Classic firms brought together
The team behind a new ‘Repair Shop’ style classic vehicle heritage and restoration centre has begun recruiting staff. Great Northern Classics (GNC) will employ 120 people and train apprentices each year at the historic former Rolls-Royce factory in Derby, where the ribbon will be cut next summer with the help of a £1.25m loan from the city council.
Specialist firms at the centre will include anyone from trimmers and bodywork experts to electricians, while visitors can expect shops, car sales and storage facilities in what’s described as a combination of Bicester Heritage and the BBC show The Repair Shop.
GNC will operate as two separate businesses – a commercial arm with income from rents and the café, and a training school, which will be a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. Clubs will be encouraged to use facilities including a board room and an outside area for 50 vehicles.
GNC founder, Shaun Matthews says that the benefits to the classic world will be enormous, while also encouraging more youngsters into the community. ‘What really hurts is that traditional skills are lost as people get older and we have no-one to pass them on to. I wanted to do something about this and create something offering proper apprenticeships in all aspects of restoration.’ More information is available at greatnorthernclassics.co.uk.
