Our Story

Where it all started.

Blank Canvas Tent Hire was born out of the global pandemic.

I (Lizzie) was made redundant from a job I absolutely loved as a Wedding Planner during the first lockdown of 2020. Everyone around me was furloughed and with no hope of getting another job in weddings and events (thanks Covid) I did what ever I could to be back in control, to organise and to plan. Because that’s what I do best.

I’m very ‘extra’ by nature. I love creating moments that make people smile, creating spaces where people feel relaxed and planning events that people will talk about forever. I entered the events industry back in 2014 and never looked back.

Whilst trying to keep myself occupied and once the restrictions had eased, myself and my partner (James) went on a camping trip down to Cornwall. In true ‘Lizzie style’, I packed our van full to the brim with pretty things including our Bell Tent and we started our adventure. As always, I set up the tent with all the bells and whistles and we were the talk of the campsite. To us, there is nothing better than a weekend by the sea, sat around a campfire, having a few drinks and star gazing. We are true campers (if true campers take soft rugs, real beds and mirrors camping) and outdoor adventures are at the heart of our lifestyle.

It was during this particular adventure, that James suggested I started hiring out our Bell Tent and providing this experience we loved so much to others.

At first I was dubious about the whole thing, but I had nothing to lose and I did need something to keep me sane. I also loved the idea of being able to put my skills into something I was so passionate about - Camping, done right.

The idea was born. We took our first booking within a month and by the end of the season we had 5 beautiful Bell Tents and a whole lot of stuff to put in them!

I absolutely love what we offer and to hear that so many of our customers were able to have a glimmer of normality and so much fun in the midst of a global pandemic was amazing! Our tents offered the perfect solution when people couldn’t travel abroad, parties had to be held in gardens and as a whole, the population felt safer out in the fresh air.

I always wanted to be self employed. I didn’t think it would take a global pandemic, a national lockdown and a redundancy to get me there but I couldn’t be happier.

This is now my full time job, and my full time passion. I have so much help on the ground and behind the scenes from James and both of our families. I feel so privileged to have such a great support network around me and I honestly couldn’t do it without them.

Blank Canvas Tent Hire has certainly developed and grown since the dreaded ‘C’ word and with life returning back to ‘normal’ you’ll notice that our range of offerings has increased. (Along with all the STUFF that comes with that!)

We are still a very new company and we are learning so much as we go but don’t let that put you off as we can hand on heart promise you that we put 110% into everything we do.

Our Ethos.

We don’t have many rules but we try to keep our personal compass and morals very close to everything we do here at Blank Canvas.

For us that means…

We never make promises we cant keep.

We want you to be delighted after your experiences with us, if you aren’t 100% happy please let us know. We are human too and we can learn huge amounts from your feedback!

We try to keep waste down to an absolute minimum. Being ‘outdoorsy’ and being lucky enough to grow up and live in the South West naturally gives you a huge appreciation for our planet.

We don’t hug many trees, but we try to do our bit. We use eco friendly products to wash and clean our hire items.

We don’t use any single use products and try to repurpose items where we can.

We absolutely love working with other small local business to provide the best for our events in Devon.