW IT WENT
Fate, however, decided to test their resolve.
A week after the Lloyds returned to the U.K., the country went into its first COVID-19 lockdown. They had previously arranged the sale of their home in Harrogate, but the upheaval caused the deal to fall through.
A second buyer came along about a month later, and the purchase of their Summerside home was finalized. But by the time the deal was done, Canada had banned flights from the U.K. as a measure against COVID-19 and despite now owning a home here, the Lloyds couldn’t get into the country. Even when flights resumed from the U.K, the couple still couldn’t travel here because their type of permit was not one of those accepted for a P.E.I. pass at that time.
They moved into a small house and lived out of four suitcases as all their other possessions were packed away, ready to be shipped to Canada at a moment’s notice.
Their home in Summerside stood empty, though they did eventually find a house-sitter.
From that cottage, they navigated a small mountain of paperwork related to opening a business in a new country, as well as all their immigration and COVID19-related regulations.
It took almost a year before they were able to get the proper permits.
They arrived in P.E.I. on April 15, 2021 – 13 months since they’d last seen their new house.
“There were so many steps that we kept thinking, ‘I’ve had enough,’ ” recalled Lesley.
“If we hadn’t bought the house, would we have still done it? There were times that it was so stressful that we thought, no we wouldn’t have done it. But then you think, yeah, you would have done it because you’d gone that far … and we’re so glad that we did. It has made us stronger people.”
HOW IT’S GOING
The Lloyds are quickly approaching the one-year anniversary of arriving on P.E.I. and are excited to finally open The Boardwalk Inn.
Their website is still a work in progress, and they haven’t started advertising yet, but they have already had a few inquiries about renting the inn for weddings and other events. So, they are hopeful to hit the ground running once they open for business.
They are also looking forward to their second summer on the Island.
They were so busy with renovations last year that they didn’t get a chance to really explore their new home.
Jason loves to golf, so he’s eagerly anticipating getting to know some of the Island’s courses, and Lesley is interested in contributing to the local theatre scene in her free time.
It has been a long couple of years – but they have faith it will be worth it in the end, said Jason.
“It’s had its stressful points, but it’s been a real adventure,” he said.