Ty Gwyn Abergele: owners raise almost £4,000 for Dementia UK and BHF

Holiday parks make the news for planning rows, ownership changes and fee letters. They also make quieter headlines when owners put the same community spirit to work for charity. At Ty Gwyn Holiday Park in Abergele, caravan owners and park staff have done exactly that. A family fun day organised by owners raised almost £4,000 for Dementia UK and the British Heart Foundation, more than doubling the take from last year's first event despite poor weather.

It is a welcome piece of industry news for North Wales and a reminder that static parks are living communities as well as commercial sites.

What happened at Ty Gwyn

According to the Rhyl Journal and InYourArea reporting (late September 2026), the fun day was led by caravan owners with support from park staff. Proceeds were split equally between Dementia UK and the British Heart Foundation.

The day included a tombola, raffle, face painting, games, and live music performed by three of the caravan owners. Guests and owners turned out even when the weather was against them.

Savannah Robinson, who co-runs the park's on-site restaurant The Peacock Lounge with Philip Ashe, told reporters it was the second year owners had held the fun day. Despite the poor weather, she said they raised more than twice the money they did last time.

She credited the owners who planned the day and encouraged people to get involved, and pointed to a strong community spirit at Ty Gwyn. The two charities were chosen because they struck a chord with a number of owners. The park hopes to run the fun day again next year and is already thinking of ways to make it bigger.

Who led the fundraising

Coverage names the owner organisers as Pat McNulty, Donna and Wayne Grimshaw, Ellie and Ryan Wilde, Mick and Linda Doherty, and Mike Carty. Philip Ashe and Savannah Robinson helped coordinate the event alongside those owners.

That mix (owners driving the day, restaurant hosts helping coordinate, staff supporting) is a familiar pattern on family parks when a charity event works. The energy usually comes from people who already know each other on the pitch, not from a head-office campaign.

Ty Gwyn is described in local coverage as a third-generation family business and one of the oldest holiday parks in the UK. That long ownership story sits comfortably beside a community fundraiser: the same continuity that keeps regulars returning often also keeps owners willing to put hours into a tombola table and a wet-weather Plan B.

Why almost £4,000 matters

Almost £4,000 will not rewrite national dementia or heart-health budgets. It will still fund real support for two charities that many UK families know through personal experience. Savannah's comment that the causes struck a chord with owners will not surprise anyone who spends time on holiday parks. Ageing relatives, carers, and friends with heart conditions sit in plenty of park communities.

Doubling last year's take in worse weather is the detail that sticks. It suggests the second year was not a token repeat. Owners put more organisation in, more people joined in, and the result grew. Parks that host this kind of day once, then again with a bigger result, usually have something durable: trust between owners and staff, and a habit of turning up for each other.

What private owners can take from a story like this

Most Industry News posts we cover are about capital, planning or commercial change. A charity fun day is different, but still useful for owners elsewhere:

1. Community is an asset. Parks where owners still organise together tend to feel safer, friendlier and easier to recommend. That soft factor does not appear on a pitch invoice, but it shows up when you visit, let, or sell.
2. Owner-led events need park support, not park takeover. The Ty Gwyn model (owners lead, restaurant hosts help, staff back the day) keeps goodwill high. Heavy-handed branding from management can flatten the same energy.
3. Causes close to home travel further. Charities that "strike a chord" with owners raise more than abstract appeals. Dementia UK and the British Heart Foundation land for many UK families.
4. Weather is not destiny. A doubled take in poor weather is a useful reminder that planning and outreach matter more than sunshine alone.
5. Good news still belongs in the industry conversation. Beside planning disputes and age-limit stories, community fundraising is part of how parks actually feel week to week.

None of that means every park should copy the same schedule. It does mean that when owners are weighing whether a site still feels like "their" park, days like this are data, not fluff.

Soft note if you are reviewing your own park or sale plans

If you own a static caravan or lodge at Ty Gwyn, or on another UK park, and you are calmly reviewing whether to keep or sell, community stories like this are one part of the picture. Licence terms, pitch fees, unit age and condition still drive most commercial decisions. Feeling part of a park that looks after people can still tip how long you want to stay.

Static Caravan Buyer offers a free, no-obligation chat if you want a plain sense of value before you decide. Call 0800 644 5000 or visit staticcaravanbuyer.com.

Key takeaways

• Caravan owners at Ty Gwyn Holiday Park in Abergele raised almost £4,000 for Dementia UK and the British Heart Foundation at a second family fun day.
• The take more than doubled last year's result despite poor weather.
• The day included a tombola, raffle, face painting, games and live music from three owners.
• Owner organisers included Pat McNulty, Donna and Wayne Grimshaw, Ellie and Ryan Wilde, Mick and Linda Doherty, and Mike Carty, with help from Philip Ashe and Savannah Robinson of The Peacock Lounge.
• Ty Gwyn is a long-established, third-generation family park; organisers hope to run the fun day again next year.

Static Caravan Buyer Team