Daughter of Willerby founder sees the fruits of her father’s labour

Yorkshire-based holiday home manufacturer Willerby has taken a trip down memory lane by reuniting with the daughter of the man who founded the business almost 80 years ago.

The UK market leader invited Jean Morris, the only child of the company’s founder, Walter Allan, to take a tour of a modern Willerby holiday home to see the fruits of her late father’s labour.

Jean, 92, was joined by her son Simon and daughter-in-law Deborah for a VIP tour at a holiday park in Cornwall, with the family also being presented with a special Willerby Owners Club welcome pack in recognition of their connection to the business.

The family said Walter Allan would be delighted to see how Willerby has grown over the years and thrilled by how much caravans have evolved over the past eight decades.

Jean said: “There’s just no comparison between the original Willerby caravans and the holiday homes built today. I think my father would be absolutely thrilled to see how far they’ve come.

“He started the business hand-building caravans from a small shed. I don’t think he could ever have imagined what it is today. He would be delighted.”

Hull-based Willerby organised the VIP meeting after Jean read a media article about the company’s achievements and called the head office out of the blue to say her father would be proud to see how far the business he founded had come.

During the reunion Jean was able to shed light on her father’s extraordinary life as well as details of Willerby’s early days, which have been lost in the mists of time.

Jean revealed that Walter was born and spent his early years in Russia, where his family had settled generations earlier, having moved from Scotland. At the age of 18, he came to the UK as a refugee fleeing the Russian Revolution.

After living and working in London, Walter moved to the Hull area in the early 1940s with his wife, Marjorie, and a young Jean, opening a saw mill and timber business in nearby Beverley.

During the war years, Walter launched a beekeeping enterprise, then, in 1946, switched from making beehives to building caravans, driven by the emergence of caravan holidays in the post-war period.

After launching the business as a one-man band, Walter took it to new heights, taking on a site in Willerby, on the western edge of Hull, thereby giving the company its name, building up a dedicated workforce and selling caravans across the UK and parts of Europe.

Walter remained at the helm of Willerby for more than 20 years before selling the business shortly before his death in 1970 due to declining health.

Willerby Marketing Manager April Court said: “Meeting with Jean and hearing about the earliest days of the business from someone who lived through them was very special.

“We have colleagues working with us at Willerby who have been with the business for more than 40 years, and can remember moving to our current site on Hedon Road in Hull. That was a significant milestone for us as a business, but, by speaking to Jean, we’ve been able to go back much further.

“It was a privilege to be able to reconnect Jean with such an important part of her family history and show how we’ve looked after the business which her father worked so hard to create.”

The heart-warming reunion was held at Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall, just a short drive from Devon where Jean now lives.

Jon Hyatt, Managing Director of Hendra Holiday Park, said: “We’re delighted to have played a part in making this special reunion possible for Willerby, Jean and her family, enabling them to discover more about their shared heritage.”