Covid-19
Good morning. It was great to see so many happy faces on the weekend – we really are happy to be back open!
However, may we please remind everyone of the Welsh Assembly Government rules in place:
Self-contained accommodation (i.e. your caravan) is open to SINGLE HOUSEHOLDS only – you cannot currently welcome visitors to your caravan. (This does not include a support bubble to a single person household – but please note this is NOT extended households.)
To put it simply, the name(s) we have as the owner(s) of a caravan are currently the only people who may travel (if not under ‘stay local’ restrictions) and use it at one time (i.e. no mixing)
Failure to follow this Government rule may see us face a ‘closure notice’ upon inspection. Anyone found ignoring this rule will be asked to vacate the caravan park until such a time as this rule is no longer in place.
We trust you understand, and we count on your cooperation for everyone’s safety and so you can all continue to (finally) enjoy their holiday caravans.
For more information regarding the current rules please visit: https://gov.wales/frequently-asked-questions-restrictions-27-march
***********************
UPDATE 26/03/21
We’re delighted to announce that following the latest Welsh Assembly Government review The Bay Caravan Park will reopen tomorrow – Saturday 27 March 2021 – at 9am.
Self-contained accommodation is now open to caravan owners from the same household/support bubble (i.e. no visitors), and only to those people not under ‘stay local’ travel restrictions.
For more information: 
https://gov.wales/wales-tourism-sector-starts-re-open-restrictions-are-relaxed & https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWALES/bulletins/2c413e1
As they are shared facilities, the launderette, clubhouse, and swimming pool will remain closed for the time being, but this will obviously stay under review.
The park office will be open as normal and will be happy to help with any queries.
Please note caravan sales are currently restricted until at least 12 April 2021 when (hopefully) all non-essential/close contact retail can reopen.
***********************
UPDATE (15/03/21)
It feels like a long time coming, but the Welsh Assembly Government has announced a potential date for the reopening of self-contained accommodation.
While a final decision will not be made until 25 March 2021, if the public health situation in Wales continues to improve we will be able to reopen on 27 March 2021.
However, please check the rules in place in your area with regards to travel restrictions.
We are sure by now it will go without saying that all current Welsh Assembly Government restrictions will continue to apply on the park. While it will not be possible to open all facilities straight away, we will continue to monitor the situation and open them as soon as it is safe to do so.
The park office will be open for all enquiries, and the shop will be stocked with the usual essentials.
Anyone who arranged a drain down with us can be assured that all reconnections will be completed ready for reopening.
In the meantime, please stay safe and let's all keep our fingers crossed we can see each other soon!
From all the staff @ The Bay Caravan Park
First Minister Mark Drakeford:
“We need everyone’s help as we start to unlock these restrictions. We all need to follow the rules, maintain social distancing, good hand hygiene and to wear face coverings in indoor public places.
“We all want to see Wales re-open and the return of a more normal life. This is within sight – but only if we can keep the virus under control. No one wants us to have to reintroduce strict restrictions, to retreat from the progress we have made. Only by working together, can we help keep Wales safe.”
Local authority update (26 February 2021):
https://gov.wales/alert-level-4-frequently-asked-questions). Travelling to look at and/or buy a caravan is not regarded as essential travel by welsh government so travelling to view a caravan is not currently permitted. This will change as lockdown restrictions are eased, this will be widely announced in the media once that decision has been made by Welsh Government. So, once we are no longer restricted to essential travel you will then be able to accept viewing of caravans even if the site is still required to be closed under the Covid Regulations. Due to Welsh Government regulation The Bay Caravan Park is currently closed. For enquiries please call 02920 707512.
29/01/21
The First Minister confirmed at lunchtime that Wales will remain at Alert Level 4 for at least the next three weeks.
He said work was progressing towards the phased reopening of schools after half-term from 22 February. However, in response to questions, he was unable to say when hospitality and tourism businesses could hope to reopen given the many uncertainties.
Update 12/01/21
Following Government advice The Bay Caravan Park will remain closed until further notice. We will of course keep you updated as and when we can. Please find below some FAQ for our Caravan Owners.
Can I still contact the office?
Yes. The park office is still open for telephone calls but on reduced hours. If you aren’t able to get through, you can always email us and we will endeavour to get back to you ASAP.
Am I still able to pay my site fees?
We are still able to take payments via phone/cheque as long as your site license and proof of address has previously been received. If you are wanting to pay cash please contact the park office when you are outside and a member of staff will meet you at the gate. (You will not be permitted to enter the park or visit your caravan). Payments should be made in full by 31st January 2021.
(PLEASE NOTE TRAVELLING TO THE PARK AT THIS TIME BREAKS LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS THEREFORE WE WOULD HIGHLY SUGGEST OTHER MEANS OF PAYMENT).
Am I still able to apply for the Instalment Plan?
Yes, we can send all relevant paperwork via email/post for you to sign and return to us. This will need to be done before 31st January 2021.
What happens if I want to sell my caravan?
Anyone wanting to sell their caravan must fill in an ‘Intention to sell’ form and return it to the park office by 31st January 2021. We will then honour the monthly site fees until it is sold. (Form can be obtained by contacting the office). The park office will then communicate with you with regards to the progress of the valuation/sale as and when possible.
What will happen if we have arranged a drain down?
Regardless of the date put on the drain down form, we will not be reconnecting any caravans at this time. When we are given a date to reopen we will ensure all of those who require reconnecting will be done ready for opening.
Previous
**UPDATE** (12/10/20)
Dear Caravan Owner,
The Welsh Government has updated its guidance concerning lockdown areas and access to caravans for collection of belongings/to secure for winter as follows:
Can I visit my holiday home/caravan/holiday let/boat to collect my belongings and secure it for Winter?
Yes, we consider that you have a reasonable excuse to do this even if the trip involves travelling into, or out of an area with local restrictions. You may need to agree a time and date with the site owners to visit, and you should remain at the location for the shortest period possible before returning straight home.
While on site you should of course continue to maintain social distancing and practise good hand hygiene.
But you should not stay away from your local area overnight while local restrictions are in operation either where you live or where you would be staying.
Should we remain under lockdown restrictions until the end of the season (which sadly appears likely) please contact the park office on 02920 707512 to make an appointment to visit the site. This is to ensure we help minimise the number of people travelling to/attending the site at once, and to help fulfil our Track and Trace duties.
Please take into account previous instruction that the electricity will be disconnected over the winter period (Dec/Jan) for essential remedial work to be carried out. Plan ahead. (Empty fridges/freezers, unplug appliances etc.)
We will continue to update you as and when we are guided further. Please contact the park office between 9am-5pm daily should you have any questions at all.
https://gov.wales/vale-glamorgan-council-lockdown-frequently-asked-questions
********************************************************************************
MOST RECENT COUNCIL GUIDELINES IN PREPARATION FOR LOCAL LOCKDOWNS.
RECEIVED 24/09/20
If your site is NOT in a local lockdown area the following will apply:
You can accept guests from England
You can accept guests from Welsh counties that have not been put in lockdown (an up to date list of Welsh Lockdowns is available here - https://gov.wales/local-lockdown )
New guests should not be accepted where their home address is in a lockdown area, if new guests arrive on site from locked down areas they should be turned away and reported to the police via 101.
If you have guests on site who arrived after lockdown was imposed in their home area they should be asked to leave and reported to the police via 101.
If you have guests who arrived well before a lockdown was imposed in their home area and they have not returned there and can remain in their accommodation for the foreseeable future (this will generally apply to private caravan owners only) then they may remain on site but if they do return home at any point they should not be accepted back on site.
If your site IS in a local lockdown area the following will apply:
ALL guests who do not have a home address within the same County as the site must leave.
You can accept new guests ONLY IF their home address is in the same lockdown area (County) as the site.
Due to the current situation in Wales with local lockdowns taking place, any persons from areas covered by a local lockdown should remain at their home addresses, and should not travel to the caravan park. Any persons already at the caravan park that have not been home should update the park office as to their intentions. Should a local lockdown be put in place for the Vale of Glamorgan we would insist that all caravan owners return to the addresses provided on their site license.
For further guidance: https://gov.wales/local-lockdown
10 July 2020
Following Welsh Assembly Government confirmation, we are delighted to announce that The Bay Caravan Park can reopen at 9am on Saturday 11 July 2020.
We really look forward to welcoming you back to the park! Please read below some important information regarding the reopening.
THE BAY CARAVAN PARK – COVID-19 CHANGES
Upon entry to the caravan park, you will notice the buzzer/visitor system is no longer in use. One of the conditions of the caravan park reopening was the ability to support NHS Track and Trace. This can be done via the barrier system, but only when the barrier cards are used (logging entry time, exit time, and caravan owner name). Therefore, the park office is no longer able to let anyone in or out of the caravan park.
You as a caravan owner can still have visitors, but you solely are responsible for them. Should we be unfortunate enough to encounter a case of COVID-19 on site, we must be able to ‘Track and Trace’ who was here, and when. For the purposes of Track and Trace, all caravan owners are considered the “lead member” of any groups (i.e. visitors) and are therefore responsible for said groups.
All caravan owners – and any visitors – will be expected to follow all relevant Government guidelines at all times. This means always observing social distancing, and hand sanitising thoroughly and frequently. This also includes following the rules regarding visiting other households (must be outside), and extended households.
The park office will be open at normal hours, but can only be accessed after pressing the doorbell outside and entry being granted. To maintain social distancing, only one person (or household) can enter at a time. There are markers outside for others to wait until the office is clear.
Debit/credit card is now the preferred method of payment for all transactions.
The shop will be open, with an order/collection system in place for your safety and convenience.
For everyone’s further safety, and to avoid multiple people handling trolleys and bottles, gas can now only be ordered for delivery. As usual, this must be done before 4pm on the day you would like it delivered. Connection and removal of the old bottle will only take place on the day of order. Also, if you request connection please check your old bottle as it will be taken away regardless, and please ensure any locks are removed so connection can take place.
Following Government and industry guidance, for the time being all shared facilities – swimming pool, clubhouse, play area and launderette - must remain closed.
You will be aware that by now you would usually have received your annual Rates/electricity bill. We have held off sending these out as we did not feel it fair until the caravan park could reopen. We also took the time to make amendments to the bills of caravan owners who have lost the use of their caravans these past months. These will be sent out to you in the coming weeks, along with a letter explaining what else the Company is looking to offer affected caravan owners.
Please note that all the usual park ‘Rules and Conditions’ must be followed, and any abusive or threatening behaviour to staff will not be tolerated.
Finally, should you have an idea or see something on the caravan park you think could be done to improve everyone’s safety, please let us know. We are all in this together, and we are open to any suggestion that could help keep us all safer.
If you have any questions at all regarding the closure that we have not yet answered – or any of the above - we encourage you to speak to us. Please call the park office on 02920 707512 or pop in and see us when it is safe to do so.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
UPDATE: The recent Welsh Government announcement regarding self-contained holiday caravans was not expected and has taken the industry (including us!) by surprise. Please note the change in date from 13 July to 11 July is still pending the next review on 9 July. We will update you again when we know more.
July 2020
Dear Caravan Owner,
Thank you again for your patience and understanding at what continues to be an exceptional and truly unprecedented time. We hope that as you read this you and your loved ones are safe and well.
We have been monitoring developments closely over the past few months about re-opening and changes we need to implement in response to Covid-19. Following the Welsh Government’s most recent update on 29 June 2020, we are pleased to say it looks as though the caravan park will be able to re-open on 13 July 2020. As the Government is always keen to point out, however, confirmation of this relaxation in lockdown rules remains subject to the virus remaining under control. A Welsh Government formal review is scheduled for 9 July. Keep an eye on our website.
When the permission to re-open is confirmed, it will come with on-going Government restrictions and the need to take steps to keep us all as safe as possible from the virus.
When you return to the park, you will notice the safety measures that are in place. We are only permitting one person at a time into the office and, in line with Government guidelines, social distancing rules must be followed at all times. Hand sanitiser equipment will also be available at the entrance to the park office.
Caravan owners will be expected to comply with the visiting rules that are currently in place for households throughout Wales. As such, we would also ask you, for now, to keep visitors to the park to a minimum. If you do have visitors who are not from your household, do please maintain social distancing rules and make sure these visitors remain outside your caravans. To ensure that we keep you and the office staff safe we will not be distributing tokens for the park gate so we would ask you to be responsible for letting any visitors into and out of the park yourselves for the time being. We would also flag that there is very likely to be a directive to work with the Track and Trace system which may require us to keep a list of who is on the park at any time. We await guidance.
Due to current Government guidelines, you will appreciate that for now all shared facilities must remain closed. Please understand this is for the safety and protection of everyone. This will be continually under review and any changes relayed to you.
Finally, we are extremely mindful that you have not had the use of your caravans over these past months and we, along with the industry, are exploring adjustments that can be made whilst continuing to maintain the standards at the park. Do please bear in mind that security, maintenance and safety has had to continue during the enforced period of loss of access.
Thank you for reading – and we really look forward to welcoming you back on 13 July subject to any further changes announced by the Welsh Government.
Kind regards,
Hamlett Enterprises Ltd.
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
UPDATE (22/06/20)
Hi there. Following the most recent Welsh Assembly Government announcement, the current aim is to reopen the caravan park on 13 July 2020 - although this date is pending another review on 9 July 2020. Please note that any change to travel restrictions before then will not impact the potential reopening date of the park. We will be in touch again soon, but all being well, we look forward to welcoming you back on the 13th! The Bay Caravan Park.
(10/06/20):
To our caravan owners: Many thanks for your continued patience and understanding at this exceptional time. We hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and well. We have yet to be given a date on which we can reopen so, for now, the park remains closed. For this reason, and because travel to second homes is still prohibited, access to the park cannot be authorised under any circumstance. Many have questioned why the park is still occupied by so me. The reason for this is these people are either confirmed key workers, or have indicated they have nowhere else to go (which will be dealt with after). It is not one rule for one and one rule for another - we are being guided by Government and local Council. So for now, please stay safe, and again we thank you for your continued understanding. As soon as we know more we will be in touch. The Bay Caravan Park.
(27/03/20)
A big thank you to those of you who returned to your primary addresses as requested by Government earlier this week. Please be advised, however, that the caravan park is now CLOSED. As per Government order, non-essential trips should not be made. With this in mind, anyone found entering the park will immediately have their details passed onto the police and their site licence reviewed. There can be NO entry and NO exceptions. This remains in place until advised otherwise. Thank you for your co-operation, and we hope to see you again as soon as is safely possible.
(24/03/20)
Thank you for your response to our notification of the Government's order to close the caravan park. As you are aware the Government order was for caravan owners to return to their primary residences where possible. With an awareness that there would be exceptions we asked you to contact us. Please be assured that we are sensitive to personal circumstances and do wish to be helpful where possible. We are continuing to communicate with BH&HPA who are in discussion with Government and health agencies to try to provide further guidance for these exceptions. We have been advised to keep a written record of your reasons to show to relevant authorities which we are doing. Hopefully, we will receive further clarification shortly. We will write to you again with any updates. Rest assured that we continue to act in the best interests of caravan owners, our staff, and the wider community.
(24/03/20)
As anticipated, the Government has ordered the closure of caravan parks - including ours - with immediate effect. To comply with the order we would be grateful if those of you still on site could return to your primary residences as soon as practicable today. If you feel there is a valid reason why you cannot leave you need to let us know NOW. We have been advised to keep a written record to show to relevant authorities as required The BH&HPA have told us that the police in certain parts of the country are visiting holiday parks to enforce compliance. The Government has indicated that they will review these drastic measures in 3 weeks. We will continue to communicate with you as the situation develops. Needless to say, we hope that normal life will resume for us all, sooner rather than later. In the meantime, please do stay safe and heed the personal guidelines publicised by the Authorities.
(24/03/20)
PLEASE NOTE
AS PER GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES
WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT VISITORS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE CARAVAN PARK
MORE TO FOLLOW...
(23/03/20)
Following last week's update we have been in consistent communication with the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA), who are in contact with Government agencies.
The clear advice is that people who own caravans on parks should not go to their caravans, and that those already on sites should go home.
The BH&HPA has also advised us that the Government is highly likely to order the complete closure of all caravan parks including parks such as ours. Here is a link to today's BBC Wales news report https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-52004559.
If we receive a direction to close the park completely we will notify you as soon as possible. You will appreciate that a Government direction could give very short notice to close.
The health and safety of caravan owners and staff remains of paramount importance. Please continue to follow all Government guidelines including those regarding social distancing. In these unprecedented times we all have a responsibility to the wider community.
(19/03/20)
We wanted to update you on the position regarding the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and the potential impact on the operation of The Bay Caravan Park.
We are regularly monitoring the guidance from the UK Government, local Public Health Authorities and British Holiday & Home Parks Association Ltd, so that we have procedures in place to support the health and well-being of everyone.
Due to current guidance for people to avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other venues, as well as staff shortages, we have taken the decision to suspend opening the clubhouse and the swimming pool for the time being. The park office remains open to caravan owners at the moment (under certain restrictions), although we may be forced to review the situation.
As you will be aware there are lots of uncertainties surrounding travel and how best to protect everyone and we will continue to monitor the position and keep in touch with you.