by Jake Polden
Every now and again CaravanTimes gets the opportunity to provide its readers with a truly unique and inspirational story – a story that may well change the way you think about caravanning.
This week we caught up with the Hardisty family from Lancashire who explained to us how their love of touring holidays ultimately benefited children Matthew and Becky, who were both born blind.
Our story begins in 1984, the year that Brian and Sue Hardisty bought their first caravan together, a ‘<' . strtolower('Array') href="/sprite/">Sprite Alpine – a tourer they hoped to take on many happy family holidays.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, as in 1986 the couple were forced to reconsider their future after their first child Matthew was born blind, autistic and epileptic.
Matthew’s complex needs meant he required full-time care and when Becky was born partially blind in 1989, the family made the tough decision to sell their beloved caravan.
But our story doesn’t end here, as five years later they had a change of heart.
Back in the saddle
Brian had been looking into the advancements of modern caravans, and made the bold decision to get back into caravanning.
Confident that their new, more advanced caravan, equipped with modern amenities such as 240v electricity and a hot shower, would make their holidays and their life easier, the couple took Matthew and Becky on their first touring holiday to France.
But with young children and a long journey to-and-from their destination, Brian explained how their first trip brought a few hiccups:
“Our first holiday was a bit of a hassle, unfortunately. Matthew didn’t like the cold swimming pool and we found the long-distance drive to be too much for the children.”
Undeterred, but perhaps more cautious, the family stuck at their hobby and were delighted when they discovered Troutbeck Head Caravan Park, a little closer to home in the Lake District.
Recalling their many trips to the site, Brian said, “The wardens there were always fantastic,” and the couple could rest assured that Becky was safe, should she decide to do a bit of exploring on her own.
In fact, Brian spoke fondly of his experiences with nearly everyone they have been in contact with while caravanning.
From the staff on the P&O ferry to France, (once the kids had grown a little older) who made sure they received an appropriate cabin, to the staff at Union Lido Park and Resort, who would always provide them with a pitch close to the shower and toilet facilities, it would seem the family has experienced some truly professional service.
Brian also heaped praise on the caravan community for going “above and beyond”, helping the family in any way they could.
Recalling happy memories from a holiday at the Playa Montroig Camping Resort in Spain, Brian told us about Matthew’s experiences with a jetski:
“Matthew loves the sound of the jetskis so some friends we met on the site took Matthew and me on a slow ride on a three-seater jetski”.
After helping Matthew on board, Brian explains, the trio took off to the reassuring words “keep hold Matt, don’t let go”.
Similar experiences on a dinghy (again instigated by a fellow holidaymaker) brought more joy to Matthew’s holiday – so much so that in 2005, the couple bought Matthew his very own dinghy.
Inspired by the sounds of the “owls, birds and sheep”, Matthew and Becky find caravanning to be a truly stimulating experience.
“Matthew loves the movement of boats and the sounds of its engine”, Brian added. And with a passion for trains as well, Brain exclaims, “You’ll probably detect a theme, Matthew likes anything with an engine!”
Despite the fact the couple have to consider their children on every trip, Brian states that the smile on Matthew’s face brought on by a caravanning holiday is, for him and Sue, “the real experience”.
And when asked what he would say to someone in a similar position, toying with the idea of getting into caravanning despite the obvious difficulties, Brian answered:
“Just go ahead and do it. A caravan is such a lovely environment for a family and you will have a wonderful holiday with your children.
“Matthew absolutely loves being away in the caravan to the point where we have to count the nights between coming home and the next time we go away.”
He even went on to say how family friends whose child also has autism have recently been inspired to take a caravanning holiday and have, like the Hardistys, had a truly unique and memorable time.
