It’s nice to get together – every quarter-century or so!

Remember when companies were so good to work for that employees stayed for life? When granddads started on the shop floor, made their way up the ladder of success, and proudly showed off their long service medals?

You don’t find that anymore do you?  Especially not in the motor industry where turnover has more peaks and troughs than a roller coaster and staff come and go at a rate of knots.

Wrong. A certain motor group not a million miles from here has not one but 11 members of staff who have all given more than 25 years of their working lives…and counting.

And this week The Co-operative Motor Group Motor Group’s ‘illustrious eleven’ celebrated their long service achievement with a good old fashioned get together at the group’s  Renault dealership in Bradford.

The Co-operative Motor Group’s HR manager Stewart Cummings said: “The loyalty and commitment of The Co-operative Motor Group employee’s is rarely matched, especially in the motor industry.

“We are very proud to have so many devoted employees whose skills and experience are of huge benefit to our dealerships and we thought it would be nice to get them all together for a commemorative photo to show our appreciation.

“As part of United Co-operatives, The Co-operative Motor Group has a strong tradition of putting people at the heart of its business by investing in good working conditions and excellent training. We know that employee stability is the key to sustained financial success.”

As well as posing for a picture in a 25-year-old MGB Roadster, the long serving employees from across The Co-operative Motor Group’s 23 dealerships in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Midlands took the opportunity to swap stories and memories about their time with the group.

Workshop foreman Chris Mayer, 48, joined the company when he was just 16 and has clocked up 32 years at The Co-operative Motor Group Renault Bradford.

He said: “Vehicles have changed a great deal over the years. Today there are far more gadgets, electronics and computerised components that require greater technical skills in repair and maintenance - but that’s all good because it means there is always something new to learn.”

Sixty-two-year-old Hillary Horsfield, meanwhile, has spent 33 years in administration with The Co-operative Motor Group Peugeot Keighley, and while she misses “nice touches“ like writing written receipts for customers buying new cars, she appreciates the greater efficiencies afforded by IT.

And Ronald Aumalis, 50, is now in his 34th year at Farnell Land Rover in Frizinghall, Bradford. He remembers the original owner Albert Farnell and enjoyed working for Albert’s great nephews David Farnell and Ian Farnell until the dealership was bought by The Co-operative Motor Group in 2000.

“I decided to stick around because I felt The Co-operative Motor Group was a good company who looked after its staff with benefits and discount schemes – and I‘m glad I did,“ he said.

With just 26 years’ service behind him, the 55-year-old dealer principal of The Co-operative Motor Group Nissan Derby, Amrik Sandhu, is practically a rookie by The Co-operative Motor Group standards. He says the Internet has made a big impact on the trade in recent years.

“Some parts of the industry have suffered because more customers are now choosing the Internet as an alternative method of buying cars, but we have never felt threatened by it,” he said.

“Lots of our customers now use it to research the best deals and then come to our dealerships to finalise their purchases, but many others still prefer to come make their initial inquiries with us directly. Because The Co-operative Motor Group staff stay with their dealerships for longer, they tend to build up a rapport with customers who like the fact that when they come back to buy again the same person is still around to help them”