A COUPLE from Rhyl had to re-arrange their wedding reception the night before they tied the knot after an unauthorised encampment parked at the town’s rugby club.
Lee McCormick, 42, married Kimberley, 37, at St. Margaret's Church, Bodelwyddan on Saturday (May 6), and were due to have their reception at Rhyl Rugby Club.
But following roughly 15 caravans arriving at the club’s Tynewydd Fields last weekend, the club was forced to close, and did not re-open until yesterday morning after the encampment left on Monday (May 8).
Thankfully for the couple, who have been together for nearly six years, they were able to re-arrange their reception “at the very last minute” the night before, with it instead being held at Meliden Community Centre.
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Lee said: “A couple of hours before we were due to dress the room for the reception, the first caravan arrived, claiming to have ‘broken down’ despite already setting up their generator.
“The rugby club were on the ball and locked the gates immediately.
“When we came to dress the venue, the first caravan was still on site, but as the gates were locked and we were having to contact the club to gain access, we thought everything was secure and carried on dressing the room.
“We had to come to and from the venue to bring our things in for the wedding, and Lee (Blackmore, Rhyl Rugby Club manager) saw about six vehicles and caravans as they headed at speed towards the rugby club.
“He called the club to give warning that the ‘Travellers’ were on their way, and by the time Lee arrived back at the venue, the ‘Travellers’ were already on site, having cut the locks open with bolt cutters.”
Lee said that rugby club staff told the group that they had parked their vehicles on private property, but that despite this, they still refused to move.
He added that doors were locked and shutters pulled down to keep staff and those at the venue - including the couple’s two 10-year-old children - safe.
Following police’s arrival at the club, the couple were told they would need to leave the premises.
Fortunately, though, Lee’s sister began to call alternative venues, which resulted in Meliden Community Centre being booked at 11pm that night for the reception the following day.
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He said: “The reception had already been set up, so, a quick call to family and friends and all of a sudden, everyone turned up, rallying round, packing stuff away.
“The rugby club offered things like plastic glasses and plates; they were beyond helpful and were genuinely gutted for us.
“Family and friends worked extremely hard through the early hours to make the day go ahead, and they did the best job of such an awful situation. The room looked gorgeous!”
Lee, who has since flown to Greece to enjoy his honeymoon with Kimberley, said the turbulence of Friday evening did not spoil the following day at all.
If anything, he said, it only served to make his wedding day even more unforgettable.
He added: “We ended up having an absolute ball. It wasn't how we had planned it at all, but every single person who came to the reception said how amazing the day was and how we managed to pull it all off.
“A big thank you, also, to Morrisons for the wine and pint glasses, and to Skeffington Properties for letting us use their skips to get rid of the rubbish from the reception the day after.
“The ‘Travellers’ didn't ruin our day; in fact, they made the day even more memorable. It's definitely a story to tell the grandchildren, and we have had a right giggle about it.
“It just showed us what you can achieve when everyone pulls together. We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts.”
The turn of events last weekend also caused Rhyl Rugby Club to cancel a visit from Carmarthen Athletic during their tour on Sunday, as well as its usual Monday night fun club for adults with special needs.
Lee Blackmore, manager of Rhyl Rugby Club, said that a committee meeting will be held next Monday to discuss how to prevent this from re-occurring.
A clean-up operation of the now-vacant site has already started, with the aid of Denbighshire County Council.
He added: “We’re obviously disappointed for them. It was out of our control.
“It was just so unfortunate that they had to be caught up in it; it was no fault of theirs. They had no doubt spent months preparing and organising things.
“Hopefully, it won’t happen again.”
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