83 year old embarks on restoration challenge
14 July 2021
Eighty-three-year-old John Wykes has a passion for classic motorcycles and cars and in his time has restored various vehicles to their former glory.
Living in Pendine Park’s Hillbury home in Wrexham, John was feeling ready for a new challenge to pass the time, so Hillbury’s deputy manager, Patsy Swift, sent out an appeal on Facebook for an old classic.
It was Ian John, a friend of Patsy’s husband, Shane, who decided to donate his old Kawasaki motorbike to John rather than sell it. Shane, who runs Swift Auto Services on Wrexham Industrial Estate, said: “Ian said he had been thinking about selling it, but when he heard about John at Hillbury he thought there was no better place for it to go. He was pleased to help out with such a thoughtful surprise for a veteran biker.”
Before retiring, John was a professional joiner, learning his trade at Harland and Wolff in Liverpool. After moving to North Wales, he opened his own joinery in Wrexham, which he ran for many years.
Outside of his work, John’s passion was motorbikes and he became so proficient in vehicle mechanics that he was able to restore several vintage bikes. One of his favourite projects was restoring a very worn Vauxhall J type car, a model popular in the 1930s and 40s.
Hillbury manager Cindy Clutton said: “We cannot express enough thanks to everyone involved in this magnanimous gesture. To see John’s reaction when the motorbike arrived was heart-warming.”
“if anyone has any motorbike tools they can spare or no longer want then we’d love to hear from them. I’m sure John will take excellent care of them and put them to good use. He has motorcycling in his blood.”
*
