A long-standing family-run taxi and coach hire company in Cornwall has gone into liquidation, leaving nearly £1m of debt and six people jobless. Summercourt Travel, in Newquay, was declared insolvent in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.
According to Companies House, the company entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation – a formal process allowing the directors of an insolvent company to voluntarily close the business – on December 18. Kim Richards and Richard Tonks of BK Plus, based in Walsall, in the West Midlands, were appointed as joint liquidators. The decision was officially published in The Gazette on Boxing Day.
Summercourt Travel’s accounts on Companies House show the business, established around 20 years ago, has left over £908,000 of unpaid debts. This includes a £280,000 directors’ loan to a creditor, £137,000 to London-based lender Funding Circle, nearly £31,000 to HSBC, just over £29,000 to HM Revenue and Customs, and almost £21,000 to Lancashire-based lender Haydock Finance Limited. Other creditors include Cornwall Council, various car companies, utility companies, and even Amazon for £43.
Despite Summercourt Travel entering liquidation, its directors Robert and Sam Ryder, along with company secretary Sharon Ryder, continue to operate Merlin Vehicle Rental and Travel Cornwall. Both businesses share the same address as the now-liquidated Summercourt. Online searches for Summercourt Travel redirect users to the still-operational Travel Cornwall’s website, reports Cornwall Live.
The site describes the company as a “a locally based family run company offering taxis, minibuses, executive cars and coach and bus services.It adds: ” It adds: “We’re situated between Newquay Town, Newquay Airport, St Austell, Bodmin, Truro, Fowey, St Ives, Falmouth, Perranporth, Padstow and Rock, and we’re in an ideal central location to provide services throughout Cornwall and further afield.”
We have reached out to both Robert Ryder, whose email address still references Summercourt Travel, and the liquidators for comment.
A representative from BK Plus Limited said: “Summercourt Travel Limited entered Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation on 18 December 2024 when Richard Tonks and Kim Richards of BK Plus, were appointed Joint Liquidators by the members and creditors of the company.
“Prior to our appointment, the company had ceased trading which led to one of its customers adopting contracts of employment to 24 of its employees, with the remaining six employees being made redundant.
“Following their appointment, the liquidators will now set about realising the company’s assets, liaising with creditors, and as is standard in any formal insolvency process, reviewing the circumstances surrounding the company’s demise.”
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