Mega family celebrates Easter and PvdA wants fewer municipalities: this happened today

From a mega family that celebrates Easter with 211 people to the PvdA that wants to make half of Brabant’s municipalities disappear. These are the five stories you must read on Saturday.

The Easter weekend is just around the corner, but full campsites are not guaranteed. That mainly depends on the weather, say campsite owners in Sint-Oedenrode and Someren. “I wouldn’t go camping in the rain and cold,” says Saskia de Vries from De Somerweij campsite. It’s a different story at holiday parks: according to EuroParcs Kaatsheuvel, guests book there a lot later than last year. “People look around the clock,” says Ron Bornhout. The VAT increase to 21 percent plays a role in this, German guests in particular are staying away more often. Read the whole story here.

Buyers of covered mobility scooters have been seriously defrauded by a Brabant seller. After payment, they are left with the wrong or even life-threatening vehicles, they receive no service and they lose thousands of euros. The seller advertises a showroom that is not his at all. “This seller is absolutely not our dealer,” confirms owner Toine Oosterbosch of Move in Eindhoven, who is considering legal action. Contact with the seller is virtually impossible and victims are crying at the real dealer. Check it out here.

This year the Van Rhee family is celebrating Easter for the fortieth time in Riethoven with a reunion. What started with thirty people in 1986 has grown into a mega family of 211 people. Grandma’s 122 crates of beer and liters of soup have been prepared for the weekend. “At exactly eight o’clock in the evening we ring the bell and the cork can be removed from the bottle,” says 85-year-old Thea. The program consists of pétanque, a children’s playback show, a six-camp and a festive Easter breakfast. Read their story here.

The picturesque fortified town of Grave was completely destroyed about 350 years ago. In 1674, the city was besieged for four months by Dutch troops who wanted to get the French out. For the 1,500 inhabitants it was hell on earth due to the incessant bombardment with cannons and burning bullets. “This murderous fire had the most terrible effect on the city,” writes historian P. Hendrikx about that time. After four months the French gave up, leaving a city razed to the ground. You can read the whole story here.

Finally: the PvdA in Brabant wants half of the municipalities to disappear. Group chairman Ward Deckers believes that small municipalities in particular will no longer be able to cope with the major challenges. “I’m just throwing the ball into the woods now,” he says. According to Deckers, a municipality should have at least 50,000 inhabitants to be decisive. Large municipalities pay better and have more specialists, while small municipalities have difficulty finding staff. “I am certainly not going for the popularity prize, but it is very necessary that we start thinking about this.” Read his analysis here.