Newsletter January 2025
As we settle into 2025, we hope this message finds you, and your motorhomes, warm, well-rested, and ready for the adventures ahead. While for some the start of the year can be a little slow to get going after the festive season, for us it’s all systems go for what promises to be a brilliant year with lots going on.
Before we get to that, and given the freezing weather of late, just a quick reminder to make sure you’re looking after your vehicles as the mercury plummets. If you’re not a hundred percent sure what to do, remember that it’s all in your owner’s ‘How to Guide.’
While we are only a few weeks in, this year is already shaping up to be an exciting one here at RP as we expand our workshop space. Planning permission has been approved for a brand-new workshop next door to our current location, which will allow us to work on some exciting new developments on the vehicle front, including the all-new Rebellion. Stay tuned for more news on this front.
Both Steve and I are always immensely grateful to have such a brilliant team working on all aspects of the company and vehicles. So, in order to recognise them, we will be launching a new ‘Meet the Team’ section on the website in the coming weeks, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the people who bring your vehicles to life.
Finally, February is just around the corner, which means it’s not long until the NEC Show, where we will be with our mighty Pebble Rebel. We always love seeing as many of you there as possible, so if you are attending, be sure to come by for a catch-up.
As always, we would be nowhere without you, so thank you for being a part of the RP family, and here’s to a great year ahead.
Steve & Jaye Young
Meet the Owners
Not all stories follow the script we hope for. They don’t all get the fairytale endings they deserve, something RP owner Jayne Leach is all too aware of.
The dream had always been to travel in their Rebellion 4 AWD together, husband and wife continuing a lifelong passion for travel and adventure that began back in Peru many years earlier. But it didn’t play out like that. Jayne’s husband, John, sadly passed away after just one trip in the van together, leaving her questioning whether she would even keep it.
“When I lost John, the vehicle sat on the yard for, what, eight, nine, maybe ten months, and all I did was go and sit in it,” she explains. “I didn't drive it. I didn't go anywhere in it. I didn't think I could manage it on my own. And did I even want to do it on my own? It wasn't my dream. It was our dream.”
A dream that had previously spanned many years and many countries. From the heights of Machu Picchu in Peru to the scorched savannahs of Southern Africa, and so many other destinations in between, Jayne and John lived a life full of adventure together, explorers in their own right with a passion for venturing to parts of the world few others see.
“It all started in Peru when we went on our first big trip with the company we work alongside,” Jayne says. “It was the first time I went to what I call the big outdoors, the first time I saw this big, wide world. That’s when I thought, ‘I need to go see a lot more.’”
And see a lot more of it they did, venturing far and wide, seeing the world, experiencing different cultures and meeting all manner of people from varied backgrounds. Although, for all the travel they embarked on together, there was one part of the world that kept calling them back.
“My heart lies in Africa,” Jayne confesses. “They always say Africa has its own heartbeat, and I truly believe that. We traveled so much there, up through Namibia to Angola, through Botswana and Zimbabwe, across into Malawi and Mozambique, just us, our van, and the dirt road ahead.
“They were the best days together, meeting wonderful people and sharing experiences like no other. John always spoke with such fondness about the time we spent with the San people in Angola and the Himba tribe in Namibia, the sorts of experiences you usually only see on TV.”
As with every story, theirs evolved. With that came the need for a different vehicle, one that would allow them to head off the beaten track but also enable adventures a little closer to home. That’s where RP Motorhomes came in, or rather, Steve and Jaye, because it was them as people who really won Jayne over at a time when the RP brand was still in its early years.
“What I loved about Steve and Jaye was their passion for their brand and the vehicles they were building,” Jayne says. “They were fully engaged. It wasn’t just a vehicle, it was more than that for them, and I loved that. I loved the fact that everything was possible. There were no limits, and nothing was ever a problem. You don’t get that with the big commercial brands. That was exciting for us because, finally, we found a vehicle that was comfortable, suitable for both of us, and we were dead excited to go off traveling.”
This is where the story diverges from the script Jayne had written in her head. Not long after a week away in Switzerland together, John’s health began to deteriorate, and, unbeknownst to them at the time, it would prove to be their final adventure together.
Despite serious misgivings, Jayne didn’t sell the van. Over time, she slowly got back into using it, starting with a few overnight trips with her sister before embarking on a month-long journey through the French Alps with her son and his family. This culminated in joining RP’s Balkans Odyssey last year, something she never imagined she would do but is immensely grateful she did.
Jayne and her son Marcus on the recent RP Adventures tour of the Balkans
“I think I always said I’d never go with a group,” she says. “We always traveled independently. We were brave enough to go anywhere, do anything, see anything. Looking back, we often put ourselves in danger, but at the time, you never thought about that, you were just adventurous. So when I was asked about the Balkans trip, it was a flat ‘no’ at first. But then I thought to myself, ‘Well, there’s a certain type of person that buys these vehicles. They’ve got to want to travel; they’ve got to have a sense of adventure about them.’
“If I’m honest, it was with a little bit of reluctance that I eventually signed up for the trip. But it was incredible. The people I met, the bonds we formed, the memories we created, the laughter, the places we saw, everybody helping each other, it was something rather special and unique. It was a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait for Morocco now.”
One of the joys of life is that we always have the chance to write the next chapter, even when the story doesn’t unfold as we once dreamt it would. Jayne personifies this as she continues to travel, continues to seek out meaningful moments that will enrich her life, continues to write the story that John would have wanted her to.
Dates for your Diary
Caravan, Camping at Motorhome Show at the NEC | February 18-23
We will be at the Show all week with our mighty Rebel so please stop by for a coffee if you’re going.
RP Owners Forum | July 4th-6th
We will once again be hosting our annual owners gathering in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, and hope to welcome as many of you as possible for what promises to be a great occasion. Full details will be shared soon, but for now, to book your place, please contact Jaye.
Morocco Adventure | October 6th-22nd and January 12th-28th 2026.
After the success of our Balkans trip we are delighted to have so many of you joining us for what will now be two Morocco trips. There is one place left for the January trip, so if you’re interested please contact Jaye ASAP.