VAN drivers from Gwynedd are taking part in a new TV show, revealing what life on the road is like.

Shaun Hughes, originally from Talysarn, Dyffryn Nantlle, and Lee Cunnington of Llan Ffestiniog, will feature on Yn y Fan a’r Lle

“We’re the fourth emergency service like! Everyone needs us at some point in their lives - no job is too small for me!” says Shaun Hughes, originally from Talysarn, Dyffryn Nantlle.

In a special series, Yn y Fan a’r Lle, which begins on S4C on Monday, 28 February, we follow the white van drivers Shaun, Rhys and Lee as they take us on a journey into people’s lives across Wales.

They are the ones who are there to clear up when there’s a transition in our lives - upgrading the house, the end of a relationship, or clearing a property after a loved one has passed away. They are champions of sensing a bargain. They find a new home for our property, whether it’s brand new place, a car boot sale, an auction or skip, preventing tons of useful furniture from ending up in landfill. They deal with the unexpected every day; they never know exactly what’s waiting for them inside.

“You see the personality of people in their stuff,” says Lee Cunnington of Llan Ffestiniog, who has been doing the job on a self-employed basis since the summer. Before that, he had worked in the quarry for over 40 years since leaving school at 16.

“I got into this business by accident to be honest. I’d bought a small van as I was doing a painting and decorating course during the evening at Coleg Llandrillo.

“I was scrolling through Facebook one day and someone was asking for a person with a van to move a piano. I wasn’t sure if a piano would fit where I was; it did, and I got £40 cash for an hour’s work then things started to slot into place. I wasn’t so good at painting and decorating anyway, so this is a better job for me!”

“I get to go all over the country - to places I wouldn’t have the opportunity to visit otherwise. It’s opened my eyes - I get to meet so many different characters and see different lifestyles.”

With six children to support, Lee is always on the hunt for a bargain.

“I haven’t found anything worth a huge amount of money, but I ask people permission to sell things on instead of sending them to landfill. I make a nice bit of money re-selling things.

“Only thing, at the moment I don’t have any storage space. Sometimes I just have to take things into the kitchen…and the missus goes berserk! She can come home and find a TV cabinet or sofa perched there! It’s become a bit of a joke now! I’ve been called Del Boy by a few people, but I get a lot of pleasure from selling things on!”

In the first episode, we follow Lee as he empties a garage. Will there be treasure waiting for him? Shaun and his mate will be helping Christine, who is moving to a bungalow in Llanfairpwll after 32 years in her home, and we’ll see how Rhys gives a new lease of life to vintage objects to sell in his shop.

Yn y Fan a’r LleI starts on Monday, 28 February at 8.25pm on S4C. English and Welsh subtitles available, and the show can also be found on demand on S4C Clic and iPlayer.