MP visits as Hurley Riverside Park kicks off 100th anniversary celebrations

A family-run holiday park in Hurley has kicked off its 100th year of operations with a special reception during English Tourism Week.

On Friday, March 13, Hurley Riverside Park welcomed Joshua Reynolds, MP for Maidenhead, to its Thames location for a tour of the 15-acre site and a discussion on tourism in the area.

The hospitality business has been in the Burfitt family for generations and was once a working farm before being converted into a four-field operation welcoming caravans, campers and motorhomes.

Will Burfitt, a fourth-generation manager of the family firm, says that he is proud of his family’s contribution to tourism in the borough and enjoyed the opportunity to share in his successes with the local MP.

“Joshua showed a great deal of interest in the park and we had a chat about how people have been making Hurley their holiday destination for decades.

“He and George Blundell (Lib Dem councillor for Hurley) were quite enthusiastic about what we bring to the area.

“He also listened to our concerns about the [Temple] bridge closure and we talked about one of his campaigns around river pollution.

“Overall, he showed a lot of support for what we do and didn’t know about the extent of our business and things like the caravans that we sell, so we were happy to show him around.”

Will’s great-grandfather, Christopher Burfitt, bought the land in 1926 for farming, initially keeping cows and later expanding to producing wheat, barley, oats and beans.

In the years following the end of the Second World War, visitors arrived in the village by the coach load to sit on the riverbank and take in the farmland and people could see its potential as a holiday destination.

“Soon they came with caravans and requests were made for more permanent facilities to be available to members of the public,” said Will.

“A project to install infrastructure began in the 1960s, starting with the holiday park and then the touring and camping park.”

Since those early days visitors have come from all over the UK, including as far north as Newcastle and Scotland with the furthest guest travelling from Thailand.

“Customers come from all over England and we get quite a lot of people from Holland and Germany as well,” said Will.

“We’ve even had people from within the village come and stay with us, or locals from Marlow and Maidenhead.

“Some people don’t have gardens or live in flats or simply like being by the river and it’s perfect here for that.”

Plans to officially mark Hurley Riverside Park’s 100 years are in the making for later on in the spring and will include a new logo, tree planting and an open day.

Noting how much the business has boosted tourism in the area, Josh Reynolds MP said: “As part of English Tourism Week, I was delighted to visit Hurley Riverside Park, a truly special destination right on our doorstep in the Maidenhead constituency.

“I was warmly welcomed by the Burfitt family, who kindly took the time to show me around the park and share their passion for this beautiful riverside site.

“It was a very pleasurable visit.

“The park is a wonderful example of the kind of high-quality, family-friendly tourism that Maidenhead does so well.

“English Tourism Week is a timely reminder that we don't need to travel far to find something worth celebrating. Hurley Riverside Park is a gem, and I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t visited to make the trip.”