Baston touring park owner launches GoFundMe appeal to help repair business ravaged by floods

The owner of a much-loved touring park in our region has said he has been left heart-broken by the damage caused to his business by recent floods.

“I never imagined it happening,” said David Walters, who has owned Cresslands Touring Park near Baston for 11 years.

“The devastation is incredible.”

The six-acre site has been called ‘an oasis’ by regular customers who return annually to enjoy its idyllic riverside setting.

David could only look on in horror as water from the nearby River Glen started flooding his family-run touring park on Thursday, January 4.

“Historically the river has never risen above 1.5 metres,” he explained: “but this was 2.08; nearly 600 millimetres above the [greatest] ever-recorded height.”

Though the 51-year-old’s family home was spared, much of the site became submerged within hours.

“All of my outbuildings and workshops were drenched and soaked and covered in sludge and debris from the fields,” he said.

As well as being a seasonal touring park, Cresslands also offers year-round storage facilities for caravan owners.

Inevitably, the floods did significant damage to storage customers’ caravans and storage units.

However, the worst damage was not immediately visible.

“The most disastrous thing for me is that the cap of the borehole suffered pressure due to the floods - it’s broken.”

“This means there is now no water supply to the entire site.”

David shared that he has just 12 weeks to get his site open in time for the start of the touring park season.

He estimates that it will cost close to £30,000 to repair the borehole and make the site fit for purpose.

While David has some savings, he doesn’t have nearly enough to cover such considerable costs.

It is with this in mind that he and partner Jo have launched their GoFundMe page.

Though the page has only been live on the fundraising portal for a few days, David has been blown away by the “gob-smacking” response.

“We’ve already raised 25 per cent of the needed fees - in two days!” he said.

Anyone who would like to contribute a donation can do so at www.gofundme.com/f/cresslands-touring-park-survival-fund