Escape in an O'Connors Camper. They're offering a £50 Rick Stein voucher - valid in all his shops, hotels, restaurants and cookery school - to all Good Energy customers taking a holiday with them between 23rd September and October 10th. Just quote GOODCAMPERS. Download the voucher at the bottom of the page.

 
He may look a bit like the van that stars in Little Miss Sunshine, but our Head of Customer Experience Anna assures us that Shiny Norman was a delight to drive and didn’t misbehave once.

One of a fleet of 15 vintage VW campers owned by Good Energy customer O’Connors Campers, Shiny Norman took Anna and her partner on a week-long jaunt around North Devon.

“It was just brilliant,” says Anna. “Shiny Norman is lovely to drive. You’ve got to get used to the old gear system and drive a bit more slowly but I loved it; it gives you a chance to take in the lovely scenery and the extra height means you can see so much further. The freedom is fantastic. You’re can just park up at a beach, get out for a play and then pack up to find the next gorgeous campsite.”

Browsing the O’Connors Campers website it’s clear that these guys have made quite a habit of giving people very special holidays as well as a brief taste of another way of life. “Everyone beeps and smiles at you as go past,” says Anna. “It makes other people happy just to see you drive by and we were getting that special surf sign, you know the one...” – cue confused hand-waving and finger-pointing – “from other VW drivers. It’s like you’ve joined a special club for a week.” According to Sam Money, wife of founder Pete O’Connor, it’s not uncommon for people to shed a tear on saying farewell to their van.

Her husband Pete has been restoring VWs for about 30 years and when they moved to the South West they thought there might be a market for renting the vans out to holiday makers. “It’s grown exponentially since then,” says Sam. “We’re driven to provide superb customer service and work hard to ensure our customers have everything they need to enjoy their holiday to the utmost – from giving them green and organic products in the van hampers,  supplying vans equipped with everything needed for a 'glamping' escape, and providing locals’ information about the best secret beaches, great pubs and fab activities for familes!”



Ranging from iconic 1960's splitscreens to the classic 1970's baywindows with a choice of either 2, 4, 5 or 6 berth vans each Camper has a name and a story to tell. Uma was a log store in a previous life and would have ended her days sinking into the ground if Pete hadn’t recycled her, Bill’s been on Top Gear and Mr. Orange went to Latitude Festival with the Sunday Times last year where the (fantastic!) band Midlake used him as a venue.

While they can’t currently do anything about the petrol guzzling of the vans – “back in the 60s and 70s people were more concerned about the width of their flares!” says Sam – O’Connors Campers makes sure they offset their carbon emissions. As well as choosing Good Energy’s 100% renewable electricity they have teamed up with Moor Trees, a charity who create and restore native woodlands. The charity has planted 520 broadleaf trees on their behalf on Dartmoor and in the Tamar Valleys.