MP joins Ride to Work Day to promote British exports
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for
The Cotswolds, travelled to work at the House of Commons in a
sidecar on Monday 18th
June as part of the Ride to Work Day celebrations.
Ride To Work Day is an
international opportunity for motorcycle and scooter riders around
the world to share the enjoyment of their daily commute and Geoffrey
was invited to participate by Watsonian sidecars, Britain's only
remaining major manufacturer of sidecars, who are located in the MP's
constituency in the Heart of England.
“Not only is Geoffrey
Clifton-Brown our MP, he's also a champion of British manufacturers
like us, who export their products, so this is a great opportunity to
raise the profile of Great British sidecars” explains Watsonian
sales director Ben Matthews, who drove the outfit.
“Watsonian celebrates its
centenary this year and not many companies in the British motorcycle
industry can make that claim” he continues. “We've survived two
world wars, the Great Depression of 1929 and a devastating fire that
destroyed our factory in 1930. Today exports account for half of our
production, with strong sales to Japan, Germany and France, so it's
vital that the Government does all it can to support British
manufacturing.”
The sidecar in which Geoffrey
rode is a Watsonian Wizard, powered by a Royal Enfield 500cc
motorcycle, based on the combinations that the factory supplied for
the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which appeared
in the spectacular chase sequence in which Harry Potter flees from
the Death Eaters in a sidecar outfit driven by Hagrid.
“Ever since I first visited
Watsonian Squire a number of years ago and discovered what an
effective exporting company they were I have been a great supporter
of theirs” says Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.
“We had about a 3/4 of an hour
trip in from Putney” explains Geoffrey. “It's been a wonderful
experience. You see things that you wouldn't normally see in a car.
I think this is a great way to travel.”
Watsonian will be hosting a
centenary celebration rally
at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry on 18th-19th August 2012. For more
information on this and Watsonian's current range of sidecars and
details of the centenary rally call 01386 700907 or visit
www.watsonian-squire.com.