'I run my business from my pimped-up camper van'

Liam Chester is currently camped and working from the Lake District

When Liam Chester started up his accountancy business he worked so hard in all his waking hours that he burnt out after three years.

He would always reply to clients requests out of hours and became so overwhelmed by work that he physically could not function any more.

So, after taking some time out, he decided he needed to make some changes to his working life.

Now he has bought a van and has converted it into an home/office so he can be in nature as soon as he clocks off at the end of his shift.

The 28-year-old has converted it with his partner, Lauren Henderson, 25, who works as a bookkeeper.

Liam told BBC Scotland news: "We decided to pimp-up the camper van so we could have all the technology needed to work in any part of Scotland."

The van has a wifi system, which involves a router being cabled to an antenna on the van's roof that links up to satellites. It allows them to pick up 4G data signal in more places and is more reliable than a mobile phone so they can travel to remote countryside.

Liam and Lauren each have a workstation with laptops and iPads.

The van also has a kitchen, which they built, a boiler for hot water and a shower, a chemical toilet and a diesel heater.

Liam says that when they bought the van it had nothing inside. They insulated it with foam and recycled plastic before laying wood on the ceiling and floor.

"We then cut holes in the side of the van to make windows, which was scary as we worried we would get it wrong," Liam says.

The pair then ran electrics behind the walls and ceiling to power the plug sockets, USB sockets and lights.

They have multiple battery packs under the van and a hybrid inverter which takes power from the solar panels on the roof.

Lauren and Liam have a shower inside the van which is powered by a boiler that vents to the outside through a silver tube

Liam says they plan to be away at least half of the year but have kept their home in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, as a base.

Since they converted the van they have been to the Cairngorms, the Aberdeenshire coast, the Scottish Borders, Arran and the Lake District.

Liam, who works as the director of an accountancy firm, says: "We have done this for about six months now. It's been a game-changer. It started out as an experiment but it has worked so well we plan to go to France in it, for example, next year.

"I love the outdoors, it's a huge switch-off for me and helps me relax.

"When you are sat at home you feel guilty not to keep working in the evenings but now in the van we are right there in nature so it's much easier to walk away and to switch between work and personal life.

"I feel 100% better. It's night and day compared to before we got the van."

Liam says he does not feel like it is a working day when he is away in the van.

It cost about £27,000 to buy and convert the van but it can be done cheaper if the van is secondhand

He says: "My working partner, Claire, noticed the other day that I still haven't taken any annual leave yet and I was shocked as I feel like I have been away on holiday all year. It's great.

"Every night when Lauren and I go for a walk we come across holidaymakers and pop into wee country pubs for dinner so we feel like we are away on holiday too.

"Then in the morning we feel refreshed and recharged and ready to work."

Liam started his business in 2016 and quickly began working more than 80 hour weeks. He would be answering emails at any time of night from clients and was constantly thinking about work.

Then at the end of 2019 he found he was just staring at his computer screen unable to function. He could not sleep despite feeling exhausted.

He says: "The long hours were consuming me and I felt switched on all the time and it caused me to burn out.

"There is this macho attitude to keep working but it only ever leads to burn out.

Liam says he always has a great view when he's working from his van

"I felt like I was on the edge of having a breakdown, the smallest thing like smashing a teacup, would feel like a massive disaster and I was on a rollercoaster emotionally."

Liam says he felt so overwhelmed by work and the physical effects the stress was having on his body that he realised he needed to make changes.

As well as the camper van, he has also started up mental health charity, The Sounding Board, to help 16 to 24-year-olds start their own businesses.

Liam says: "I felt very lonely when I was starting up my business.

"I was working from home and I felt stressed trying to set it up myself.

Liam Chester and his partner Lauren converted the camper van themselves

"Now I have experience I have started mentoring others and have about 20 people on free courses.

"We have a mental health practitioner and I and a few others do the business skills side and show them how to work sustainably and how to take care of themselves.

"It might just be that they need our opinion and we give them clarity and that helps them too."