A new £650,000 showroom and offices for a Walsall-based specialist vehicle hire company has been officially opened by Simon Weston, the Falklands War veteran and charity worker.
Specialist Vehicle Rental, which is based in Bradford Street, Walsall, is expanding and has opened a newly built facility for its disability vehicles on Birmingham Road, close to junction 7 of the M6.
The development marks a new chapter in the growth of the company, which was launched in the town nine years ago by Juggy Kudhail and has become a leading provider of short and long-term specialist vehicle rental for businesses across the UK.
Simon was joined by the Mayor of Walsall Marco Longhi and Graham Footer, Chief Executive of Disabled Motoring UK, for the occasion.
Juggy said:
“We were very pleased to welcome Simon to our new office opening, which are a significant investment and an important development in the growth of the company. Simon spent a lot of time learning about what we do and talking to staff, which was great. We appreciated his taking the time to talk to us and our guests. It was also fantastic to get the support from Councillor Longhi and from Graham Footer for our new endeavour.”
The new facility, which is open to the public, comprises a vehicle showroom and a demonstration area where it can showcase various adaptations and accessories for disabled drivers and passengers.
The business has grown from one full-time and one part-time staff with five adapted vehicles/converted minibuses to a fleet of more than one hundred vehicles which consist of adapted vehicles, refrigerated vans, wheelchair-accessible minibuses and dual controlled vehicles with a team of ten drivers and eight office staff.
Simon Weston CBE, who was seriously injured in 1982 during the Falklands War when the Sir Galahad was destroyed, suffering 46% burns, has been involved with a number of highly successful ventures including ‘The Weston Spirit’, a Liverpool-based young people’s charity.
A well-known motivational speaker, Simon was named the Nation’s Favourite Hero and was honoured as one of the top 100 Welsh Heroes.
Picture caption: Simon Weston, with Juggy Kudhail , officially opens Specialist Vehicle Rental.
Specialist Vehicle Rental opening (from left): Kay Kudhail, Juggy Kudhail, Simon Weston, Mayor of Walsall Councillor Marco Longhi, Mayoress Andrea Longhi, Graham Footer, Councillor Amers Kudhail.
