Caravan builder Willerby is backing a new venture that is upcycling classic caravans, adding a Seventies vintage twist and a large dose of retro.
Kent-based Club Jupiter is a renovation project launched by interior design, style and travel-loving friends Anna Hart, Emma Jane Palin and Whinnie Williams.
Setting their sights on championing 海角视频 breaks and making caravans cool, the friends bought a three bedroom 2010-model BK Bluebird at Birchington Vale Holiday Park and have set to work on a complete makeover.
One of the Hull company's builds, the East Yorkshire team is now helping to promote a fashionable new image for the great British staycation.
Anna, Emma and Whinnie are documenting their self-styled design ideas, inspirations and progress on Instagram, with the ambition to put caravan holidays and experiences on the agenda for a new generation.
The friends all live in Margate. Anna is a travel journalist, Emma an interiors writer and stylist, and Whinnie an interior designer, and they have a combined social media audience of more than 100,000 followers - raising the eyebrows of expanding Willerby’s marketeers.
They all have fond childhood memories of family caravan holidays and Whinnie used to stay at Birchington Vale, or Two Chimneys as it was previously known, even keeping a park brochure from the time, which will inspire one of the caravan’s bathrooms.
Fuelled by a shared love of travel and interior design, Club Jupiter was born as a direct result of the Covid pandemic and lockdown.
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Emma said: “We were looking for something different to do and a challenge during lockdown. We’ve all grown up enjoying caravan holidays, so this is very nostalgic for all of us and really close to our hearts.
“We absolutely love our BK Bluebird; Willerby is a brand with a fantastic heritage and we feel we’ve become part of the Willerby family. They reached out to us and we connected via Instagram, so we love how it has happened so naturally and we’ve formed a fantastic partnership.”
The friends are aiming to complete the caravan renovation for May 17, when the domestic tourism and hospitality industries are due to fully re-open - though self-contained accommodation came back last month.
Whinnie said: “We have dreams of running a hotel or a B&B in the future, so this is the first step. As we have such nostalgic memories of caravan holidays, we thought it would be great to make caravans cool and introduce them to a younger market.
“We’ve had so much interest already. Our primary target audiences are groups of women, such as hen parties, couples and young friends, but anyone can book the caravan and it will be available to hire for photoshoots. We can’t wait for people to see it.”
Keeping the finished look under wraps, living and bathroom areas are inspired by Americana Fifties and Sixties vibes. They have each designed their own bedroom reflecting their individual personalities and tastes.
Anna said: “This is the perfect time for Club Jupiter, as many people don’t feel comfortable going abroad just yet, plus people have discovered the 海角视频 is a great place to have a holiday.
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“We wanted to put our memories from our childhoods and our style inspirations into a pre-loved caravan, to encourage people our age to experience caravan holidays.
“The theme is a modern update on a traditional caravan holiday. We’re describing it as Pontins meets Palm Springs – you’ve still got the British seaside heritage and everything that comes with it, as well as really cool interiors and experiential accommodation.”
Club Jupiter has already appeared in The Sunday Times Style magazine on caravan mini-breaks, highlighted in a ‘Hot List’.
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Chloe Lidster, head of marketing at Willerby, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary year with a major production and sales expansion, said: “We absolutely love Club Jupiter and the amazing makeover Anna, Emma and Whinnie are creating.
“We’re proud of our heritage and the part we have played in making holiday memories for generations and we’re excited by how Club Jupiter is combining past and present to bring a new twist to the holiday home.
“Our partnership with Club Jupiter is an innovative way of promoting the great British staycation at a time when millions of people are discovering or re-discovering the joys of holidays in the 海角视频.”