TV surprise teacher thanks Willerby for gift that will make family memories for years to come
Mrs Crawley and her daughter Becky in the Saturday Night Takeaway studio with presenters Ant & Dec.
An inspirational teacher has sent a “massive thank you” to Willerby for the holiday home retirement gift that will enable her to continue to make family memories at the beauty spot she has visited for more than 50 years. The amazing gift was revealed to a live TV audience of over seven million on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
Much-loved Deputy Headteacher Kath Crawley was stunned when she realised she was at the centre of a surprise tribute to her decades of dedication to teaching and her local community on the hit TV show. Mrs Crawley plans to retire in July, after 38 years as a teacher – the past 32 at St Thomas’ CE Primary School in Wigan.
Mrs Crawley and her daughter, Becky, when the teacher realised she was appearing live on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
Willerby donated a stunning, brand new, two-bedroom Willerby Brookwood Holiday Home to Mrs Crawley as the perfect retirement gift. It will be sited at Avon Wood Holiday Home Park in Newby Bridge on the shores of Windermere in the Lake District, a special place which the kind-hearted teacher and her family have classed as their second home for more than five decades.
The moment Kath Crawley was told she had been given a Willerby Brookwood holiday home live on TV during Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Mrs Crawley said: “Fifty two years ago, my Granny Maud took me, my sister and two cousins on the bus from Wigan to Avon Wood and she ended up buying a caravan there.
“Granny Maud is no longer with us, but we’ve been going ever since and, while we’ve upgraded a few times, it has never been a brand new caravan. Our current caravan is more than 20 years old and I was toying with the idea of changing it when I retire, but I definitely didn’t expect this.
“I’d like to say a massive thank you to Willerby. It means so much to me and my family and it’s so nice to know our future generations can keep visiting this lovely place as our family grows.”
After her retirement, Mrs Crawley plans to stay at the holiday home at least one week out of three, making the most of her special gift and enjoying the further company of her cousins who own the caravan adjacent to hers on the site.
Willerby CEO Peter Munk said: “Willerby is all about creating dreams and, in our 75th anniversary year, we’re delighted that our gift of a new holiday home has made a dream come true for Mrs Crawley and her family.
“We’re looking forward to delivering Mrs Crawley’s Brookwood holiday home and beginning a new chapter for her and her family.
As well as donating this Brookwood holiday home, Willerby will cover the cost of transporting it to the Avon Wood Holiday Home Park in the Lake District and installation on site, taking the total value of the surprise gift to £47,000.
The stunning Brookwood holiday home donated by Willerby to retiring teacher Kath Crawley features a comfortable open-plan lounge, spacious kitchen and stylish breakfast bar.
