CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
It was six or so weeks ago – Good Friday evening. My call was to check progress with their Thames Trader restoration. “We’re delivering it to Wrexham tomorrow,” replied a justifiably pleased with himself Ken Walsh. (He changed his phone recently. His calls now register on my mobile as Kenneth. But best stick with Ken).
“If you’re coming, we’ll be there by eleven thirty. You’d better look sharp. We’ll be heading straight back.”
Cautioned by reports of motorway congestion, for the drive to Wales, A and B roads seemed favourite. Lovely Spring day, open road – until tailbacks and coned-off stretches of highway with no work going on. Do roadworks people work from home?
Okay – a public holiday weekend. Time to down tools and impede the nation’s progress.
Pulling into NPC Commercials’ yard, there it was: highly polished deep blue and red, gleaming in the sunlight.
Introductions all round – Dave Roberts, his son Dean, and great friend Alan Jones, who has a couple of magnificently restored ERFs.
For many years, Dave Roberts has accompanied Alan with his ERFs to rallies and shows. Having his own heritage commercial to display was one of the motives behind getting the Trader restored. Although high on Dave’s to-do list, it had languished in NPC’s yard for 20 years or so. Inevitably, Dave Robert’s priorities are running the thriving commercial vehicle service garage, MoT
