Park Home People - Broadway Park

Erica and Kevin Pritchard are a couple who really could give others hope for a happy ending. It would probably be fair to say that the past couple of years have been a living nightmare for them.

Their previous home was a large bungalow in Worthing, which they extended during their 28 years there. The project included an adjoining annexe for Erica’s mother. Sadly, Erica’s mother later suffered a stroke, and so became fully dependent on them both until her death in 2001.

Erica and Kevin met in Storrington at just three years old, briefly as the boy and girl next door until Erica’s parents moved back to Worthing. Both families kept in touch with frequent day visits. As a consequence romance blossomed and at 16 they became sweethearts. They drifted apart and married others, but divorced them at similar times and were then re-united by chance through a dancing school before finally making it to the altar together.

Kevin ran a successful plumbing and heating business and Erica supported him on the administrative side. They were very happy until a series of unfortunate events starting with the death of Erica’s mother turned their lives upside down. Drama followed drama, but their worst nightmare was yet to come. When their daughter was six months pregnant her husband, Erica and Kevin’s son-in-law, suffered a massive stroke. A planned retirement and combined 65^th birthday celebration holiday to India had to be cancelled at the last minute, as their priority became supporting their daughter and the rest of the family during a lengthy recovery period.

This all happened in the middle of the recession when things were tough enough for any business. Kevin’s years of plumbing took its toll on his knees resulting in a struggle to continue, and eventually a complete knee replacement operation. The business effectively folded. Their finances started to get on top of them, and for no fault of their own they had to start to look for a solution which would help take the immense burden they were experiencing off their shoulders.  They put their house on the market and started hunting for a smaller home.  It took two years and all of their life savings before reaching completion.

In that time they looked at several options, including warden-supported apartments, but they were expensive and didn’t feel right. What they needed was a property not too far away from Brighton so they could still help with their new grandson, but they also needed a lower cost option. They then heard about park homes and started visiting parks to find out more.

They found a property they really liked but the purchase was stalled by probate on the home and the completion of their own sale.  Then things started to really look up. They found another park home via the internet on a park in Lancing with fantastic refurbishment potential. It was in a spot they really liked and was practical to be on hand for their family, at a price they could afford. 

Like many others making the same move they found their family were a little bit sceptical initially when they had said they were looking at park homes but were really won over after a series of joint visits to the home they’d found. They made their move eventually, arriving on their park in Lancing in June this year. 

Erica says; “That was a wonderful feeling after everything we’d gone through. It was as if all the terrible stress just fell away overnight.  Here we’re cocooned, in a safe and secure environment with lovely neighbours. We now look after our grandson two days a week and can have him to stay, and we don’t have to work. It’s like being on a continuous holiday with even the inclusion of a members’ club- house with many on-site activities. I really wish we’d done it earlier.” 

Of course with Kevin returning to better health refurbishing their home has become their current project, and many of the jobs they’ve been able to do themselves, such as installing a new kitchen and bathroom and improving the hallway. One job they didn’t want to tackle was the underside of the home though. Their neighbour Ray Morley recommended Park Home Chassis Services Ltd (PHCS) to check that out and they had also seen one of their ads, so PHCS came in to check what needed doing. As the home is in a coastal position, the supports of the home had corroded and needed to be replaced. PHCS installed 16 new adjustable tripod support stands positioned to the correct tolerances of the home. All surface rust was removed from the chassis steelwork, which was then recoated with rust inhibitor paint. Additionally the coach bolts were tightened between the timber floor bearers and the chassis steelwork to complete the full chassis refurbishment.

Erica says; “The only mistake we’ve made is forgetting to budget for the underside of the home, but apparently it’s a common one. Thankfully it didn’t break the bank and we now have peace of mind knowing that we’re not inviting any more bad luck with our new home!”    

As for their previous troubles she says their son-in-law continues to make progress with his recovery, and they now have another adorable little grandson. Her family no longer need to worry about them, and can go forward with their own lives. “We’ve stayed positive and we’re really happy again now. I’ve always said that when one door closes another will open. If you’ve hit rock bottom there’s only one way to go!”

In a nutshell:

• It’s a common mistake to forget to budget for the chassis when buying a second hand park home – amazing when you think, it’s actually the chassis that is supporting the home!

• It’s a minimal cost to get your chassis checked out with PHCS – and can save you a lot of money in the long run!

• Downsizing to a park home can provide a great solution for those needing to release equity.

• Many park home owners say that living in a park home is like being on holiday permanently – if you’ve had a stressful time that can be quite restorative, as Erica and Kevin have found.

• Don’t forget that your chassis may need more regular checks if you live near the coast, as the supports and chassis can be more prone to corrosion when exposed to the elements and sea air. 

For further information on Park Home Chassis Services, visit www.parkhomechassis.co.uk, email info@parkhomechassis.co.uk or call 0118 984 3107