Latest News

A Romahome R20 Hi made a fleeting television appearance when it featured on Dragons Den on the 9th August 2010.

And no, it wasn't anyone from the Freeborn Group asking for £750,000 for 5% of the company (though if they'd like to make such an offer...).

A supposed new invention involving satellite navigation and tracking designed especially for motorhomes had been fitted to the Romahome R20 because it was one of the few vehicles compact enough to fit into the BBC studios near Slough.

Sadly the 'invention' went down like a lead balloon with the Dragons but we're delighted to say they loved our Romahome.

Now let's see if we can persuade Peter Jones to drive our smallest model, the R10, just to see how well his 6 foot 5 inch frame fits in!!

That would be a definite hit.

Private pilot Bob Woolford has decided to spread his wings – by trading in his plane for a motorhome.

Bob, a former part-time air traffic controller at Sandown and Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight, almost gave up flying when a runaway plane struck him five years ago, causing serious injuries.

After five weeks in hospital and a further six months convalescing, he decided to carry on with his hobby with the aid of Jim Birnie, who had originally helped Bob gain his licence.

But Bob’s wife, Margaret, has decided she doesn’t want to fly any more so Bob (57) is going to see more of the world by driving to his destinations rather than dropping in on them.

“When you arrive places by aeroplane you are either stuck on the airport or have to find transport,” said Bob. “Our new Romahome R25, made close to where we live on the Isle of Wight, will give us much more freedom to get where we want to be.

“Margaret and I have also just got a new rescue dog, Charlie Bear, and he will be coming with us for Continental tours once we have his pet’s passport.”

Bob says that, apart from other running costs, fuel approaching £2 a litre and consuming 38 litres an hour meant his Piper Cherokee was becoming expensive to keep in the air. But his Romahome should go much further for the same money, making it easier to see the world.

“When I spoke to Andrew Harris at the Romahome Centre in Southampton, I said I would do a deal for a new R25 if he would take my plane in part exchange. Within half an hour he was back on the phone, having found a buyer, to provide me with the deal I wanted.

“The R25 has been adapted with wheelchair ramps at the Cowes factory and they have also installed a television for me but otherwise it was already perfect for what I want.

“I’ll start off by nipping from one end of the Island to the other to have a cup of tea but once Charlie’s passport is through we’ll be going much further afield!”

Andrew said that during several years in the motor trade he had never been asked to part exchange a plane before, although he had once taken a longboat in a motorhome deal.

“When Bob said what he wanted to trade in I thought it might be a challenge,” he added.

“But I only got as far as our parts department at the Freeborn Motor Village in Southampton where I mentioned the problem and Victoria Ward, who was visiting from Citroen UK, put me in touch with a buyer. I’ve had more trouble trying to shift Jeep Cherokees than I did the Piper!”

Bob won’t be losing the link with his plane entirely, though. Its call sign was G-ATVS and the number on his new Romahome is B7 TVS - but at least his travel costs won’t be sky high any more.

Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th June 2010

Join us at our fabulous showrooms for our Northern Romahome Show & Rally Weekend. Romahome owners can camp on Saturday night and enjoy an evening of great entertainment including a raffle, bingo, a BBQ or hog roast and other entertainments to be announced later, all of which is free with our compliments. On Sunday, campers will be treated to bacon butties just to set them up right for the day and for all other times throughout the weekend, they can join with any day visitors to the show, who will all be fed and watered with tea, coffee, biscuits and cakes etc and they can view and or drive the full range of Romahome's that should be on display.

Brian Bailey (Romahome MD), will be on hand along with our own Romahome specialist to give help and advice on any related issues and there will be special offers available throughout the weekend. Obviously, though day visitor numbers are not restricted, camping spaces are. So we must serve on a first booked, first served basis and to avoid disappointment, we suggest you call now to reserve your place. For further details on the weekend, call and speak with any of our sales team.

(Please note, there are no toilet or shower facilities on the camping area though it is all hard standing. Also the full range of vehicles being on show is subject to availability)

The Adventure Show reports on the Romahome R25.

Watch Cameron McNeish,
President of the Backpackers Club and
Vice President of the
Ramblers’ Association in Scotland
review the new Romahome R25.

R30 is a hit with SmallMotorhome.co.uk,

"Wonderful! Well that's our opinion!

The ease of camping in a Romahome has many people amazed. We quite often arrive on site, turn the gas on and by the time we have got out the chairs, the kettle is boiled and we are sitting down to a nice cuppa.

The usual comment from other campers who are still busy fetching water and setting up, is "Wow, why can't ours be that easy!""

Take a tour around the R30 with this video.




Visit smallmotorhome.co.uk by clicking on
"Find Out More" below.

ROMAHOME PLANS 50% PRODUCTION RISE FOR 2010
AS FIRST AWARD ARRIVES FOR NEW MODEL

Romahome, the motorhome manufacturer based on the Isle of Wight, is planning a 50 per cent rise in production this year as its models enjoy ever-growing popularity.

Managing director Brian Bailey says planned output is being lifted from its 2009 level of approximately 160 units to a record 240 as the company’s latest model, the R25, comes fully on-stream.

The R25, based on the second generation Citroen Berlingo and launched at the end of October, 2009, has already won its first award after being named small motorhome of the year by Motorcaravan and Motorhome Monthly magazine, the UK’s best selling motorhome publication.

“It’s fair to say that Romahome leads the small motorhome field and since we introduced the Outlook and Hylo models on the Citroen C15 base vehicle in the mid 80s we have been getting awards for our products,” explained Mr. Bailey.

“Outlook and Hylo graduated to the first Citroen Berlingo chassis and have been replaced by the R20 Hi and R20 Lo, both still on that chassis and winning awards until 2009. They now sit below the R25 in the current Romahome range of six models.

“It’s very pleasing although, without wishing to sound complacent, not surprising that the new R25 won its first award so early in its life.

“One of the main aims of the new design was to liberate interior space and it was this feature that wowed the judges and helped sway the decision in our favour.

“The new Citroen Berlingo’s layout allows us to incorporate the cab seats into the bed bases, effectively moving the beds forward to provide more living, kitchen, and bathroom space behind without more than a few inches being added to the overall external dimensions.

“The big thing about the R25, and the Outlook, Hy-lo and R20 models before it, is that it’s compact enough to be used as everyday transport, a role enhanced by R25’s four full seat belts.

“The current recession has not done much to dampen owners’ enthusiasm for the motorhome lifestyle – in fact at the many shows we attend there is ever more interest but owners have to be careful how they spend their money.

“Romahome models generally allow owners to make do with one vehicle but our largest product, the R40, is favoured more by people who probably run a car, too. Even so, its six belted seats and four berths make it ideal for families or older people who like to go out and about with children or grandchildren.

“Owners also seek quality, and the wealth of boat building expertise on the Isle of Wight allowed us to assemble a workforce that creates a higher quality product than many other motorhomes.”

The company, with its factory in Cowes, is part of the Southampton-based Freeborn Group and sells its products through a chain of a dozen dealerships across the UK, including a dedicated Romahome Centre in Southampton operated by the parent group.

It also uses its coachbuilding and conversion skills to create specialist commercial vehicles ranging from vans to deliver meals on wheels through to adapted 4x4s that allow public utility engineers to access remote places.

“Our good mix of products has allowed Romahome to keep its head above water – and our employees on overtime – when other makers have been cutting back or closing down,” added Mr. Bailey.

“But we are not over confident and will keep refining our designs. A large part of our success is to listen to our customers, who remain very loyal.”

Caption: Brian Bailey of Romahome receives the first award for the new R25 from Jane Jago, editor of Motorcaravan and Motorhome Monthly magazine

An interview at the
International Caravan & Motorhome Show
Held at the Birmingham NEC
On the 13th October 2009 with
Andy Jones, MD of Freeborn Group,
Discussing Romahome,
In particular their new models, the R10 and R25.

Romahome Ltd launched the latest addition to its Micro Motorhome range the "R25" at the International Caravan & Motorhome Show held at the Birmingham NEC on the 13th October 2009.

BIGGER, BETTER BUT STILL COMPACT

Romahome launches third generation
‘Swiss Army Knife’ of motorhomes

Romahome launched the third generation of its compact motorhome conversions, now built on the new Citroen Berlingo, at the NEC International Caravan and Motorhome Show.

The new R25 carries on the tradition of one piece monocoque bodies that started with models built on the Citroen C15 from the mid 80s, still in huge demand today as used vehicles, and then carried through to the highly popular Citroen Berlingo with models that were recently renamed the R20 to be consistent with the latest nomenclature for the line-up.

The arrival of the second generation Berlingo chassis has enabled the Romahome, based on the Isle of Wight and current Motorhome Manufacturer of the Year, to increase the exterior dimensions by a small degree that belies the huge advantages to be found inside the new body.

“The Romahome has become the Swiss Army Knife of the motorhome world because it manages to pack so much in the way of useful detail into such a compact form,” said Romahome managing director Brian Bailey as he revealed the new model.

The arrival of R25 means Romahome now has a range of five models, starting with the innovative and still unique R10 launched this time last year as a conversion of the diminutive Citroen Nemo van. It became a knock-out product in quick order, placing the factory at Cowes onto overtime to keep up with demand.

The R20 continues in production at present, relaunched at the NEC in two versions as the R20 Hi and the R20 Lo, with the R25 slotting between it and Romahome’s second van conversion, the R30 built around the Citroen Relay. The range tops out with the R40, a coachbuilt using the Citroen Dispatch chassis and with a body that can sleep four and transport six passengers in seats with three point safety belts.

“I know that R25 has been keenly anticipated by Romahome customers, the dealer network, and the specialist motorhome press and I am confident that no-one is going to leave the NEC disappointed by what they discover about our new model,” added Brian Bailey.

“We have consistently picked up awards for our other motorhomes as well as for ourselves for our design and manufacturing standards and I don’t see any change in that with the R25.

“Other people started to imitate the R20 but ultimately it was the Romahome that always won the acclaim and continued to do so as its competitors fell away.

“The quality of our product is never in any doubt and I would suggest that the R25 builds on this significantly.

“We have produced a new model at a competitive price, starting at £29,995 on the road. There is a generous standard specification plus a thoughtful list of options that will allow owners to tailor their R25 exactly as they want it.

“Motorhomes are very much bespoke items and very few people choose a standard model. But for those who do, they will find the R25 contains more than enough equipment.”

Among the contents is a generous amount of storage, with two wardrobes and four overhead lockers. There is flexibility in bed layout and the option to have two three point safety belts in the back, increasing the versatility for owners who don’t want the inconvenience of buying a car to augment their motorhome when they need to carry friends and family.

“One of the beauties of a vehicle like the new R25 is that it is compact enough to be usable every day. With this in mind, the option of the extra seat belts negates the need for a second car especially among buyers who are retired and may want to watch their budget – or who spend a lot of time enjoying their motorhome and therefore have a car sitting around doing nothing for much of the time,” explained Brian.

“Many of our owners are extremely active people so R25 even brings the option of a wet room with upgraded fresh and grey water tanks (increased from 34 litres each to 70 litres), a removable shower tray, and vanity locker with mirror. The R25 already contains a cassette toilet compartment.

“Hot water and blown air heating systems are also in the standard specification, there’s an ample 60 litre fridge / freezer and all the items you might reasonably expect, plus plenty more you might not but would still like to see!

“We’ve also designed a retractable bike rack that simply slides back to allow you access through the rear door without having to remove the bikes. We have even been asked to enter this into the NEC ‘Innovation of the Year’ competition.

“The R25 is powered by Citroen’s 1.6 litre HDi 90 bhp turbodiesel engine so the van has good levels of performance for those who like to spend their holiday where they want to be rather than on the road struggling to get there.

“This is intended above all else to be a very usable motorhome, not one afflicted by compromise due to its size. Naturally you can’t expect all that you would find in an American RV but the R25 is an affordable motorhome that will really be going places!”

For more information, contact Maurice Hardy, PR for Romahome, on 01264 771661 / 07831 272220 (maurice@mauricehardy.com) or Brian Bailey, MD of Romahome, on 01983 292451 / 07795 642120. See the new R25 and the rest of the Romahome range on Stand 10-15 in Hall 10 at the NEC between October 13 and 18.

In June 2009 Romahome were at the Stratford Motor Home Show. We are delighted to announce that the Romahome R20 Hylo won the prestigious award for ‘Best Micro Motorhome’ for the seventh time.