By GEMMA BROWN gemma.brown@hexham-courant.co.uk

Last updated 13:36, Thursday, 25 September 2008

ONE of Tynedale’s long established garages is celebrating 40 years in business.

Family celebration: The Conleys, from the left, daughter Debbie, father Alan, mother Dorothy and son Sean with the cake baked by their customers Anne and John Mott.

Wylam Garage first began trading four decades sago when Alan Conley and his wife Dorothy bought the garage site in Wylam.

Both were aged just 26 at the time. Alan had worked as a mechanic in local village garages and Dorothy had worked for Spillers in Newcastle as a secretary, before deciding to set out on the path of self-employment.

They worked as a team. Alan began repairing cars and selling the odd second hand vehicle, and Dorothy controlled the accounts and administration side of the business.

It was also during those early years that Alan competed in motor rallies throughout the UK in iconic cars such as Chrysler Imps, Avengers and Sunbeams, and before he knew it became a specialist in vehicles of that kind.

It wasn’t long before Alan’s reputation had spread throughout the Tyne Valley and beyond and the demands for his service began to grow.

Alan and Dorothy are still actively involved in the running of the business today, with Alan still regularly found in his overalls helping out in the workshop.

Together with their son and daughter, Sean and Debbie, they have managed to grow the business to become a household name in Tynedale.

But it was back in 1978 when their first big break came along.

The Conleys were approached by Renault to become a Renault service point. The couple didn’t hesitate and saw the offer as an excellent opportunity and joined the Renault dealer network.

Seven years later Sean joined the family business and began to manage the car sales side, implementing new ideas along the way, while fine tuning the traditional.

In 1993 the business reached a major milestone and celebrated 25 years of serving its customers.

Due to growth and demand, it soon became necessary to modify the premises to accommodate an eight car showroom and improve workshop facilities, which led to the business becoming a Renault retail dealer.

Following in her brother’s footsteps, Debbie joined the team in April 1999 and began working in the accounts and administration side of the business.

That same year the garage continued to expand and opened up its second Renault dealership in Hexham’s Burn Lane.

Due to the alliance of Renault and Nissan in 1999, the opportunity arose for the company to become a Nissan dealer in 2004.

Work to build a new nine-car workshop and Nissan showroom began at the Hexham branch, with the alterations completed by September 2005.

Debbie explained: “It really has remained a family run business over the years and I think that is why we have so many customers who have stayed with us. And we have a similar situation with our staff.

“It’s really that loyal customer base we have which has allowed us to grow and we owe them a big thank you.”

John and Anne Mott from Prudhoe are just one example of local customers who have supported the garage.

Alan said: “Not only have John and Anne bought countless numbers of cars from us over the years, but their children and the wider family have become long-standing customers. They made us a cake to mark the last 40 years – so here’s to the next 40!”