Father of 22 Noel Radford opens up about the aftermath of taking kids in a ‘messy’ camper van
SUE and Noel Radford may have 22 children, but that doesn’t stop them from regularly taking them away for weekend breaks in their £40,000 camper van.
The couple, who have Britain’s largest family, now have a slick routine when it comes to cleaning their camper van when they get home to Morecambe.
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Father Noel, 53, posted a video on YouTube showing the aftermath of one of their weekend getaways.
He shared: “Honestly, I think this is one of the messiest since we’ve been away.
“No, it’s more like… I mean, the kids were in and out all weekend.”
Noel decided to share the work involved in cleaning their camper with their next one trip.
He added: “Now that we’re back from our weekend away, we thought we’d give you a quick look at how we get the camper ready for the next trip.
“Basically how we clean and prepare it.
“The first thing we do when we get back is empty the fridge.
“We never empty the freezer because there is never anything in it.
“Normally, dirty laundry is kept in the shower, right?
“As soon as we get back, we will completely empty the camper and take out all the clothes we brought, dirty laundry and any leftover food and drinks.”
Noel said he and his wife Sue, 49, then change the bedding together and vacuum everything.
He said, “We’re going to take these chairs off and vacuum underneath them because chips and stuff are falling down.”
He then joked that Sue has the “best job” when it comes to cleaning the bathroom, sharing: “Sue flushes that down the drain, purely because it’s fair that I have the toilet emptied while we’re out.”
While inspecting the kitchen, Noel said, “Any dry goods we take with us, we’ll leave in the van for next time.”
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“Of course we don’t leave them here for months, but we often just leave them in the car.
“Because then we don’t have to get them next time.”
The busy dad said he and Sue used to hide food around the camper, but the kids have since gotten wind of the hiding places.
He joked: “I think the kids get it.
“They know every nook and cranny, and anything we could possibly hide is gone.”
Noel admitted he was initially hesitant about buying their luxury campervan, but now loves their weekend getaways.
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He continued: “They love the weekends. I have to admit I was a little bit like, ‘Oh, are we going to get one, are we not going to get one?’
“At first I was a bit hesitant about whether we should get a camper, but you know what?
“They really are some of the best weekends away, aren’t they? They absolutely love it. ” “Unless it rains heavily, then it gets a bit boring and dull for everyone.
“But if it’s a Nice sunny weekend, they really have the best weekends.
“Just go outside and play. It’s just Sue and I, and we can just chill, right?
“Yes, that’s fun, isn’t it? While it’s completely different at home, right?
How does the Radford family of 22 survive?
As Britain’s largest family, it’s no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford have hefty bills.
Together they have no less than 22 children and seven dogs, which makes some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with proceeds from Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their websiteit says: “Since 1999 we have had our own beautiful bakery, providing (and feeding) our large and growing family, as well as the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
The family expanded their business to process online orders in the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm and a number of their children helping out.
The older children, who work at least part-time, do not travel for free, but have to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
“We seniors do pay a little bit of board and lodging. Granted, it’s not much, but I’m also trying to save for my own house at the moment,” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the Youtube Channel.
Sue added: “We’ve always said that if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you save that money and stay home for a bit longer.
“I also believe that they should pay board if they earn money. Our parents always raised us with the idea that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue are known for not relying on benefits to support their prolific brood, and for living off their pie shop.
They also indicated that they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting, which has been running for four seasons.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue were paid less than £10,000 per show.
He told the Daily mail: “The average fee per episode will be in the thousands, rather than the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with these types of TV shows.
“If they continue to request a fourth or fifth season, then they can ask for a higher fee.”
He estimates the Radfords earn £5,000 per episode.
“On the weekends they’re in and out, and maybe they’re bored and want something to do.
“So for what it costs to go away for a weekend, it’s a cheap activity. I
“I really think this is for the best.”
Noel said it takes no longer than an hour to pack up the camper after their trip, so it’s ready to go again.
Sue and Noel from Morecambe are parents to Chris, 35, Sophie, 30, Chloe28, Jack, 27, Daniel, 25, Luke, 23, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie, 19, Aimee, 18, Josh, 16, Max, 15, Tillie, 14, Oscar12, Casper, 11, Hallie, nine, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, five, and Heidie, four.
Sadly, the couple’s 17th child, Alfie, was stillborn on July 6, 2014.
In May Sue and her family were lucky enough to go to Scotland with their campervan and they also went to the Netherlands during the autumn break.
But last weekend they left their ‘millionaire’s mansion’ – their 10-bedroom former care home, which spans four floors and even has a £27,000 swimming pool – for a sunny weekend away in their camper van.
In December last year and January this year the family enjoyed a fantastic holiday to the happiest place on earth. Soil – where they experienced ‘the best week of Disneyland’.
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