More than 1,200 Hendy Group colleagues gathered in Bournemouth this month for its annual awards which this year also marked 165 years since the company was founded.

Comedian Russell Kane acted as host for the event at the Bournemouth International Centre with Hendy Group chief executive Paul Hendy paying tribute to the exemplary performances from individuals and teams, and pledging a bumper year ahead.

He thanked colleagues and manufacturers for their tremendous support over the years and promised significant plans for the future as the group continues to expand.

“2023 was the biggest year for the company in terms of revenue and growth and this year we are looking at a turnover of more than £1.2 billion,” Paul told guests. “We’re 165 years old and we are just getting started.”

There were awards presented to colleagues working across the business which represents more than 20 automotive brands across the south coast across more than 70 dealerships.

The key Hall of Fame award was this year presented to two colleagues in recognition of the tremendous contribution they have both played in the business.

Group ICT manager Steve Nicholas and director of estates and IT John Hendy were both inducted into the Hendy Group Hall of Fame.

Steve joined Hendy in 1983 at IT manager and Paul said he had played a pivotal role in the development of the IT team.

John joined the family business in 1994 and Paul said that he had been instrumental in helping the business grow and plays a key role in all estate development work.

John Hendy was also involved in the Team of the Year Award with the Property & Estates Team honoured for their work in the field of acquisition, new sites, and major project work during 2023.

Tunbridge Wells Langton Road was named Site of the Year with colleagues praised for their outstanding performance across all brands and their customer care.

Individual winners included Ollie Clayton, the company’s first sales apprentice who picked up the Apprentice of the Year award and Sales Colleague of the Year was Sanjay Sivarajah who works at Poole MG. Sales manager of the year was Martin Witt-Smith, also at the group’s MG site in Poole.

There were three awards for colleagues working at the group’s Villeneuve Way site in Eastleigh with Chris McLuckie named Technician of the Year, Graham Biggerstaff Aftersales Colleague of the Year, and Steve Davie Aftersales Manager of the Year.

The awards also recognise those in support roles with Lucy Beardsley named Support Function Colleague of the Year and Oliver Halstead Support Function Manager of the Year.

The final award was for the Hendy Hero 2023 which was awarded to Andy Yates for his running endeavours which included taking part in the 90km Comrades Marathon in South Africa. Andy completed this for the second time in 2023, raising vital funds for Hendy Foundation.