LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE

3rd March 2009

Last of The Summer Wine will end this year after 36 years of gentle Yorkshire humour. The highly talented, yet incredibly modest writer, Mr Roy Clarke, has been a much valued customer of Ray Chapman Motors since 1997. Roy Clarke is not a man who attends Award Ceremonies or seeks attention from the media for himself; he is a Gentleman of the Old School and a pleasure to deal with. Rory and I have had the fortune to  look after Roy's motoring needs between us and I remember the first time that we met. One day we received a telephone enquiry from a Mr Clarke, a quietly spoken gentleman who asked if it would be possible to have a test drive in the New Volvo XC70. I arranged a mutually convenient date and looked forward to a possible sale. Mr Clarke arrived on the day and after a welcoming cup of coffee, we took the XC70 out for a demonstration drive. Returning through Malton town centre, we stopped for the traffic lights so I turned to Mr Clarke and politely asked him what he did for a living. "I am a writer", he said. "Oh!", I replied, "What do you write?". "Last of The Summer Wine", he responded. "What! By yourself?" I asked. He calmly replied, "Yes. As well as Open All Hours and Keeping Up Appearances". I have met quite a few famous folk in my career as a car salesman, but this gentleman must be the most talented and one of the nicest.

This year. Roy changed his S80 for a completely different model. A new C30 SE LUX in Black Sapphire, while his good friends and aids, Mr and Mrs Firth, moved to the new model XC70. We thank them both for their continued support of the Dealership and wish Roy all the very best in the future.