PROUD dad Stephen Meeson wanted to treat his wife to a luxury trip home from hospital when their first child was born.

But when Stephen was unable to find a company willing to provide the service at a reasonable cost, he started to think about setting up his own business.

Now the 38-year-old professional singer runs "Arrivals" a service designed to bring mum, dad and baby home from hospital in style.

He bought an impressive gleaming white Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, a chauffeur's uniform and cap and plans to make that first car journey, as a family, extra special.

He said: "It was when my first daughter, Holly, was born that I realised there was a gap in the market.

"I wanted to bring her home by Rolls Royce but I couldn't get anyone to do it at a reasonable price."

Four years, and two more daughters, later Stephen, of Over Hulton, is embarking on his new project with great enthusiasm, with the support of his 36-year-old wife, Stella.

His £13,000 car has detachable number plates, with 1 Boy, 1 Girl or TWINS engraved on them.

They can't be used on the road but Stephen will attach the appropriate ones to the official number plates for proud parents to take a photograph.

Stephen also decks the car out with either pink or blue ribbons and provides an ultra-safe baby car seat for the precious new arrival to travel in.

And at a cost of £35 for the service Stephen believes he'll be in big demand.

He will pick up dad from home, take him to the hospital, then return the whole family to their home.

The Silver Shadow guzzles petrol at a rate of eight miles per gallon so Stephen doesn't expect to make a big profit.

But he believes there will be enough interest in his scheme to help keep it running.

He has done his homework. "I rang the three local maternity units, The Princess Anne at Bolton, Hope and Billinge, and discovered there were thousands of babies, in total, born at the hospitals each year." And when he's not on the baby runs Stephen plans to use the car for a wedding service, alongside his rare, timber-framed restored Morris Minor Traveller and an XJ6 Jaguar.

Stephen is proud of his daughters, four-year-old Holly, three-year-old Megan and Jasmine, two, and he knows how important safety is to parents.

He said: "I know how difficult it is to drive for the first time with a new baby in the back. You are constantly worried about driving safely.

"I can take the worry out of that by taking care of the driving."

Anyone interested in finding out more about Stephen's service can contact him on 01942 896313 or 0831 851993.

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