A retro Campervan company run by a husband and wife team from Otley is moving to larger premises after enjoying a bumper first two years.

Mechanic John Richardson started Liberty Campers with his wife, Tracey, in 2009 after losing his job with the Richard Alexander Volkswagen car dealership, which had folded in the run-up to Christmas.

The couple decided to turn their shared passion for classic VW Campervans to commercial use by hiring out their 1963 mint green van, Dylan – and discovered there was high demand.

A loan allowed them to buy a second vehicle, Dougal – a flower-themed orange van made in Brazil – a few months later, and from then their fleet has grown.

Now, with six strikingly-styled vans on their books, they are moving to a business unit in Addingham with bookings booming.

John, recalling the precarious position he was in only two years ago, said: “It was a worrying time.

“I’d never been out of a job since leaving school at 16, but we decided that this was an opportunity to take a risk and turn our hobby into a business.”

Tracey said: “We seem to have found a niche at a time when all things retro have a wide appeal, and more people than ever are wanting to holiday in the UK.

“When we began to research at the end of 2008 there were no VW Campervan hire companies in the north of England.

“We’re very proud to have been the first and to be the largest. John and I run the business entirely ourselves and we’re sticklers for detail, both mechanically and in making sure the vans go out looking like new.”

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