After 18 years service in the Royal Engineers, Steven Thompson is ready for a new challenge and has set up his own business hiring out VW Transporter vans to holiday makers for flexible time periods.

Outdoor enthusiasts Steve and his partner Charlotte Asson, got the idea to set up the company after renting a classic split screen VW camper van for a short break in West Wales.

While they thoroughly enjoyed the experience, Steve thought he could use the fitting skills he had acquired in the Army to customise VW Transporter vans to provide a whole host of modern creature comforts for holidaymakers wanting to travel between locations.

The company, Morning VW Camper Van Hire has leased a unit on Phoenix Park in Newport which doubles as a booking office for the business and as a workshop for Steve to work on the vans.

They have already converted two vans that are now available to hire. Both of which sleep up to four people, include custom made fixtures and fittings including a cooker, Wi-Fi, TV/DVD, diesel night heater and power hook ups.

“Setting up the business has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced,” commented Steve, “Charlotte and I have been planning this since I knew the date I would be leaving the Army and we’ve worked tirelessly to get everything in place to give us a great start. The unit is perfect for our requirements and provides our customers with secure parking inside to leave their cars when they collect a van to go off exploring. We don’t limit the mileage so one of the vans has already been up to Scotland. Just by word of mouth alone, we’ve received our first bookings and expect this to increase when the website goes live.”

The unit on Phoenix Park was let by M4 Property Consultants on behalf of The Centre for Business. Harry Dee, graduate surveyor said, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Steve and Charlotte. The specifications of the vans are superb and once they start to promote the business, I’m sure they will prove very popular. This letting proves the strong demand that exists in the current market for good quality, starter units. We only have a few of these available on our books and desperately need more units like this in Newport to encourage more start-up businesses”.