Our Story!
Devon Belles was set up by Emma whilst running a campsite for her then employer. She watched busy Mum's & Dad's arriving at the campsite and battle to put up tents whilst managing over excited children & the occasionally unkind British weather! It occurred to her how much more of a holiday camping would be if someone else did the hard work for them, so they could just turn up and start their holiday straight away.
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In 2015, after much deliberation, the first tent was bought with her credit card, and so Devon Belles was born!
Emma & her little fleet of 10 tents! 2016
In 2017, Devon Belles had grown so much & was now providing pop-up accommodation for guests at weddings & festivals as well as catering for camping holidays, and Emma left her job to run the little fleet of bell tents full time.
Since then Devon Belles has grown to a fleet over over 100 tents & delivers tents all over the UK for parties and weddings!
When you get in touch, it will be Emma you speak to, helping you choose how to progress with your booking and handling all of your guest requirements and admin. Emma will be on hand from the very beginning of your ideas, right through to making them a reality, with lots of helpful hints and trustworthy contacts to make your event a success!
In 2018, Emma saw an advert on social media offering babysitting services. Emma replied, asking if the young lady would like to come and help set up bell tents instead!
Why she thought this was relevant is a total mystery to all involved!
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However, it turned out to be the best accident ever, and the young lady has devoted herself to Devon Belles ever since!
Kate has a degree in Interior Design and brings a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm to work every day! She now manages almost all of the tent installations on a practical level, and it will most likely be Kate who will arrive at the head of the Devon Belles crew to install your tents. She also works tirelessly behind the scenes organising and packing for each booking, which is no small feat!​
Devon Belles has a truly wonderful crew, without them it simply wouldn't happen!
They work incredibly hard, in all weathers, sometimes for very long days, putting together all the bell tent villages for our clients.
Each of the crew genuinely cares about what they are doing, and as such, are only satisfied with perfection, which is why our reputation in the bell tent hiring world is second to none, and why our set-ups are so spectacular!
Devon Belles is quintessentially English; much conversation is devoted to the weather, there's no problem that can't be solved by a cup of tea, and we're always hopeful our clients might have a dog we can pet.
Despite this, our main core of staff come from all over the world and from a wide variety of backgrounds, which all helps to make the Devon Belles tents rich, diverse and enchanting!
It's all in the name...
The "Devon Belle" was a new concept and super-luxurious train service that ran from Waterloo to Devon just after the war. With glass surrounded viewing carriages, the very latest in comfortable seats, and with a drinks bar, it was designed to bring a bit of zap into train travel!
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Perhaps we all love bell tents because of their timeless quality, they remind us of a childhood we all wish we'd had, the stories we read as children, summers that seemed to last forever!
The vintage appeal of bell tents sits so well with the days of steam trains, picnic hampers, trips to the seaside and tea dresses, it seemed fitting (and worked rather well!) to name our tent adventure after the Devon Belle!
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Emma with one of only two surviving Devon Belle carriages, which can be seen at the Dartmouth Steam Railway in Devon.