When Roger Morris, managing director of Crewe Honda, was interviewed back in 2020 by BDN to celebrate a century in the trade, nobody could have foreseen what the next two years would hold.
If Morris had been told there would be a global pandemic and he would hand over half of his showroom to the NHS for the delivery of life saving vaccines, I think we could have all forgiven him for thinking this was something from a crazy sci-fi movie script!
But then along came Covid with the subsequent lockdowns, business disruption and horrendous personal tragedies. So when a lifelong pharmacist friend and neighbouring business owner suggested that the showroom would make a perfect location for a vaccination centre, Morris was only too happy to help with the national effort to protect the nation from the virus. Within a matter of weeks, the Crewe Honda Vaccination Centre threw open its doors and the public flocked to it in their thousands.
But here we are in 2022 all hoping that we are on the tail end of Covid with the vaccine centre having closed its doors for the final time after having delivered 110,000 vaccines between January 2021 and March 2022 to the good people of Crewe and the surrounding areas. The showroom has now returned to being completely dedicated to displaying Honda motorcycles with not a sign of its recent use to be found.
As Morris and his team at Crewe Honda return to their normal activities, they are also celebrating a marriage of some 60 years with Honda. It is with great pride that Roger says “Three generations of my family have served Honda here in this very building. These past two years have been unlike any other in the thirty four years I have been here but I can honestly say I have loved every minute and look forward to embarking on the next phase with the same enthusiasm I did when I was a young lad coming here to help my father and grandfather!”
One big benefit from having been a vaccination centre is that many people who had previously never set foot in a motorcycle dealership did so willingly and met Morris and members of his team while they maintained their ongoing Honda activities, this will surely bode well for the Honda franchise as many car driving commuters turn to motorcycles to reduce fuel costs – there will certainly be no apprehension now about visiting a motorcycle showroom.
It would be lovely to think that the aftermath of the crisis and amazing vaccine activities in Crewe will prove to be a real shot in the arm for this long-established business. Congratulations Crewe Honda – 60 years with Honda and 110,000 vaccines – what an achievement!