Fylde man sells dilapidated caravan for £2,100 on eBay - and boosts British Heart Foundation

When Lytham man Michael Ellis put a dilapidated 80’s caravan on eBay - under pressure from his mum - he thought it might struggle to reach £200.
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Michael’s main aim was just to get it off the driveway, but within days bids rocketed and incredibly the wreck finally went for £2,100 this week.

Not only that, but the caravan attracted nearly half a million followers… and 42-year-old Michael has even had two marriage proposals and several offers of a date!

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The huge level of interest was thanks to his comedic running commentary about the state of the caravan, his mother’s mission to get him to take up badminton, and a bucket he was throwing in that had been used to catch water from a broken skylight.

The old caravan which went down a storm on eBayThe old caravan which went down a storm on eBay
The old caravan which went down a storm on eBay

All proceeds from the sale of the caravan will now be donated to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in memory of Michael’s father, Dave, who died suddenly from complications following a triple heart bypass in December last year.

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Michael originally listed the 1980s Ci Europa 4-berth caravan as a ‘slightly beige house on wheels in half decent nick, considering its age’ with a leaky skylight – and set a reserve price of £15.

As the post took off Michael was inundated with hundreds of private messages asking questions about his single status and his mum, Sylvia.

Sylvia Ellis, Michael's mum, was amazed at how much the caravan raisedSylvia Ellis, Michael's mum, was amazed at how much the caravan raised
Sylvia Ellis, Michael's mum, was amazed at how much the caravan raised
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Michael said: “I put my mum's caravan on eBay after she was nagging me to get it off her driveway and things just spiralled from there.

"Now I’ve found myself becoming this weird, unintentional blogger!

"But mum and I are amazed and delighted that it has raised a good chunk of money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Dad…that was the whole point.

"We had many great childhood holidays in that caravan so it’s bittersweet to let go of it.

Michael Ellis' dad, Dave, who inspired the the donation to the British Heart FoundationMichael Ellis' dad, Dave, who inspired the the donation to the British Heart Foundation
Michael Ellis' dad, Dave, who inspired the the donation to the British Heart Foundation
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“Dad suffered a heart attack last October and had to have an emergency triple heart bypass. But during his eight weeks in hospital, he just kept getting infections and eventually all his organs failed, and we lost him.

"It was a huge shock. It is still really raw, and we all miss him a lot, but I really wanted to start raising money for the BHF in Dad’s memory.

“Mum is flabbergasted about the whole thing bless her and while she claims the caravan is ‘vintage’ she had no idea it would be able to raise this much money.

Emma Dickinson, fundraising manager for Lancashire at the British Heart FoundationEmma Dickinson, fundraising manager for Lancashire at the British Heart Foundation
Emma Dickinson, fundraising manager for Lancashire at the British Heart Foundation

"We thought it would raise £200 but incredibly the bids reached £2,100.”

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On top of proceeds from the caravan, Michael estimates hundreds more has been raised from generous donations from admirers who have messaged him via eBay and his new twitter account.

In a poetic twist Michael’s dad, Dave, used to sell caravans and Michael jokes: “He was really bad at it, so he’d find it hilarious that I’m ‘accidentally’ proven to be much better than

him!”

Emma Dickinson, fundraising manager for Lancashire at the British Heart Foundation said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Michael and his family for their donation the British Heart Foundation.

"We hope the caravan will make someone a happy camper while raising money for the BHF’s life saving research into heart and circulatory disease.”

To find out more about ways to donate to the BHF or for fundraising ideas, visit: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help

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