A family who runs a busy caravan park near Burnham-On-Sea has celebrated its 40th anniversary this week.
Over 150 people gathered at Cripps Farm in East Huntspill on Saturday evening August 22nd to mark the special milestone and look back on the journey that began when the family arrived there in September 1986.
What they took on then was a 56‑acre dairy farm in need of major repair, and Sue recalls those early days vividly.
The buildings were in poor condition, winter cattle housing had to be rebuilt, the dairy herd was mid‑calving, two acres of potatoes needed harvesting, and 300 chickens lived in three old static caravans. It was, she says, a lively start.
At the farm sale, the family purchased their Massey Ferguson tractor, trailer and muck spreader.
The tractor has since been lovingly restored by Graham, Dave and Hayden, now looking almost new and still used today to move caravans around the site. Every spare moment in those early years went into rebuilding the farm.
With a cement mixer and thousands of breeze blocks, buildings were repaired one by one, hedges were reinstated, and a new herringbone milking parlour and collecting yard replaced the old facilities.
Dave and Kathy were central to the work from a young age. Dave was driving tractors and feeding cattle, while Kathy helped with milking and calf feeding. Both joined Wedmore Young Farmers, becoming part of the local farming community.
In 1999, the farmhouse was extended, and Sue briefly ran a Bed and Breakfast before turning her attention back to the farm. She sold takeaway breakfasts, lunches, cream teas and homemade ice creams from the door, and even ran a small milk round supplying milk, eggs, potatoes and her own ice cream to the community.
In 2014, Dave, Leah and Hayden moved into the farmhouse and took over the business, giving Sue and Graham the chance to enjoy semi‑retirement. Dave’s steel‑erector skills have helped build new structures, Leah manages the site office, cottages and spa, and Hayden has begun an engineering apprenticeship in Cheddar while supporting the work on site.
Kathy and Steve now live in Cheddar, where Kathy works as a veterinary nurse. The grandchildren are thriving too: Jack is a qualified welder, Tom works in a tool hire business, and Amelie will soon head to Hartpury College.
Today, Sue and Graham enjoy more time to travel, visit friends and savour the things they love. Graham spends his days land sailing, while Sue continues to play tennis. They say the support of friends, neighbours, guests and the wider community has meant everything over the years.
The timeline of Cripps Farm tells its own story. The five‑van riverbank site opened in 1987 and quickly became a place where lifelong friendships were made, including the much‑loved moment when Sue lost her welly in the river during a welly‑throwing game.
The seasonal site developed in 1993 and expanded again in 2014 with eight new pitches. In 2024, Field B was created, adding 18 more pitches and a new toilet block.
The early 2000s brought further growth. Planning permission was granted for the static site and Mendip Lake in 2000, followed by the lodge site and Quantock Lake in 2004. Brent Knoll Lake was added in 2024 with three new lodge plots. Today, all three lakes are beautifully established, their surroundings flourishing as the landscape matures.
The transformation continued with four holiday cottages created in 2010 from the former workshop and milking parlour, and in 2020 their old shrubbery became a peaceful spa retreat for guests.
Sue thanked all those who have supported the family over the four decades.
