Who Owns Thornley Leisure Parks? Find out more about the Family behind our Holiday Parks
Thornley Leisure Parks isn’t just another name in UK holiday parks – it’s a family-run business built on generations of care, connection and a shared passion for creating extraordinary places to relax and explore.
Our story began with a simple belief: holidays should be personal. That’s why, from our very first park to the thriving collection we run today across North Wales, Cheshire and North Yorkshire, we’ve stayed true to our values of warmth, quality and community. Now, with 10 Award Winning Holiday Parks, we’ve grown thoughtfully – choosing each park for its natural beauty and potential to deliver something special for our guests. But what’s never changed is the hands-on family involvement that drives every part of our business.
Who Owns Thornley Leisure Parks?
A Family-First Approach
So, who owns Thornley Leisure Parks? The answer: a dedicated family team that brings real heart to hospitality. Behind the scenes – and often right there on-site – our directors lead the way with a shared commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.
See pictured David SNR and his children David JNR and Libby, with both of their children James and Hannah.
A family tradition over 3 generations
Our Roots – A Family Vision for UK Holidays
Thornley Leisure Parks was founded by William (Bill) Sutcliffe Thornley and his wife Dorothy in 1962. The couple, originally bakers from Cheshire, had holidayed in North Wales for many years and when the opportunity to establish a bakery in Conwy came their way, they decided to relocate with their twin boys to the area they had grown so fond of.
See pictured Dorothy and William Thornley
Managing the business today
Family-Owned, Family-Run
Thornley Leisure Parks now owns and operates Ten Holiday Parks, seven in North Wales, one in Mid Wales, Cheshire and North Yorkshire. The business is ran by David Thornley Snr (Bill and Dorothy’s son) along with his two children, David Jr and Libby (Bill and Dorothy’s grandchildren), and their partners Will and Beth.
They all continue the legacy of delivering high standards of customer service and attention to detail that the late Bill and Dorothy Thornley initiated over 60 years ago, in the hope that one day they can pass the business to their children.
See pictured our youngest member of the Thornley team, Hannah!
What do you think makes Thornley Leisure Parks different from other holiday park groups?
David SNR:
From day one, Thornley Leisure Parks has been a family business. My parents started the business to improve their work life balance and in turn they loved to be able to provide other families the opportunity to spend quality time together. Family is still very much at the heart of what we do.
Libby:
The main reason Thornley Leisure Parks is different from other Holiday Park groups of our size is that we are still a small family run business at our core. The Thornley family still make all the decisions and are hands on with their management style. You will find a member of the family out on the parks or in head office at all times and we like to think that giving the teams we work with both out on park and in head office the security and comfort of knowing that, means that they have the ability to solve problems and act quickly to ensure our customers needs are met quickly and problems solved. Without having that close eye on the business from all aspects, you can start to lose sight of the finer details which I believe is another thing that sets our parks apart. We take huge pride in all our parks and love seeing them flourish throughout the year, which is down to the daily hard work of our teams.
David JNR:
We’re a family owned and operated group of caravan parks, myself and my sister have grown up on the parks, some of our staff are like family and a lot of the customers are like friends. We’ve always tried to create parks we would be happy to holiday at. Saying that a lot of our childhood was spent holidaying at both Ocean Heights and Dinlle!
The Beach Caravan Park, North Wales
Special place in my heart..
What’s your favourite park across the portfolio and why?
David SNR: It’s very difficult to choose a favourite park as they all hold special memories for me, but Craiglwyd Hall Caravan Park holds an extra special place in my heart. It was the first park my parents purchased and the park where I really learnt the holiday park business watching them build it from the ground up.
David JNR: That’s a hard one as they all have special memories for one reason or another. I first learned to ride a bike at Maenan Abbey when we lived there for a short time when I was 5 years old after our house had been condemned for a problem with the gas ( I love riding bikes!). I fell in love with Gallaber the first time we drove up the drive and still get the same emotions now, whatever the season, when I call in on the park. I spent a lot of holidays as a child at Ocean Heights and our grandad would organise games of football between all the kids, they were fond memories.
Libby: Do I have to choose just one?? I have a very soft spot for Ocean Heights Caravan Park as when my brother and I were young that was where we would spend a lot of our holiday time with our Mum, Nan and Auntie that wasn’t really an auntie but a close friend of my Nans (we’ve all got them!). I have some great memories of going from caravan to caravan playing board games and generally getting up to mischief with the Brosters, Litherlands and Griffiths kids, some of which are still owners today. Playing football till it went dark and coming home caked in mud after an afternoon of den building – not a smart phone or tablet in sight!
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about the business?
David SNR: I think people might be surprised to learn that my parents were bakers by trade. My grandfather on my mother’s side owned Welsh Home Loaf and asked my parents to relocate from Congleton to Conwy to run the bakery for him. They had a caravan sited on the Conwy Morfa at the time. They moved their young family to Conwy with the intention to find a caravan park to purchase when one came to market. When Craiglwyd Hall came for sale it had half a roof and no floorboards, but it did have planning permission for a caravan park. My father saw its potential immediately and jumped at the opportunity and the rest, as they say, is history.
David JNR: Mark Zukerburg came up with the idea for Facebook when staying at The Beach Caravan Park. Before starting the caravan park business our family were bakers from Congleton who started the business Mr Kipling.
Libby: Now I don’t want to ruin my brother’s story and whilst there is a connection to Mr Kipling cakes, our family did not start that business. Our great grandfather, John M Roberts was one of the owners of Birkett & Roberts Ltd in Stoke on Trent. The Birkett & Roberts Trent Vale bakery produced Champion Break & Cakes and the beautiful art deco building is still standing today. The bakery was later taken over by Manor foods which went on to introduce Mr Kipling cakes which were produced at the factory in 1967.
I totally stand by his Mark Zuckerburg story though!
Birkett & Trent Letter Head, and Champion Bakery in Stoke-on-Trent
Mark Zuckerberg at The Beach Caravan Park when he came up with the idea for Meta (AI Generated Image!)
Make the most of family time..
What motivates you in your work?
David SNR: I truly love the business we are in and to get to do what you love every day is a real privilege. No two days are the same at Thornley Leisure Parks and the constant changes keep it interesting. What motivates me most is seeing the business that I have built from where I took it on all those years ago, to where it is today.
Libby: The thing that motivates me most in my work is delivering Holiday Parks that our family are proud of and keeping the personal approach to ensure the attention to detail is maintained, especially as the business grows. It’s wonderful to see the next generation of families love the parks just as much as their parents and grandparents have. In such a fast paced world, it’s so important to be able to switch off and make the most of family time and that’s what I believe we are able to offer and what motivates me.
David JNR: No two days are the same so it’s easy to stay motivated in work but we are constantly striving to create better parks, for our customers to have better experiences, making memories.
What does the future hold for Thornley Leisure Parks?
David SNR:
It has been very special to take the business on from my parents and grow it to where we are today, but to be able to do it now with my own kids is something I am very proud of. Seeing them grow within the business fills me with pride I am confident that the future of Thornley Leisure Parks is very bright.
Libby:
Oh to have that crystal ball…… I think Thornley Leisure Parks has a bright future ahead. I am positive that we won’t stay a 10 park group for long and the next park that fits into our portfolio is on the horizon somewhere which is exciting. With the fourth generation hot on our heels I think the business will be here for many years to come and as long as we stay true to our grandparents ethos of providing safe and secure holidays for families to enjoy the Thornley name will continue to be strong within the industry.
David JNR:
We definitely want to grow the business by adding more parks to the group as well as looking at alternative offerings of accommodation. It also wont be too long before James & Hannah pop up somewhere in the business!!
Building with Care – Our Parks and People
Our Holiday Parks are carefully chosen for their location, amenities and grounds.
We have a variety of holiday parks, from the sweeping coastline of North Wales, to the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales.
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