AN AWARD-WINNING garage which came to the rescue of frontline workers during the Coronavirus pandemic has experienced a surge in growth and customers.
Arwyn Hughes launched Arwyn’s Garage (Garej Arwyn) in 2004 on the site of his Dad Gwyndaf’s former haulage business.
It was just Arwyn, working out of a unit on Penygroes Industrial Estate and using his years of skills and experience as a mechanic to service and repair cars and fine-tune a range of vehicles, from Land Rovers to Audis and more.
Seventeen years later and the 46 year-old employs 23 people out of three workshops in the Gwynedd village.
A Mitsubishi Master Technician, Arwyn is also well-known for the support he gave to his community in lockdown, offering free courtesy cars to NHS and frontline staff so they could get to and from work safely.
He is now focused on continuing to grow the business while ensuring the safety of his team and customers, after what he describes as a “strange and challenging” 12 months.
“It has been a year unlike any other, but we have been able to carry on by introducing health and safety measures, ensuring social distancing and operating out of the three workshops,” said Arwyn, whose partner Aimi and son Cian also work in the business.
“We’ve been around for many years, but this has been a strange and challenging time for everyone, nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.
“We were all in unchartered territory and there was so much pressure on our frontline workers that we wanted to do something to help them, so we started to give discounts on labour for MOTs and servicing and provided free courtesy cars to get them to and from work safely.
“We were just glad to be able to help and give something back to people in the village who have supported us over the years.”
As member of the Good Garage Scheme, the business has won many awards.
Arwyn has also been successful with AGT (Arwyn’s Garage Tuning) and for more than five years has been one of Celtic Tuning’s network of dealerships across 19 countries worldwide.
“We have grown and grown, and it’s largely been down to dedication and hard work,” said Arwyn, a former pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle.
“I started out on my own and was later joined by a mechanic, then an apprentice, and from there I built things up slowly.
“I think reputation and word of mouth has played a part; before Coronavirus we had customers from as far away as Scotland coming here to use our services and facilities, so we hope to see that continue when lockdown is lifted, and it is safe to do so.”
He added: “I still get involved with fixing cars, getting my hands dirty and being there in the garage – that’s all I have ever done since leaving school.
“We will keep going and keep growing, that’s my vision and with the team I have around me I know we can achieve it.”
Visit www.garejarwyn.co.uk for more information or call 01286 882 299. Alternatively, email info@garejarwyn.co.uk.
COMPETITION: Arwyn’s Garage is giving away an official Wales rugby union shirt to celebrate the Guinness Six Nations tournament. To enter the prize draw, customers need to bring their vehicle to the garage to use one of the services on offer up until March 20. Anyone already booked in will be automatically entered into the draw. For terms and conditions visit the website.