Converted caravan used to broadcast from Shrewsbury Folk Festival

by Chris Jefferies
Vintage caravans have been used for many things over the years, but the owner of this tourer showed a real sense of ambition by turning it into a fully-functioning broadcast studio.
Charles Denscombe is a retired technology teacher and he got hold of this retro ‘van (which appears to be a Carlight) for just £500, he told the BBC.
Charles went to his local dealer with quite a limited budget, but didn’t come away empty handed. “He went out back and said: ‘It’s a write off, it’s a wreck’. I said: ‘That’ll do’.
The conversion process wasn’t exactly a smooth ride, he continues: “One wall fell out, so we took the caravan apart and rebuilt it. A thousand quid later I’m on this installation course and learn how to point this thing at a satellite and turn it on.”
Unfortunately the technological demands of the caravan meant that many of the creature comforts had to be jettisoned, with Charles removing the shower and toilet and replacing them with an internet server.
All this was done for the benefit of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, which took place at Berwick Road showground last weekend.
Charles and his technical team recorded each act as they took to the stage and presented them with a DVD of their performance just minutes after they left the stage.
Acts on the bill included Bellowhead, Imagined Village, Oysterband, Show of Hands and Shropshire’s own John Kirkpatrick.