Two friends have spent lockdown converting two clapped-out ambulances into mobile homes complete with showers, double beds, and kitchens so they can go travelling around Britain together after Covid.
Amy Boughton, 25, and James Jackson, 32, bought the vehicles on eBay from the Boston Ambulance Service in Lincolnshire with the idea of doing them up ready for travelling.
Ms Boughton is planning to install a shower, gas, and creating a kitchen area in her ambulance while Mr Jackson has already added a double bed, solar power, on board water supply, two sofas, a pull out dining table and a small kitchen with a camping stove.
Amy Boughton working on her ambulance (left, with the kitchen just visible) and posing inside with one of her Labradors
Ms Boughton, 25, and James Jackson, 32, bought the vehicles on eBay from the Boston Ambulance Service in Lincolnshire with the idea of doing them up ready for travelling. They are pictured at Cheddar Gorge
The pair toasting their future travels with a beer. They hope to get onto the road once pandemic lockdown restrictions are eased
Ms Boughton, from Northamptonshire, spent £1,100 while Mr Jackson, of Oxfordshire, bought his for £3,000 from the same fleet.
Mr Jackson, who has named his ambulance Jambo, said: ‘So far, I’ve taken Jambo up to Lincolnshire to see family; Shropshire where I’m originally from; I’ve been to Barry Island in Wales and finally Amy and I went to Cheddar Gorge for the night.
‘I’m a bit of a dab hand at DIY; I’ve previously renovated a house and am usually found on my driveway covered in oil, fixing my car or motorbike.
‘This project started as a bit of a daft idea and turned into my saviour during lockdown! I started following a few people on YouTube and before I knew it, I had a van on my drive.’
The pair, who work in the public sector, became friends after meeting through work and have already visited Cheddar Gorge together.
Ms Boughton, from Northamptonshire, spent £1,100 while Mr Jackson, of Oxfordshire, bought his for £3,000 from the same fleet. Pictured is the inside of Mr Jackson’s ambulance, complete with a bed and two sofas
Ms Boughton’s bed (left) and, on the right: the inside of the vehicle after it had been stripped of its medical appliances but before being fully fitted out
Ms Boughton lying on her double bed at the back of her the ambulance – which she built on top of a wooden frame
This was the messy scene that confronted Mr Jackson when he first received the ambulance from Boston Ambulance Service
The original shelves in Ms Boughton’s ambulance were kept and are now used for cups (left). Pictured on the right is Mr Jackson working on both ambulances
Mr Jackson added: ‘Amy and I work together and have known each other for a few years. We actually became really good friends when we started talking to each other about our mental health, and we’ve been good friends since. Amy has been a rock for me and I’ve returned the favour.
‘As a huge stroke of luck, we have managed to reunite two vans that used to work together for the East Midlands Ambulance Service out of Boston, Lincolnshire.
‘I have ended up spending about £1500 on the conversion with the most expensive thing being the sofa seats and cushions’.
The pair plan to complete Scotland’s North Coast 500 – a long-distance scenic road route – once lockdown restrictions are eased.
The pair plan to complete Scotland’s North Coast 500 – a long-distance scenic road route – once lockdown restrictions are eased. This picture shows them in countryside during their trip to Cheddar Gorge in Somerset
Ms Boughton, who has named her ambulance Mambo, said: ‘My family and extended family all have caravans and are often on trips away together and with owning two lovely Labradors, I wanted to be able to join them all’
The ambulances have been stripped of most of their iconography so passers-by do not think they are still in medical service
Ms Boughton, who has named her ambulance Mambo, said: ‘My family and extended family all have caravans and are often on trips away together and with owning two lovely Labradors, I wanted to be able to join them all.
‘I was originally going to get a caravan and do it up, as my DIY skills go as far as a paint brush but when Jesse extended this idea to an ambulance, I had to join in.
‘When I saw his ambulance I fell in love with it and around three weeks later, I ended up buying the same ambulance – literally the same.
‘I bought mine for a fantastic price of £1,100. The mileage was higher than I liked at 406,000 but for the price, I couldn’t go wrong.
‘Due to mine being fully functional inside, fridge, oven, toilet, shower, hot water, this absolutely took the price up. As an estimate and including buying the van, I have probably spent about £5,000.
‘We have created so many memories together and hopefully many more to come.’
The pair, who work in the public sector, became friends after meeting through work and have already visited Cheddar Gorge together
Ms Boughton added: ‘I was originally going to get a caravan and do it up, as my DIY skills go as far as a paint brush but when Jesse extended this idea to an ambulance, I had to join in’