In June 2007, Jim was banned from a website called motorhome facts following a disagreement with the site owner over a minor dispute involving two rally staff who had been unfairly dismissed. Jim believed they had been treated poorly, voiced his opinion, and was promptly banned.
Best of luck with that
Frustrated by the ban, Jim threatened to launch a rival website unless the pair were reinstated. The site owner called his bluff and sarcastically wished him “the best of luck with it.” That moment set the wheels in motion. Jim, a security consultant with no experience in forums, servers, or web design, now had to either learn fast or look foolish.
It would have been easy to start a free, managed forum, but Jim knew that to truly compete, he needed to do better. That meant purchasing commercial forum software and investing in paid add-ons and tools, gallery software, and a professional-grade forum template system — all hosted on a fast, dedicated server. These were expensive commitments, but essential if he were to stand a chance against his rival, a professional coder and designer.
The next challenge was finding someone who could operate all this software. That proved harder than expected. Fortunately, Jim enlisted the help of Bryan — a tech-savvy motorhome enthusiast with a strong understanding of server-side technology. Bryan was instrumental in teaching Jim the server-side ropes, but he had no experience with the forum software itself. So Jim took it upon himself to master it. (He’s still not managed that yet)
Out Of His Depth
The learning curve was steep. Even discovering that something as simple as a missing “\<” character in the template code could crash the entire site was a hard-earned lesson. The early members — affectionately dubbed each other “Funsters” — and were incredibly patient. During those first few months, the site was down almost more than it was up.
10 Users Online At The Same Time!
Still, the community began to grow, and on 28th July 2007, Jim proudly announced that MotorhomeFun had reached a milestone — 10 users online at the same time!
To build awareness, Jim launched an advertising campaign using Google’s AdSense programme. Fun adverts appeared whenever someone searched for motorhome-related topics or visited motorhome-related websites.
Jim had to pay over a £1 for every click, but the pain was eased by giggles when we realised that the rival site owner had neglected to block MotorhomeFun adverts — meaning they were showing up on his site! While there were likely some malicious clicks intended to drain his ad budget, it was worth it — people were slowly finding Fun.
As the word spread, membership steadily increased. Soon the site had 50 members and over a thousand posts. Recognising that Google was key to attracting new Funsters, Jim invested in specialist SEO software and committed 2 hours a day, five days a week, to search engine optimisation.
This investment of time and money soon paid off. Before long, MotorhomeFun reached the milestone of 1,000 members — prompting Jim to send a cheeky, gloating email to the rival forum. It was never answered.
Our First Rally
The first ever MotorhomeFun rally took place on 15th–16th September 2007. Jim brought a marquee, and everyone had such a fantastic time that they couldn’t wait to do it all again.
From that first meet, a true community spirit began to blossom. The rallies quickly became a much-loved feature of MotorhomeFun.
What began as a small gathering under a marquee soon evolved into full-scale events, with dozens, then hundreds, of members attending.
These weren’t just rallies — they were social gatherings, shared adventures, and the physical embodiment of what made Fun special: friendship, laughter, and a shared passion for motorhoming.
Behind the scenes, Jim continued working relentlessly. The technical demands of running a growing forum were constant. Software updates, bug fixes, spam management, and ever-increasing hosting needs were just part of the daily grind. At the same time, the tone of the forum — welcoming, helpful, and friendly — had to be protected.
Don’t be a Dick!
From the start, MotorhomeFun had a no-nonsense approach to moderation: They had one rule which they called rule 1 This was “Don’t be a dick” This eventually evolved into “Be Nice”
Respectful discussion was encouraged, but trolling, nastiness or cliquey behaviour simply wasn’t tolerated. This ethos shaped the community and attracted members who valued a warm, inclusive atmosphere.
Word spread quickly. Disenchanted members of other motorhome forums — often frustrated with heavy-handed moderation or toxic environments — began to trickle in. They found Fun refreshingly different.
It wasn’t just a forum; it felt like a club. A family, even. Many of the first early members remain to this day, still contributing, still meeting on rallies, and still calling themselves Funsters.
As membership climbed into the thousands, so did the need for better infrastructure. Jim moved the forum onto more powerful servers, added new features like classified ads, Journals, and an expanding rally calendar. He also obtained exclusive and meaningful discounts for Funsters which helped swell the membership.
He worked closely with developers to improve the site’s speed, functionality, and reliability, while adding bespoke functions — all while keeping the user experience simple and enjoyable.
Over time, MotorhomeFun became more than a hobby project. It grew into the UK’s largest motorhome community — a one-stop hub for advice, travel tips, product reviews, buying guides, and of course, camaraderie. It achieved what many forums never do: it created a loyal, thriving community that exists just as strongly offline as it does online.
You Can Choose, It’s Either MotorhomeFun or me!
MotorhomeFun wasn’t built overnight—and it almost didn’t survive the journey. Founder Jim was so determined to create a better site than the rival forum that in those first three years he poured in countless hours and plenty of money to make it happen. It got to the point where his wife gave him an ultimatum: “It’s MotorhomeFun or me.”
Thankfully, Jim managed to talk her around. The compromise? He didn’t, compromise much, he just shifted most of his forum work to the very early hours of the morning—while she was still asleep—so she’d never quite realise just how much time he was still spending on it.
That passion, commitment, and slightly obsessive drive is still baked into MotorhomeFun today. It’s why the site works so well—because it was built with real heart, a bit of cheek, and total dedication to creating the best motorhome community out there.
The story of MotorhomeFun is more than just the tale of a man proving a point. It’s about resilience, learning from scratch, building something meaningful, and sticking to your values. What started as a spat over being disrespectful to some volunteers turned into a success story built on humour, heart, and a lot of hard work.
And it all began because someone said, “Good luck with that.”
The Heart of MotorhomeFun: Its People
But the real magic of MotorhomeFun lies not in servers, software or strategy; or the driving force of its administrators. It’s in the members. Their kindness, generosity, and willingness to share knowledge, time and a good laugh is what truly makes Fun special. This spirit of community is what sets MotorhomeFun apart. It’s more than a forum, it’s a family on wheels.
The very First MotorhomeFun Rally
It wasn’t too long before the rallies became much larger!
Update April 2024
MotorhomeFun is shown to be the most popular motorhome enthusiast webspace in the UK. With almost half a million visits a month.
Lincoln Sept 2024