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Press
Review
The Bury Press
Published Date:
18 September 2009
A neglected family caravan, which
was once home to roosting chickens, has been given a TV makeover – and its owners are tickled pink.
Paul Cooper, from Beech Terrace, Stowmarket, was given
the caravan by a friend to enable him to take his family on trips to his favourite fishing spot at Riverside Lake, in Onehouse.
But the 18-year-old Monza 450 had spent years sitting on a farm being used only by chickens and was in desperate need
of renovating.
"It was so smelly, I had to take it back to the bare wood," said Mr Cooper.
"I was going to do it up myself but I knew it would take a long time."
Then one day, his wife Julie,
45, was watching ITV's This Morning when she saw a competition for the chance to win a caravan makeover by interior designer
Linda Barker.
Daughters, Jodie, 17, and Charlotte, 13, quickly jumped at the chance and wrote to Linda asking for
'Dad's caravan to be done up in pink'.
A few weeks later, the family were picked as the winners and
were soon towing their caravan down to London to appear on the show.
Mr Cooper, a mechanic, said: "We didn't
know what to expect. It was fantastic and we were on air for about 40 minutes."
The 48-year-old added: "I
was the only one who needed to have make-up done because of my shiny head so I got to meet all the girls from ITV's Loose
Women in the dressing room and James Morrison."
During the show Linda and a team of helpers spent an hour
transforming the Coopers caravan into a stylish pink home-from-home.
Mr Cooper said: "Linda didn't get
to do everything she wanted in the time allowed, so one of the companies donating fittings offered to take it back to their
factory in Birmingham and finish it completely."
On Friday, the family got to see their newly-renovated caravan
for the first time, when company Care A Van delivered it back home.
Mr Cooper said: "They did a brilliant
job. It has new carpets, pink wallpaper, lighting, seating and cushions. It doesn't bother me at all that it's pink
as it's more for the girls and will give us a place to getaway."
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