Lloyd South Lakes magazine - 2016

L LOY D T H E M A G A Z I N E B R O U G H T TO YO U B Y L LOY D S O U T H L A K E S

I S S U E

1

A SHEPHERD’S LIFE FOR ME. On the fells with shepherdess and designer Alison O’Neill.

PLUS: GONE FISHING. MILLION MILE MAN.

Issue 1

Lloyd South Lakes

The Ultimate Driving Machine

EASY TO FIND, HARD TO RESIST.

Lloyd South Lakes

The Ultimate Driving Machine

IntroducIng lloyd south lakes.

new name, old values.

(FORMERLY BATEMAN)

we are excited that Bateman has joined lloyd motor group. we are now lloyd south lakes and we look forward to continuing to provide you with first-class customer service. The usual friendly faces in our Service & Sales departments will still be here to help.

The choice is yours, if you are looking to buy a brand new BMW or an Approved Used Car, finding the perfect specification has never been easier with over 300 approved used Bmws in our group. at lloyd south lakes, whether you are enjoying a test drive* in stunning surroundings or visiting our Bmw authorised service department, you will always receive a warm welcome from our team of experts.

Just 10 minutes’ drive from the M6, J36 - Call in to Lloyd South Lakes today.

LLOYD SOUTH LAKES

kendal road, lindale, grange-over-sands, cumbria la11 6Qr tel 015395 33751 www.lloydsouthlakesbmw.co.uk

*subject to availability and status.

WELCOME 03

Phil Stott, Head of Business, Lloyd South Lakes.

I’ve worked here with BMW for nearly 30 years as part of a long-standing team that prides itself on good old-fashioned manners and friendliness, and now we have access to a much bigger selection of cars, I’m delighted to welcome you to this, our first magazine.

We’re eager to let you know how recent changes are going to benefit our customers, some of whom are featured here and who keep coming back to us because they know they’re important to us.

In this magazine, meet Colin Newman, who has clocked up more than a million miles while we’ve looked after his BMWs. He’s even just sold his last one to our car fanatic Workshop Foreman Andy Simpson.

We’ve been out in some of BMW’s most innovative, exhilarating and fuel-efficient cars. We’ve been fishing with our Business Manager in the roomy new X1, visited the fabulous new Lakes Distillery with its owner Nigel Mills in his favourite 6 Series, and we’ve given local top restaurant Operations Manager Sam Ward the chance to get behind the wheel of the new BMW 7 Series with all its fantastic gadgetry.

This is our opportunity to showcase some of our staff’s familiar faces, all of them testament to how our services and ethos will never change.

Our door is always open.

We look forward to welcoming you!

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Welcome.

YOUR LOCAL MINI CENTRE FOR SALES, SERVICE AND PARTS. INTRODUCING LLOYD SOUTH LAKES.

The choice is yours, if you are looking to buy a brand new MINI or an Approved Used MINI, finding the perfect MINI has never been easier with over 150 Approved Used MINIs in our group.

At Lloyd South Lakes, whether you are enjoying a test drive in stunning surroundings or visiting our MINI Authorised Service department, you will always receive a warm welcome from our team of experts.

Just 10 minutes’ drive from the M6, J36 - Call in to Lloyd South Lakes today.

LLOYD SOUTH LAKES

Kendal Road, Lindale, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6QR 015395 34007 www.lloydsouthlakesmini.co.uk Find us on social media

lf l Lloyd South Lakes MINI.

Official fuel economy figures for the MINI range: Urban 27.2-72.4mpg (10.4-3.9 l/100km). Extra Urban 47.9-91.1mpg (5.9-3.1 l/100km).

Combined 37.7-83.1mpg (7.5-3.4 l/100km). CO2 emissions 175-89g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions.

Contents...

LLOYD M A G A Z I N E

06 LLOYD LIFE. Comings and goings at Lloyd South Lakes.

08 THE FAMILY WAY. Behind the scenes at your centre.

10 TAKE YOUR PICK. BMW’s xDrive, M2, i8, and i3 in focus.

16 SMOOTH BLEND. Driving with Lakes Distillery owner Nigel Mills.

20 COUNTRY LIFE. Looking good, the country way.

27

27 DALES DIARIES. On the fells with shepherdess Alison O’Neill.

32 1 MILLION MILES. The BMW driver with more than 1m on the clock.

38

12

40 TAKE YOUR PICK. BMW’s X1, 7 Series, 2 Series, X5M and X6M. 42 THE LLOYD EXPERIENCE. The people behind Lloyd South Lakes.

44 DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE. Putting BMW cars through their paces.

46 BMW ACCESSORIES. The extras which make the difference.

48 CELEBRATE. Lloyd South Lakes events.

32

20 publishing

Bearl Farm, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7AJ tel 01661 844 115 www.offstonepublishing.co.uk ©Offstone Publishing 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. All information contained in this magazine is correct at the time of going to press.

50 WIN. Your chance to win the revolutionary Apple Watch.

Lloyd South Lakes Kendal Road, Grange-over-Sands, LA11 6QR tel 015395 33751 www.lloydsouthlakesbmw.co.uk @LloydSouthLakes

/LloydSouthLakesBMW

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

38 GONE FISHING. The freedom of the open road - and the open river.

05

34 UNDER THE BONNET. A day in the life of a busy Workshop Foreman.

36 TAKE YOUR PICK. BMW’s 3 Series, M3 and M4, X5, and 1 Series.

produced by

CONTENTS

12 STEP ON THE GAS. On the road with restaurant Operations Manager Sam Ward.

LLOYD LIFE

LLOYD LIFE.

CARS WELL ABOVE PAR.

06

Lloyd South Lakes’s cars have been on display at the Grange-over-Sands Golf Club, allowing members to admire some of BMW’s latest models before completing their 18 holes on special golf days. With a number of customers being keen golfers, the centre helps rounds flow smoothly by sponsoring golf cards.

“It’s another really nice association that helps us support our customers through some of the things they love doing,” says Customer Relations Manager Kim Hayton.

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

LLOYD SOUTH LAKES ON A HIGH. Located as it is in the National Park, Lloyd South Lakes staff days out are a rather more adventurous affair than they might be for many car centres around the country.

The latest event took place at the Tree Top Trek at Brockhole, Windermere, where more than 20 employees headed into the trees to complete the beginners’ and then the

advanced high wire courses. “We do something like this probably every six months just as a bit of fun,” explains Sales Executive John Bond (pictured, centre). “The time before this we all went clay pigeon shooting together. We have quite a lot of competitive and sporty people among us, so the team-building events are something everyone really enjoys!”

STEVE TO THE RESCUE. When his colleague injured his arm in a mountain bike accident, Service Advisor Steve Stowe spent a month covering for him and running his own job, too.

His efforts caught the eye of management at Lloyd South Lakes, and Steve was awarded BMW UK’s bi-monthly Above & Beyond Award in honour of the seamless customer service he was able to deliver, not just on the front desk, but also as Workshop Controller.

A BMW BLAST FROM THE PAST.

Lloyd South Lakes is really proud to sponsor the first team,” Phil says.

“BMW is now heavily into sponsorship of the England rugby union team so this is a perfect community link for us. We’ve just delivered a great new set of jerseys and we sponsor some of the games throughout the season. We’ve developed really good relationships with players’ parents, some of whom have gone on to become customers of the centre.”

KATIE FOLLOWS IN HER MUM’S HOOF STEPS. Lloyd South Lakes Service Advisor Fiona Thompson’s daughter Katie is only eight, but she’s already gathered scores of trophies from her showjumping and showing successes.

Katie and her palomino pony Miri have been competing with the Furness Pony Club and Ulverston District Equine Club since she was five. “Next year she’ll be out on her own, but until now she’s had to compete on a lead rein,” says her proud mum Fiona, who started riding herself at just four. “So everything she’s done so far I’ve been at her side, running along while she’s gone through the course and over jumps. We travel to shows all over the area.”

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Parts Advisor Tim Brown walked up hill and down dale for 40 miles to raise money in memory of a friend who died during a motorcross race last year.

The Keswick to Barrow Walk takes hikers from Thirlmere to Barrow via Dunmail Raise, Grasmere and Elterwater to the coast. “I did it in 13½ hours for Macmillan Cancer Support and towards the purchase of defibrillators for motorcross and scrambling events across Cumbria as, sadly, we know how important they are,” says Tim.

It’s a well-known fact that Lloyd South Lakes Head of Business Phil Stott was a professional rugby league player for Wigan before joining the centre nearly 30 years ago.

In his spare time he’s now Director of Rugby and Assistant First Team Coach at the Vale of Lune Rugby Club, so it’s no surprise that players proudly wear the Lloyd South Lakes logo across their chests.

“It’s been a great association and

07

TIM’S WALK IN FRIEND’S MEMORY.

FORMER RUGBY PRO PROUD TO SUPPORT LOCAL TEAM.

LLOYD LIFE

Lloyd South Lakes staff were delighted when a customer posted a photograph of an old advert on Facebook. The advert, the origins of which remain a mystery, provides a walk down memory lane to a time when BMW sports saloons started at £1,899 and power-steering was an optional extra.

Head of Business Phil Stott says: “We always appreciate it when customers share memorabilia. We’ve been here a long time!”

LLOYD LIFE

FAMILY VALUES. Discover the story behind Lloyd Group, one of the UK’s most successful family‑owned firms.

08 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

The Lloyd Group is a rare breed. It is not often that large global brands are represented by family-run, local businesses, but that is still very much the case here.

Founded by Ralph Lloyd in 1964 and now run by his sons Bryan and Barry, the Lloyd business continues to grow, without losing sight of its roots or its values, showcasing premium motoring and machinery marques. Indeed, the third Lloyd generation is now active in the company, ensuring a bright future and continued evolution, going from strength to strength.

One of the keys to the success of the Group is that, when it has grown through the acquisition of other centres, it is family-run businesses that have been added. This ethos of providing the finest customer experience with a local touch is at the heart of the Lloyd philosophy, which is clearly valued by its many loyal customers.

From its roots in Cockermouth, where the original BMW centre was established in 1976, to its expansion from tractors to motors in Carlisle, where it still has BMW, MINI and other prestige franchises today, the Lloyd name is now known across the North of England and South of Scotland for its customer-focused and friendly approach, regardless of whether you are buying a car, a motorbike, a tractor or a lawnmower.

The latest addition to the Lloyd organisation is Lloyd BMW & MINI South Lakes, formerly Bateman of Lindale. In a stunning location, as befits a centre which now references the Lake

District in its name, this locally owned BMW and MINI retailer has been an integral part of the landscape near Grange-over-Sands for more than 26 years.

Simply taking a test-drive is a pleasure.

With a successful team of experienced staff, supplemented with some new arrivals, the South Lakes retail centre has already become an integral part of the Lloyd Group, delivering the exceptional levels of customer service with which the Lloyd name is synonymous.

The BMW and MINI centres in Colne and Blackpool were also family-run businesses Prestons and Woodman respectively. Over the past eight years since they came under the Lloyd name, both retailers have continued to develop, regularly achieving BMW’s ‘Holy Grail’ of five-star customer service standards and refurbishing their premises to ensure that their surroundings match their customers’ high expectations.

Supporting their local communities through sponsorships and charity connections, such as Rock FM’s Cash for Kids and Lytham Festival, all the staff at Lloyd Lancashire, as the two centres are collectively known, are focused on providing a friendly and welcoming experience to all guests to their showrooms.

Last, but by no means least, is Lloyd Newcastle, formerly Fawdington. Part of the Lloyd family since 1998, Lloyd Newcastle has recently extended its premises to showcase the evergrowing range of new BMWs as well as more than 150 approved used cars.

It is often the case that big does not mean better, but in the case of Lloyd Group, the growth from one to 12 centres (six BMW and six MINI) has enhanced the firm’s professional yet local approach, bringing continuous improvement and, by employing local people, a drive to serve our centres’ communities effectively and with pride.

LLOYD NEWCASTLE. KEY DATES. 1964 – Ralph Lloyd takes over a Ford tractor franchise in Carlisle, establishing R Lloyd Tractors .

LLOYD CARLISLE.

1986 – Lloyd Motors opens a BMW/ MINI centre in Carlisle.

LLOYD COCKERMOUTH.

1998 – Lloyd Motors acquires Fawdington in Newcastle, now Lloyd Newcastle.

LLOYD LIFE

1976 – Lloyd Motors begins with one centre in Cockermouth.

2007 – Prestons in Colne is added to the BMW / MINI portfolio, now Lloyd Colne.

2013 – Lloyd Newcastle undergoes refurbishment to create an ultra-modern, customer-focused retail site.

2015 – Lloyd Motors acquires Batemans of Lindale, now Lloyd South Lakes.

LLOYD BLACKPOOL.

LLOYD SOUTH LAKES.

LLOYD LTD. The Lloyd Ltd head office in Carlisle.

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

LLOYD COLNE.

09

2010 – Woodmans in Blackpool is added to the BMW / MINI portfolio, now Lloyd Blackpool.

TAKE YOUR PICK. LLOYD SOUTH LAKES’ GENERAL SALES MANAGER DAVID CHARLSON

GUIDES US THROUGH MORE OF BMW’S MOST INNOVATIVE AND NEWEST MODELS.

TAKE YOUR PICK #1 10 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

BMW M2 – New model.

The design of the BMW M2 Coupé is inspired by BMW’s illustrious history in motor racing, signified by its low front apron with large air intakes, muscular flanks with M gills, 19-inch aluminium wheels in familiar M double-spoke design and a low, wide rear with M-specific twintailpipe exhaust system.

The interior, meanwhile,

possesses rare quality and sporting ambition. Sports seats, an M sports steering wheel and an M gearshift lever ensure BMW M2 drivers are in control at all times. The compact M inline 6-cylinder engine in the BMW M2 Coupé offers impressive proof of the car’s strength, guaranteeing a breathtaking driving experience every time.

30 Years of BMW xDrive.

Until recently, we’ve perhaps taken for granted that our customers understand the term BMW xDrive. Put simply, this is the four-wheel-drive system that features on more than 20 models across the range, including the plug-in hybrid BMW i8. But it’s not a recent innovation, having first been introduced on the BMW 325i “Allrad”, 30 years ago.

Today, around one in three BMWs sold around the world are equipped with xDrive, which is included on models ranging from the BMW 1 Series to the BMW 7 Series.

With the BMW xDrive four-wheel-drive system, each axle uses its traction to the maximum. In difficult conditions, such as wet or icy roads, more torque has to be applied to the road. That’s when Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) comes into operation. In addition to improving traction, the system recognises the first signs of over- and under-steering.

Within a tenth of a second it distributes up to almost 100% of the engine torque to the front or rear axle via the transmission and an electronically controlled multiple-plate clutch before returning to the normal 40:60 distribution ratio.

In short, it handles every twist and turn in the road, whatever the weather.

ON THE ROAD. The BMW range is renowned for the versatility of its design, and its innovation in fuel and in fully electric vehicles.

TAKE YOUR PICK #1 11 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

BMW i8.

The revolutionary BMW i8 is a newgeneration sports car combining electric power and a 1.5 litre turbo petrol engine, offering the incredible torque and acceleration of an electric car with a top speed of 155mph.

With its innovative build and use of groundbreaking materials, aerodynamic design and intelligent BMW EfficientDynamics features, the BMW i8 is a trailblazer.

You can charge the i8 at any wall socket, or the BMW Wallbox wall-mounted charging point can be fixed to your house or garage wall to recharge the i8 to 80% in just two hours.

When you’re ready to hit the road, the Driving Experience Control switch and eDrive button allow you to choose from five driving modes, including Comfort, which offers optimum balance between dynamics and efficiency, giving a combined range in everyday conditions of more than 310 miles.

It’s easy to boast about the credentials of the BMW i8 of course, and multiple awards confirm its stature, including Engine of the Year at the 2015 International Engine of the Year awards and 2015 World Green Car at the World Car Awards.

BMW i3.

A purpose-built model, the BMW i3 possesses remarkable statistics from zero CO₂ emissions, up to 100 mile range and just £2 to charge*.

It makes fully electric driving possible every day with its impressive range and choice of driving modes. The Comfort driving mode is standard, and by adjusting the drive mode, you can improve the charge remaining by scaling back on non-essentials like air con,

extending your journey by 25% over Comfort mode.

The BMWi Remote App connects your BMW i3 to your smartphone to allow you to remotely access its location and charge level, and to check if it’s locked. You can even set the temperature before you get in - perfect for winter mornings. * 18.8 kWh net battery capacity multiplied by Economy 7 unit rate of 5.53p/kWh.

ON THE ROAD

FOR WARD...

Restaurant operations manager Sam Ward believes in putting the customer first, just like his favourite car centre.

12 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

With a silk hanky pillowing from his suit jacket pocket, Sam Ward is a young man enviably in love with life and with a boundless confidence cheerfully underpinned by swathes of what an X Factor judge might call ‘likeability factor’.

Maybe it’s something you’re born with, maybe not, but what’s clear is that Sam has certainly never taken this effortless charm for granted.

Indeed, you might say it’s become his trade.

We meet inside the new BMW 7 Series he’s borrowing for the day during a quick introduction to its myriad buttons and futuristic features. Sam, who usually drives a BMW 430d Convertible, is getting a massage in the passenger seat (from the car), and turning the music up and down on the radio by drawing a circle in the air with his finger.

He’s very impressed.

He’s clearly totally at home around strangers and effortlessly makes you feel like you’ve known him for years. It’s a skill he’s honed suggesting fine wines and food to the great and the good, and while it’s a skill it takes many of us a lifetime to achieve, Sam’s become quite the master at the age of 30.

Formerly Maître d’ at the double Michelinstarred L’Enclume in nearby Cartmel, Sam was promoted in September 2015 to Operations Manager of the Umbel Restaurant Group’s five illustrious establishments - two in Cartmel

including L’Enclume, Fera at London’s Claridge’s Hotel, and two more leading restaurants in Manchester.

Sam’s taking advantage of the loan of the car and taking his grandmother for a spin (what’s not to like), and later we’re invited to spend an hour in his lovely country apartment, retracing his route from Cumbrian plasterer to Ritz sommelier with all its twists and turns in between. It’s no surprise

“THEY KNOW ABOUT CARS AND PEOPLE, A N D T H AT M A K E S A L L THE DIFFERENCE.”

ON THE ROAD 13 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

he’s asked to give motivational talks at the local catering colleges. So how has he got where he is today?

Seat belts fastened, here we go - for his first job, aged 12, Sam washed pots and helped make burgers at a little café in Grange-over-Sands for £2.75 an hour every Saturday before progressing to the Commodore Inn in the town. His third job, at 18, was with a gang of Geordie plasterers (his father is a builder and plasterer) with whom he

spent six months labouring. He learnt a lot.

“I would mix plaster and send it up in a bucket and they would pour it all over me for a laugh,” he says. “When we went out drinking they’d all order Carlings and get me a Stella. You can imagine...”

He was the first on his dad’s side of the family to go to university, but to his father’s great disapproval, he dropped out of his business and finance services course at Nottingham Trent in the second year. He was too busy falling in love

ON THE ROAD 14 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

with a restaurant he’d discovered, Punchinellos. “It was my first experience of a proper bistro where people really cared. There was a lot of heart there and I adored it. They gave me a 10% discount card and then one day I walked past a sign in the window saying ‘staff wanted’.”

This was the moment that sealed his future. “I just loved it. I took to it like a duck to water,” he recalls.

Sam excelled at talking to customers. When there were spaces spare, he would go outside, talk to people, and fill the tables. At the age of 20, he ended up running the place, sleeping over regularly and fitting in lectures where need be. “It was my family,” he says.

Eventually the place was sold, and Sam moved on to a plate-polishing job at one of Nottingham’s top restaurants, followed by a stint as a molecular mixologist in a trendy bar. Both were right up his street and he flourished. He won several cocktail competitions and met his wifeto-be, Nina, who, weirdly, was from just down the road from his family home back in Cumbria. Nina, now a successful landscape photographer, was moving back, and Sam sent his CV to L’Enclume.

It was 2008.

“My dad took me there for lunch as a Christmas present,” Sam recalls. The owner, the renowned chef Simon Rogan, interviewed him the next day for a barman’s job at the soon-to-open Rogan & Company, also in Cartmel village. At 21, Sam hadn’t the faintest idea about how to run a bar, but snapped Simon’s hand off when this specialist job was put to him. “I kept having to ring my old boss and say, ‘how do I get stuff?’ ‘What stuff?’ he’d ask. ‘Drinks and stuff,’ I said. I literally had no idea.”

But no one else was making cocktails in Cumbria at the time and it wasn’t long before Sam had his own regular local radio slot and was popping up in local newspapers.

The next turn of events saw Nina offered a job with the internationally celebrated fashion and portrait photographer Rankin. Sam followed her

to London and worked for three years with the multinational media company Thomson Reuters.

“It was fun, but I was on the Tube one day, looking at people, and thought that’s me in 10 years, that one in 20 years, and there I am retired. I could see it all mapped out and knew that London office work just wasn’t for me. Now I spend a lot of time getting that feeling out of people who come to our restaurants from their busy lives.

“Once they walk through our door they find friendliness personified. I have a rule that whoever first makes eye contact with a customer takes them to their table, and they’ve actually got this same set of attitudes at Lloyd South Lakes.

15 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

The most progressive of technologies such as BMW Gesture Control and BMW Laserlight, and the finest of materials ensure that the new BMW 7 Series represents a vision of the future unlike any other car in its class.

ON THE ROAD

BMW 730d.

They know all about cars, but they also know how to treat people, and that’s what makes all the difference.”

Following his Tube epiphany, Sam found himself edging back into hospitality, and a job in a nightclub in Clapham, London, ended up in an interview at the Ritz as a commis sommelier. Was he a wine expert?

“Not at all! I made a real hash of my first night and didn’t want to do it twice,” he says.

Realising charm could only take him so far with a wine list ranging from £60 a bottle to £6,000, Sam would finish work at midnight, eat duck and rice at a little restaurant in China Town and study at his table in the corner.

He shaved twice a day (no five o’clock shadows at The Ritz), and built his confidence along with his wine knowledge, serving lords and ladies, leaders of global industry, and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher herself on several occasions during her residence at the hotel in her last years.

Over three years at The Ritz Sam was promoted from the ninth wine sommelier in the nine-man team to second - and he won a best British waiter competition. “It was brilliant, magical,” he says. “And the food was out of this world.”

Then, in 2012 he and Nina decided enough was enough and returned to the Lake District.

Sam breathed in the old air, grew a beard and was snapped up by Rogan again, this time as restaurant manager, just before L’Enclume was awarded its second Michelin star.

“I love that restaurant with all my heart, but it’s time now for someone else to do it their way,” he says.

His tips for the youngsters he addresses in Cumbrian catering colleges? “Always look at what you don’t know - there’s no point focusing on what you’re already good at.” To which we might add, be nice, and always see a hurdle as a challenge. That’s clearly been Sam’s way and you can’t imagine anything slowing him down for a long time to come. Though he does say he’s very broody…

ON THE ROAD.

ON THE ROAD

Nigel Mills enjoys the comfort and performance of his BMW 6 Series on his frequent commutes between his base in Newcastle and The Lakes Distillery near Bassenthwaite Lake.

16 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

The Lake District’s first-ever commercial single malt is quietly languishing in old bourbon and sherry casks near the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake. When it’s awakened in a few years’ time there will be quite a party - and a great deal of curiosity over its taste. For Nigel Mills, chairman of the Lakes Distillery, there is no doubt it’ll be a winner. Tests on water quality there have delivered a lot to be excited about, with just the right amount of peat flowing down the fells to hit the sweet spot.

“The Lakes is one of the best places anywhere to make whisky. We’re aiming for something very drinkable and smooth,” he says, adding that

17

Just a year after opening, The Lakes Distillery is already renowned for its gin, vodka and whiskies. BMW 6 Series driver Nigel Mills tells us about the joys of leading a business that’s breaking the mould.

ON THE ROAD

GOOD CHEER.

the distillery is part of a movement away from traditional spirit production. “Thirty years ago, if you wanted wine you’d be choosing from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Now it’s as likely to be from the New World. We’re now seeing the same change with spirits - a revolution in people’s appreciation of flavour and taste. It’s fascinating.”

The Lake District is no stranger to whisky production. Lakeland farmers have kept their own whisky stills for centuries and the distillery is part of an international movement to challenge the dominance of Scotland.

Nigel’s own background lies in accountancy with Price Waterhouse in Newcastle and London before founding a chain of newsagents with his father as his mentor. Over 25 years, the two grew the Mills Group into 86 convenience stores, selling them in 2011 to One-Stop Tesco.

Meanwhile, Nigel and his business partners acquired three hotels in Cumbria. He still owns the four-star Trout Hotel in Cockermouth, birthplace of William Wordsworth, home of Jennings Brewery - and the first Lloyd centre. “One day, I told the owners of The Trout that if they wanted to sell it, I’d buy it. They said they were thinking about selling right then and they gave me two weeks to make up my mind, which is how that one came about.”

Nigel has long wished to boost tourism here, so when he first read about the distillery project and its planning permission at Bassenthwaite, he was immediately interested. Looking for an investment opportunity, he contacted Paul Currie, the inspiration behind the idea, who had successfully developed a similar venture on the Isle of Arran with his father. “It was April 2012 and the financial world was still in turmoil,” he recalls.

“I sat with Paul and we rewrote the business

“ I T ’ S A FA B C A R PERFECT FOR T R AV E L L I N G FROM THE OFFICE TO T H E D I S T I L L E R Y ”

ON THE ROAD 18 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

plan. Two years and £8m later, we opened.”

In its first year of opening the distillery will turn over £2.5m. Given the time required for a single malt to mature - the first run won’t be bottled until 2020, although there’ll be a first expression of that available from 2018 - other products were needed to get business moving.

So, there’s The Lakes Vodka, the first to be produced in Cumbria, The Lakes Gin made from local junipers among a total of 14 botanicals, and a whisky blend called The ONE, a mix of malts from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. “It’s a unique product,” Nigel says.

The distillery is already an award-winning tourist attraction and famed North East restaurateur Terry Laybourne has his stamp on its excellent bistro. You can enjoy a distillery tour, smelling the casks for yourself and understanding the technical intricacies of production. A recent convert to whisky, Nigel quickly cuts through the mystique that surrounds it. “Making the whisky itself is a very easy process. You take some barley, grind it up and add water, although here the process gets more technical. To paraphrase somewhat, yeast goes in, the whole thing gurgles about and a kind of undrinkable beer results.

It’s then distilled twice in separate stills and the middle 20% of the resulting liquid is kept.

60% of the process is about storing it in really great wood.”

By law it has to be stored for three years before you can call it a whisky. “It was something introduced in 1916 to try to stop people going blind or killing themselves by drinking it straight off the still,” Nigel explains.

The distillery’s HQ is in Gosforth, Newcastle, where the accountancy and behind-the-scenes work is done. But production rests firmly in the Lakes. Nigel, a life-long Newcastle United supporter (“it teaches you optimism!”) gets over there once a fortnight in his BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé. He has had BMWs since 1988, and this is probably his favourite in terms of luxury and style.

“It’s a fab car,” he says, smiling.

His favourite route is to take the Military Road to Greenhead Bank on the other side of Haltwhistle, then join the A69 for about 15 miles towards Carlisle and turn off on the A595 to Cockermouth. “Which ever way you go, they’re all great driving roads for the ultimate driving machine,” he says, with the smile of a man very content with his lot in life and in business.

THE NEW BMW 3 SERIES SALOON.

DRIVING PLEASURE, UNMATCHED.

The new BMW 3 Series Saloon

The Ultimate Driving Machine

With outstanding road-holding and a new generation of TwinPower Turbo engines for increased power and lower fuel consumption, the latest BMW 3 Series Saloon is a new vision of driving exhilaration.

For more information and to book a test drive* in the new BMW 3 Series Saloon, please call 015395 33751 or visit www.lloydsouthlakesbmw.co.uk

Lloyd South Lakes

Kendal Road, Lindale, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6QR Official fuel economy figures for the new BMW 3 Series Saloon: Urban 27.2–61.4 mpg (10.2–4.6 l/100 km). Extra Urban 46.3–85.6 mpg (6.1–3.3 l/100 km).

Combined 36.7–74.3 mpg (7.7–3.8 l/100 km). CO2 emissions 179–99 g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions. *Test drive subject to status and availability.

LLOYD FASHION 20 LLOYD / ISSUE 01 EMMA WEARS Bailey trilby hat £60 La Mericaine wool cape £225, Duffy roll neck jumper £165 ALEX WEARS Holland Esquire jacket £365 John Smedley roll neck jumper £295

“MIX TEXTURES A N D L AY E R S F O R A CONTEMPORARY C O U N T R Y LO O K . ”

ALEX WEARS Stetson cap £70 Barbour jacket £280 Gant roll-neck jumper £195 Jacob Cohen jeans £295 Boots, model’s own

LLOYD FASHION

EMMA WEARS Bailey trilby hat £60 Barbour wool poncho £180 Duffy roll neck £165 Paige jeans £195 Boots, model’s own

21

The country set think just as carefully about their weekend wear as they do about their city look, pulling off an enviably cool country vibe with as much style as they do their designer city suits and shoes.

This season’s country style is all about multi-textures such as tweed, knits, leather, wax and faux fur, topped off, always, with an outback leather hat.

Team your look with a smart off-roader such as the BMW X6 here, and a friendly horse (ours is called Ponty and he used to jump fences for a living) and you’ve got the look.

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

COUNTRY LIFE.

LLOYD FASHION

22

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

“SMART COUNTRY RELIES ON CHECKS A N D L AY E R S F O R T H E E P I TO M E O F RURAL STYLE.”

LLOYD FASHION 23

ALEX WEARS Jules B jacket £480 Jules B waistcoat £185 Jules B trousers £195 Eton shirt £115 Hemley tie £50

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

EMMA WEARS Dom Goor shearling £1,750 Cocoa Cashmere jumper £185 True Religion jeans £190

“NO COUNTRY WA RD RO B E IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A BARBOUR.”

LLOYD FASHION 24

Styling: Haley Blades, Liz Hands

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Clothes: Jules B, www.julesb.co.uk and at: 91-93 Osborne Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 2AN, tel 0191 281 7855 ext 2 2-6 Stramongate, Kendal, LA9 4B tel 01539 723 874 32 High Street, Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees TS15 9AE, tel 01642 780 907 Models: Emma Davies and Alex Dunigan Tyne Tees Models, tel 0191 237 3400 Ponty the horse, at home in Neasham nr Darlington Hair and Make up: Samantha Karen tel 07920 143 882 www.samanthakarenmakeupartistry.co.uk

EMMA WEARS Jofama jacket £355 Rag & Bone roll neck jumper £395 Paige jeans £215 Boots, model’s own ALEX WEARS Stetson cap £75 Barbour jacket £279 John Smedley roll neck jumper £295 Jacob Cohen jeans £295 Boots, model’s own

Photography: Kevin Gibson, www.kgphotography.co.uk Car: BMW X6

ISABEL MARANT ÉTOILE

CORNELIANI

KENZO

JACOB COHEN

VERSUS VERSACE

LA MARTINA

MARC BY MARC JACOBS

PAUL SMITH

RAG & BONE

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

ALICE & OLIVIA

JEFFERY-WEST

PAIGE DENIM

HUGO BOSS

ALEXANDER WANG

CANADA GOOSE

MICHAEL KORS

PAUL & SHARK

HIGH

NAPAPIJRI

Jesmond: 91-93 Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE2 2AN | T: 0191 281 7855 (2) Kendal: 2-6 Stramongate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4BN | T: 01539 723 874 (2) Yarm: 32 High Street, Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees, TS15 9AE | T: 01642 780 907

www.julesb.co.uk

The new BMW 7 Series

The Ultimate Driving Machine

INTERVIEW

THE NEW BMW 7 SERIES. DRIVING LUXURY.

26 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

the new Bmw 7 series incorporates exquisitely crafted design, enhanced levels of comfort and an extensive range of pioneering technology, which have all led to it being hailed as the most innovative car in its class.

LLOYD SOUTH LAKES

kendal road, lindale Grange-over-Sands LA11 6QR 01539 533751 www.lloydsouthlakesbmw.co.uk Official fuel economy figures for the new BMW 7 Series Saloon range: Urban 24.8-51.4mpg (11.4-5.5l/100km).

Extra Urban 45.6-67.3mpg (6.2-4.2l/100km). Combined 34.9-60.1mpg (8.1-4.7l/100km). CO2 emissions 189-124g/km.

Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions.

ON THE ROAD 27

Philippa Jones meets Cumbrian shepherdess Alison O’Neill, whose tweed clothing is designed at her farmhouse kitchen table, in-between the hours she spends tending her sheep on the fells.

Alison O’Neill is one of those rare things; a romantic, living her dream of being a shepherd, designing beautiful tweed clothing woven from the fleece of her native breed sheep - skirts, jackets, and waistcoats she models herself and which, suddenly, are in great demand.

Alison’s website features beautiful photographs of her in her designs, at work amid

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

DALES DIARIES.

her flock in the Howsgill Hills above Sedbergh.

Her long black hair is tousled, her beautiful skirts and waistcoats are worn over woolly socks and muddy boots. It’s tomboyish and feminine at the same time - very real and undeniably sexy.

It’s hard to conjure a picture of a Dalesman without a tweed jacket. They don’t wear miniskirts though, and Alison’s set her apart - her father’s shepherd’s crook at her hand and her grandfather’s whistle, carved from red deer antler, around her neck. There’s something wildly free about it, and it sums her up perfectly.

Today, after torrential rain, her day wear has by force been green rubber leggings, and

BMW M Range

The Ultimate Driving Machine

FROM THE RACETRACK TO THE ROAD. DISCOVER THE WORLD OF THE BMW M RANGE AT LLOYD SOUTH LAKES. To any true driving enthusiast, the simple mention of the letter M instantly captures their attention and evokes feelings of excitement.

Established in May 1972 with just eight employees, the BMW M division began a tradition of taking learnings from the racetrack and applying them to the road, with all BMW M models being tested and tuned on the world-famous Nürburgring circuit in Germany.

Now, over forty years later, the BMW M range includes everything from the exhilarating new BMW M4 Convertible, M4 Coupé and M3 Saloon to the luxurious new BMW M6 range and four-wheel drive BMW X5 and X6M. No wonder then that this one simple letter has the power to inspire such extraordinary passion.

To find out more or to book a test drive†, please call 015395 33751 or visit www.lloydsouthlakesbmw.co.uk

Lloyd South Lakes

Kendal Road, Lindale, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6QR

Official fuel economy figures for the BMW M Range: Urban 19.2-25.4mpg (14.7-11.1 l/100km). Extra Urban 31.4-42.2mpg (9.0-6.7 l/100km).

Combined 25.4-34.0mpg (11.1-8.3 l/100km). CO2 emissions 173-189g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions. †Test drive subject to applicant status and availability.

A DREAM REALISED. Shepherdess Alison O’Neill with her sheep and her dog Shadow on the Howsgill Hills

“THIS IS ALL ABOUT G O O D , H O N E ST P R O D U C TS T H AT W I L L L A ST A L I F E T I M E . ”

ON THE ROAD LLOYD / ISSUE 01

farmer’s wife, with her pinny and tea towel, was put in charge, raising the sheep and the cows in his place.

After school, she took jobs in London, Manchester and then all over the world, ranging from the Inland Revenue to grape-picking, to fitness instructing. “All things I wasn’t very good at,” she says now. In her early thirties, in Morocco with her then-husband John, she poured out her heart. She wanted to come home and farm, just as everyone was leaving farming, but he agreed.

They had about £60 each and spent years searching for a farm to rent. “Eventually I spotted an ad in the local paper and wrote a long letter explaining that my grandfather, his father and grandfather before him were farmers in the area.

There were 30 other couples after it, but blow me, we got Shacklabank Farm on May 12, 1999.

It was just 30 acres and had been intensively farmed, its buildings encircled by a sea of tin, but it was one of the happiest days of my life.”

From the farm gate you get a 360 degree view of the Pennine countryside. Alison says people say it’s the most beautiful view they’ve ever seen. It’s also one of the last working hill

29

her work boots are caked. I’m relieved to have made the trip in the new BMW X5 - the perfect companion for this harsh fell country. I find Alison at her kitchen table working on her Shepherdess clothing range, Valentine the cockerel and his father Romeo pecking at the door, sheepdog Shadow issuing a warning bark; it’s time for his bowl of milk and it’s not something he likes to share.

“It’s all about good, honest products that last a lifetime,” she says of her clothing. A woman in London, she says, has bought a skirt, waistcoat, jacket, and a bag, and on the Tube or at work they put her in mind of Alison, out on the hills.

Born Alison Winn, a good Sedbergh name, she was bred into generations of farmers, but her parents struggled, as so many hill farmers do, and when she was 12 they sold up. “It broke my heart,” she says. “My brother and sister had other dreams, but I’d spent all my time milking the cows by hand, feeding the hens, walking out with the sheep on the hills. It was my world.”

For Christmas that year she received a plastic farm set, which she played with behind the settee in their new home, imagining it was real.

She allowed the farmer to be conscripted into her brother’s cowboy and Indian games. The

farms in an area where many others have been swallowed up into larger units, their farmhouses now holiday homes.

A month after moving in, Alison gave birth to her daughter Scarlett and started farming – to the amusement of some of the locals. There were many times she thought it would never work, but she mastered it. To help make ends meet, Alison, now a single mother, put a couple of caravans on site and did B&B, then trained as a mountain guide so she could take guests walking and then have them back for supper in front of the fire.

ON THE ROAD 30 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

The guiding took her around the Lakes and Yorkshire, then up to the Outer Hebrides, where another magical thing happened - she discovered tweed. Then a national newspaper ran a story on her Barefood Shepherdess holiday business and she was inundated with calls - most of them not about bookings, but about the skirt she was wearing in the photos - homemade from the Harris tweed she’d bought in Scotland. “I made some skirts up for the people who contacted me and posted them off. Then a country magazine featured me and I received hundreds of emails enquiring about the waistcoat I was wearing. I thought maybe I could start a little sideline.”

The name was easy – Shepherdess – and Alison started sourcing tweed from the Isle of Harris. Then she had her own sheep fleeces spun, dyed and woven into tweed of her own. Her skirts, waistcoats, jackets, and bags are now made up in four-six weeks per piece by local seamstresses using more than 300 tweeds, with clasps made of Sheffield steel and antique British leather buttons.

Alison now has a unit at Farfield Mill in Sedbergh, where at weekends she meets and fits customers for clothes which, she says, will last a lifetime. She has three breeds of sheep – Herdwicks, whose wool she uses for Cumberland tweed; Rough Fells, whose wool she prizes for her Westmorland tweed; and Swaledales, whose fleece goes into Yorkshire tweed.

“I’m 5ft 3ins and an average size 12 and so far I’ve modelled all the clothes myself,” she says of the stunning photos on the Shepherdess website.

“I was looking into using professional models, but a friend said, ‘Alison, you’re an average woman

with lines and all the rest because you have lived, and that’s why people love your clothes’.

“I keep to classic styles and my favourite skirt looks fantastic on teenagers with brogues and woollens, while we had an 86-year-old woman with gorgeous flowing white hair buy one and wear it with a silk blouse and kitten heels.”

Alison has attracted the attention of a photographer who’s working on a book of a year in her life. She’s also been asked to pen notes for an autobiography. So will the bright lights take her away from the farm and her sheep? Not for a second. With Sunny the fell pony instead of a quad bike and Tweed the terrier at her heels, she knows where happiness lies. “I’m 52, I can skip around hay meadows in my bare feet, wear red lipstick and do anything I like. You get to that age of just being you and you realise people are okay with that.” And I am convinced, as I make the trip back to the city in the X5, savouring the drive through this bleak yet beautiful land, that they are.

COUNTRY LIFE. Shepherdess waistcoats are priced from £199, skirts from £199, and jackets from £495.

Off-the-peg Shepherdess products are available at Armstrong Ward, Kendal, Rheged in Penrith, and the Lakes Distillery near Cockermouth Alison O’Neill is at Farfield Mill in Sedbergh most Saturdays – contact her through her website to check availability www.shepherdess.co.uk

YOUR WORLD JUST GOT BIGGER.

BMW Motorrad UK

Lloyd Motorrad

MAKE LIFE A RIDE.

BMW MOTORRAD NOW AVAILABLE IN CARLISLE. We are pleased to announce Lloyd Motorrad will open its doors to the new superb showroom in Carlisle this summer. Our new state-of-the-art centre offers the very best in everything BMW Motorrad. Whether it’s a new bike, service, an accident repair or simply advice you need, we can help.

The BMW Motorrad Range is now available from our BMW showroom in Carlisle, for more information call us on 01228 516212 or visit www.lloydcarlislemotorrad.co.uk

Lloyd Motorrad

Grearshill Road, Kingstown Carlisle CA3 0ET

The Ultimate Riding Machine

ON THE ROAD

ON THE CLOCK.

32 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Lloyd South Lakes customer Colin Newman has driven more miles than most of us have had hot dinners the majority of them in a series of BMWs he’s owned for more than 30 years.

How many miles would you guess you’ve driven? Colin Newman, a retired salesman who was on the road for more than 40 years, has kept tabs on the mileage of all the cars he’s been through. “I’ve clocked up more than a million,” he says, with a twinkle.

He hands over photos of the last three of the five BMWs he’s owned, the penultimate of which he sold after 19 years to Lloyd South Lakes Workshop Foreman Andy Simpson (see page 34) with 300,000 miles on the clock.

“I was driving it to the showroom and I couldn’t help thinking how much I loved the 7 Series,” he says. “I originally bought it after I happened to mention I could just do with a slightly wider car because I was carting so much stuff up and down the country.

Paintings, pictures, cards, furniture, clothing, curtain material - I’ve sold everything.

“Anyhow, I was having this conversation

with myself, thinking how much I liked it, but it was time to let it go. It’s such a pleasant car that when you get out after nine hours on the road you completely forget you’ve been in it.

“There were times I’d put in 100 hours over seven days a week. It was the radio that kept me going - music. I’ve always kept up with the music scene. Radio 1’s what I’ve mostly played, even now. I don’t like to get stuck in any given era.”

When Andy Simpson suggested a

ON THE ROAD LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Colin Newman, pictured at the Netherwood Hotel, Grange-over-Sands, with his BMW 7 Series, has clocked up more than 1m miles in his BMWs over the years.

33

1 million mile man.

one-year-old 7 Series which was in stock at Lloyd Colne, Colin couldn’t resist; he particularly enjoys the 7 Series.

In his younger days, Colin, now 65, who liked to be supportive of British industry, owned a succession of MG Midgets.

“I used to wear blue jeans in those days and if it rained you’d end up with one leg darker than the other because the cars leaked and you’d get soaked down one side. Anyhow, they ceased production and 30 years ago I decided BMW was the way to go. I love the cars and the centre has always treated me very well. At one point, I was driving so much I’d be in for a service every seven or eight weeks, so I do know the staff there very well.”

He’s tickled that one of the team at the centre once recognised him filling up near Liverpool and exclaimed, ‘You’re the guy with the lunar mileage!’

“However long you have them you never really know what all the buttons do,” admits Colin. “My new one’s like an aircraft. I’ve worked hard and a car like this gives you a bit of freedom and something to look forward to. My wife’s just bought a 1 Series with all the sport kit on - she loves hers, too.”

INNOVATION

UNDER THE BONNET.

34

There’s not much under a BMW bonnet that Lloyd South Lakes’ Andy Simpson doesn’t know about.

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Workshop Foreman Andy Simpson has been making a living tinkering with BMWs for the past 33 years - 23 of them here at Lloyd South Lakes. As things have become more high tech, so has Andy’s knowledge. “They’re practically computers on wheels now,” he says. “The BMW Academy provides a lot of training - you need it these days.”

Andy was just 14 when he stripped down his first engine. “After school I worked at Speight Ltd in Lancaster. Everyone knew Ken, a lovely bloke, and what he couldn’t fix in a BMW wasn’t fixable.

But it was like the Black Hole of Calcutta in his garage - cold, dark and leaky. The contrast with the workshop here couldn’t be greater.”

He’s in love with BMW’s flagship new 7 Series model - a car with “more toys than Toys R Us”, he says - and he’s just bought a 19-year-old version because, he says, he couldn’t help himself.

“The older cars were simpler to fix, the new ones are more complicated, but need less maintenance. But the BMW focus has always been on driver experience. Even my little 1 Series [a 118 diesel M Sport] whips around the bends and I never get tired of it.”

Andy’s passion for anything with wheels must be catching, as his daughter Hannah, 19, is quite the car geek herself. “She’s seriously into the modifying scene,” Andy says. “I’ve helped her put huge wheels onto several cars and also lower them so they’re five inches off the ground.

I also spent two days polishing one for her so it was pristine.

“Now she has her eyes on my 1996 7 Series.

She’s not getting it though!”

“THE BMW FOCUS HAS A LW AY S B E E N ON DRIVER EXPERIENCE”

INNOVATION 35 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

EXPERT EYE. Lloyd South Lakes’ Andy Simpson (right and above left) has been working with BMWs for 33 years, and is now Workshop Foreman.

TAKE YOUR PICK. LLOYD SOUTH LAKES’ GENERAL SALES MANAGER DAVID CHARLSON GUIDES US THROUGH MORE OF BMW’S MOST INNOVATIVE AND NEWEST MODELS.

TAKE YOUR PICK #2 36 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

BMW 3 SERIES. The BMW 3 Series is one of BMW’s most successful models, and it’s easy to see why. It’s 40 years since the original burst onto the scene, and it’s still one of the models the team and I are always eager to see, anticipating how the latest version will match up to its predecessors. With the latest models, we’ve noticed improved suspension and more precise steering, which means you can enter any corner with confidence and leave it with a smile. A new generation of BMW TwinPower Turbo engines combines performance and efficiency in equal measure and with lower CO₂ emissions the new BMW 3 Series will appeal even more to the company car driver. Plus, it’s available with classic rear-wheel-drive or BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive, depending on the model.

M3 Saloon and M4 Coupé.

The joint launch of the new BMW M3 Saloon and the new BMW M4 Coupé reveals a new interpretation of the high-performance sports car.

The BMW M4 Coupé is poised to take over the success story of the M3 Coupé, while the BMW M3 Saloon is the new four-door variant. Low-slung and broad-set, they share a finely balanced stance.

M-specific design underlines their high-performance sports car capability. Large air intakes and air curtains at the front end, exposed carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and aluminium body components, and the diffuser at the muscular rear end are not merely added design extras - they also fulfil roles in terms of aerodynamics, cooling and weight saving.

Plus, both the BMW M3 Saloon and BMW M4 Coupé cover the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h / 62 mph in 4.1 seconds (with the optional seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission).

37 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

BMW X5.

The BMW X5 was the original Sports Activity Vehicle and, now in its third generation, it has once again set the benchmark for powerful design, interior spaciousness and luxury, versatility, driving pleasure, efficiency and innovative equipment features.

With the emphasis firmly on driving enjoyment and efficiency, the newgeneration V8 engine, for example, fitted in the BMW X5 xDrive50i, now develops 10% more power than its predecessor and combines this with a 16% reduction in average fuel consumption. Taking efficiency even further is the new BMW X5 with eDrive, which launched in November 2015.

This plug-in hybrid version of the X5 becomes BMW’s first Sports Activity Vehicle to combine its intelligent allwheel-drive train with an innovative plug-in hybrid system. Same beast different diet!

TAKE YOUR PICK #2

BMW 1 SERIES. The new BMW 1 Series 3-door and 5-door have been extensively modified since the model’s introduction in 2005 and their appeal remains universal, from first-time buyers to young families and retired couples. The BMW 1 Series’ sporty character remains to the fore, with key elements of the exterior reshaped and redesigned.

Inside, the high standard specification includes auto air con, rain sensor, BMW Professional radio and iDrive operating system. The new models have a revised engine line-up and additional measures designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, leading the way in the introduction of new BMW EfficientDynamics technology.

For efficiency, we suggest the BMW 116d ED Plus 5-door, with 83mpg and CO₂ emissions of 89g/km you’ll benefit from no road tax.

ON TWO WHEELS 38 LLOYD / ISSUE 01 BMW X1.

The new BMW X1 brings a spirit of freedom to the every day.

It provides the space and flexibility to be a vital part of the most adventurous lifestyles, and the presence to turn heads wherever it goes. With its broad, confident stance and strikingly athletic features, it is unmistakably a member of the ‘X’ family – a family that leads the way in efficiency and has always set the benchmark for premium versatility.

Stefan enjoys a break from the office at Farletonview Fishery at Crooklands, which re-opens for the 2016 season on March 3 2016 ON TWO WHEELS

Stefan Rodowicz fell in love with fishing when he was eight years old. It was one of those classic father-and-son hobbies, he says, and he’s still enjoying it today.

A few decades on and Stefan is now into his thirteenth year as Business Manager at Lloyd South Lakes, formerly Bateman of Lindale. The 100-mile round-trip between the showroom and Stefan’s home near Blackburn means he’s easily been able to justify a little extravagance for the daily commute. But it’s his fishing gear that really directs his choice of car.

“I love the luxury you get with BMW, and I’ve always gone for X1s or estates - crucially, vehicles with folding-down seats and roof bars because I need lots of space.”

Space? For a rod and a box of bait? “Not

quite. My big thing now is carp fishing,” he explains. “You set up with a little bivvy tent by the side of a lake and you stay there for a week.”

There’s a lot of pricey kit - Stefan’s bed alone cost him £300 - and the equipment can be very bulky. The X1’s four wheel drive option is handy for the rough tracks he can find himself on closer to home, where he still enjoys a spot of fly fishing, and it’s economical on fuel at the same time.

“I have quite a high pressure job and wear a suit and tie all day. Fishing allows me to dress completely the opposite and totally unwind. I’ve been organising special carp fishing trips with friends for the last 22 years to Denmark, Ireland, Holland, all over, but the Champagne region in France is my favourite.”

On the river bank, the lads will share beers and, no doubt, stories of monsters that got away.

A range of gadgets allows them to keep tabs on the action under the surface day and night, so they can let their hair down a little. “And just for the record, my personal best was a 37-pounder,” Stefan says, proudly.

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

Lloyd South Lakes Business Manager Stefan Rodowicz likes a BMW with a bit of oomph and plenty of space for his fishing tackle. For him, his BMW is both car and kit for his hobby.

39

GONE FISHING.

TAKE YOUR PICK. LLOYD SOUTH LAKES’ GENERAL SALES MANAGER DAVID CHARLSON GUIDES US THROUGH MORE OF BMW’S MOST INNOVATIVE AND NEWEST MODELS.

TAKE YOUR PICK #3 40 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

BMW X1.

Launched in October 2015 with a body design straight out of the BMW X model mould, the interior has more passenger and luggage space, a cutting edge feel and the solid engineering functionality you expect in a high calibre car. Its sporty performance is matched by efficiency enhanced by the latest-generation four-cylinder engines and gearboxes. With consumption and emissions reduced by up to 17%, this is proving itself to be a high flyer. New chassis technology delivers leading dynamics and enhanced ride comfort, and with variable Sports Steering and Dynamic Damper Control also available as options along with M Sport suspension, there’s plenty of choice. This bigger, sportier and more efficient version is now one of the most popular models in the range.

BMW 7 Series.

The new BMW 7 Series is the definitive BMW - elegant and a dream to drive.

Its carbon core is dramatically lighter, resulting in greater fuel economy and sports car agility. It can be automatically parked in and out of lateral parking spaces via remote control parking, while in the rear compartment the Executive Lounge features massage function and Vitality Programme, Sky Lounge Panorama glass roof, Welcome Light carpet, Ambient highlight, and a smartphone holder with inductive charging station.

Standout innovations in operating system and driver assistance include the extension of the iDrive system to include a touch display and BMW Gesture Control, as well as Touch Command, the new BMW HeadUp Display, crossing traffic warning, steering and lane control assistant, active side collision protection, and Surround View with 3D View. This really is a car that has it all.

TAKE YOUR PICK #3

BMW X5M and X6M. When the previous generation of the BMW X5M and X6M models were unveiled in 2009, it was the first time BMW’s high performance character had been transplanted into all-wheel-drive BMW X models. The result was classleading dynamics which are now extended into the new version of these models. They take another leap forward in dynamics, design and efficiency, successfully combining the iconic features of the BMW X family of exclusivity, robustness, agility and everyday usability with a solid commitment to the high performance that defines an M car. Its impressive performance - 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds - works brilliantly with the standard eight-speed M Steptronic transmission, and if it’s a high performance Sports Activity Vehicle or Sports Activity Coupe you need, these pioneering models set the pace.

41 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer.

When BMW launches a new model, you know it’s going to be special, and this car is just that and a good deal more.

This model is especially strong in meeting the requirements of young families, with lots of flexible space that can change as you need it. The world’s first premium compact model to offer up to seven seats, if you suddenly need more space it will be there. Its generous luggage compartment can be extended from 645 to 805 litres, and with the rear-seat backrests down, this rises to an impressive 1,905 litres.

The standard sliding rear seat bench with 40:20:40 split backrest folds down at the press of a button to allow three child seats to be fitted. There’s also an optional third row of seats which can be lowered into the loading floor, and handy storage options for all three rows of seats, as well as rails on the frontseat backrests with fold-out tables attached.

All these features are designed to make life easier when it comes to transporting the modern family in style, safety and comfort.

THE LLOYD THE LLOYD EXPERIENCE 42 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

FIONA MINKOWSKI. “My job is to process the order once a customer has bought their car,” says Sales Administrator Fiona Minkowski.

“Some come in from Germany, others like the X5 and X6 are made in America. We have to allocate registration numbers and a range of things - there’s quite a lot to it.”

Fiona is a familiar face in the company, having joined Bateman, as it used to be known, in May 2002. “We work hard but there’s a very friendly dimension and you really feel part of the team here.”

In her spare time, Fiona and her husband are up in the Lakeland Fells with their border terrier, Milo. “I was born here and have always loved the outdoors. We’ve all the equipment - ice axes, crampons - and will go out in all weathers. We’re pretty hard core. We even have a little harness for Milo in case he gets into difficulty.

STEVE STOWE.

ROD IRVINE.

Living in the heart of the Lakes, Senior Service Advisor Steve Stowe is passionate about landscape photography and cycling. He’s equally obsessed with cars and motorbikes, and avidly follows racing.

Rod Irvine has been selling BMWs for nearly 15 years. “Sales is all I’ve known - it’s a job I love,” he says. “Especially here. You’re surrounded by beautiful cars, and you get to deal with interesting people every day.

“I’ve been in the motor trade for 30 years, 14 of them here at Lloyd. I know BMWs inside out,” he grins.

“Mechanically, I’m very clued up.

“I also know most of my customers on first name terms; they’ll often ring me as a first point of call. I’ve fixed a few problems just over the phone!”

Steve drives a BMW 220d MSport.

“It’s just the right size for me and my girlfriend, and pretty responsive.”

Best product launch? A few years ago in France. “They flew about 500 of us in, and we were each put in a 5 Series with the coordinates already keyed into the sat nav. We ended up in Cannes. They do things properly at BMW.”

GEORGIA BRADLEY. Service Advisor Georgia Bradley was brought up with BMWs, her parents owning a succession of models. “I LOVE cars,” she says. “Especially BMWs. I have a 2 Series and it’s fantastic.”

Georgia has been at the centre since February 2014. “I saw this job advertised and didn’t hesitate. You can really count yourself lucky when you enjoy what you do.”

Looking after customers in Aftersales, it’s obviously important Georgia can speak about the brand authoritatively. “I get to drive all the new models and go to some of the big launches. It’s great! When you’re dealing with people who are passionate about their cars, you need good product knowledge. I also advise about MOTs and ongoing services as part of the support we provide here, focusing hard on building good customer relationships.”

“It certainly helps having been with BMWs this long,” he adds. “My role is to understand customers’ needs and get a flavour of what will impress them. It’s all about listening and being ready with the right advice. Generally, each sales process will take us three hours.”

Naturally, people want a good deal, and Rod says it’s about doing his research thoroughly and letting the facts tell their own story.

“What’s great is that we can now offer customers pretty much any car they want as fast as they want because we can source it from other Lloyd retailers.”

MEET THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE LLOYD SOUTH LAKES WHAT IT IS - THE TEAM WHO MAKE THE

EXPERIENCE. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE EXTRA SPECIAL.

THE LLOYD EXPERIENCE 43

Parts Advisor Sam Taylor is now well into his third year at Lloyd South Lakes, having started through the company apprentice scheme back when it was the Bateman centre.

His job is to sell parts and accessories, anything from tyres and clutches to floor mats and performance exhausts.

An avid Stoke fan - “because of my dad, but then he’s never lived in Stoke either” - Sam plays in the first team for his local side, Cartmel.

“I was going to be a coach but I’ve just found my niche with this job. We have great banter with the lads in the workshop but all the work gets done. They were really helpful in my first few months, showing me the different parts already fitted on a car.

“There are a lot of parts, and a lot to learn. But I’m quite confident now and enjoy working directly with customers.”

SHARON NICHOLSON. JONNY BROWNLEE. These days, Showroom Co-ordinators like Jonny Brownlee have two shop windows - the physical showroom itself and, of course, the internet.

Everything in the actual centre showroom is carefully presented to reflect the prestigious BMW brand. “The hard thing is getting them in and out,as you can imagine,” Jonny smiles. “I’ve become very good at parking over the years!”

Jonny has been with the company for 17 years and has had a series of promotions, starting out as a valeter and then moving into sales. “I still support sales and also fill the role of ‘Product Genius’, which allows me to talk to customers about the cars without any sales pressure. So if you come into the showroom and just want to know about the range generally, I can talk you through it and help you enjoy your experience with us.”

As Accounts Assistant, Sharon Nicholson oversees everything to do with money and banking at Lloyd South Lakes.

She’s been with the centre since 1996, give or take a few years when her two children were small. “It’s a lovely working environment because not only have so many of our staff been here a long time, but many of our customers have been loyal to us for just as long,” Sharon says.

“I have to say things have got a lot busier over the last year, mind you!

When there are more sales, there’s more for us to do. I deal with car sales, parts and servicing invoices, everything that goes through the bank.”

In her spare time, Sharon is out walking cocker spaniel George on the beach in nearby Flookburgh. “On a Sunday morning the sky is full of parachutists from the local centre,” she says. “It’s quite a sight!”

KIM HAYTON. Kim Hayton admits she’s a bit of a gadget geek. “I love exploring the technologies in the new cars,” she says.

“I’ve lived in Windermere all my life and really appreciate how lucky I am to live and work in the Lakes. I held my wedding reception just down the road at the Lakeland Motor Museum.” She describes the drive along the lakeside: “It’s not a bad daily commute!”

Having switched from IT to customer relations two years ago, Kim enjoys a job she says is never the same two days in a row. “I’m the one who invites customers to new product launches at the showroom while ensuring behind the scenes that our events run smoothly. They’re well supported - we’re usually able to greet 60 to 70 new and long-standing customers and it’s nice to be able to chat informally to everyone and spend the time to get to know our customers better.”

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

SAM TAYLOR.

“ E X H I L A R AT I N G D R I V I N G A N D ST U N N I N G S C E N E RY - T H E B E ST D R I V E I N B R I TA I N . ”

THE BEST DRIVE IN BRITAIN 44 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

THE BEST DRIVE IN BRITAIN. We take the new BMW 3 Series for a trip along the A591 in the southern Lake District to discover the route more than lives up to its reputation.

It’s been named the best drive in Britain, and it’s a hop, skip and jump from Lloyd South Lakes, so where better to put the new BMW 3 Series through its paces?

At 45 miles, what the A591 lacks in distance is more than made up for in its location, as it winds its way through breathtaking country from Kendal to Keswick through the Lake District National Park.

Not only is it breathtaking in its beauty and a seriously fun drive, it’s actually been

scientifically proven to be the best drive in Britain.

Three men tasked with analysing some of Britain’s most scenic routes by the car rental company Avis – quantum physicist Dr Mark Hadley, Formula One track designer Hermann Tilke and roller coaster designer John Wardley - set out to find the optimum combination of bends, acceleration, cruising and braking to test driving ability while allowing the driver to enjoy their surroundings, and the A591 came out top.

With that in mind, we took the new BMW 3 Series for a test drive to learn firsthand what makes this stretch of Tarmac so special.

BMW 3 Series.

The 3 Series is perfect for this wonderful road. With a new generation of TwinPower turbo engines for greater performance and improved suspension for a more dynamic drive, the new BMW 3 Series takes driving pleasure to new heights.

WINDERMERE. Continue towards Windermere and the first of the stunning views. The road brushes Lake Windermere with its beautiful shoreline. Continue into Ambleside and take the chance to enjoy the historic town, including Bridge House (picture 4).

3.

6.

THIRLMERE.

KESWICK.

KENDAL.

1.

SIZERGH CASTLE. Set off from the A590 junction with the A591 to the east of Levens, south of Kendal. The 14th Century Grade I-listed Sizergh Castle is just a few minutes away and well worth a visit if you’re here for more than just the drive.

Heading north out of Keswick and through the village of Rydal, the 3 Series comes into its own on the narrow roads climbing into the National Park through woodland to the west of Rydal Water with short runs between tight bends and complex combinations of corners.

Visit the historic market town of Kendal and and then enter the Lake District National Park, continuing towards Ings – a good place to stop and prepare for the exhilarating parts of the journey just around the corner.

2.

7.

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

AMBLESIDE-KESWICK.

45

4.

After Keswick, continue to the crossing of the A66 and A591 and twist and turn as you head towards Bassenthwaite Lake with bends in quick succession.

8.

5.

GRASMERE. Exiting the exhilarating twists and turns, arrive in Grasmere, described by Wordsworth as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”. Stay awhile, or continue on towards Dunmail Raise.

The dual carriageway runs to the summit, so enjoy the view.

THE BEST DRIVE IN BRITAIN

Descend towards Thirlmere with Helvellyn to your right. At Legburthwaite, continue north west crossing St John’s Beck before climbing above the lake.

Continue winding up the hill before descending steeply into picturesque Keswick.

BASSENTHWAITE. Continue to cross the foot of Bassenthwaite Lake. The final stretch heads towards Bothel and is a last chance to tackle short straights and sweeping bends in a few miles before reaching the village and the end of the road.

45 miles, exhilarating driving and stunning scenery – it’s easy to see why this is the best drive in Britain.

#1

ACCESSORIES 46

BMW ACCESSORIES.

#1 BMW Rear Bicycle Rack from £499

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

#2 Original BMW Care Products – Clean & Care Kit £44.20 #3 Tablet DVD System £299

#4 BMW Roof Rack System £179

#2

#5 BMW Roof Boxes from £349

#6 BMW M Luggage Collection from £76 #7 Group 1 BMW Junior Seat £452

#8 BMW Travel & Comfort System. a) Universal Hook £41.80. b) Coat Hanger £75.50. c) Folding Table £105 d) Tablet Holder £125 #9 BMW Mugs £13 each

#10 Touring Cycle Holder, Lockable £104

#3

#5

#4

#7 #6

ACCESSORIES

47

#10 a

b

c

d

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

#9 #8

2015 BMW X1 20d Sport

X1.

BMW’s compact Sports Activity Vehicle, the X1, has been a huge success since its initial launch in 2009. The new BMW X1 features dynamic BMW X styling, sporting character and outstanding efficiency, and an array of innovative equipment features in comfort, safety and infotainment.

THE DIARY 48 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

X1 AND 7 SERIES LAUNCH. The newly launched BMW X1 and BMW 7 Series took centre stage at Lloyd South Lakes at an exclusive preview event for longstanding customers.

In a spectacularly lit showroom, more than 70 guests took turns exploring the futuristic gesture controls, display keys and cuttingedge technology of the luxurious 7 Series and eyeing up the bolder, more aggressivelooking X1 that’s such an popular seller at this centre.

Customers enjoyed authentic curries by Sanah of Lancaster and had the opportunity to see the hotly anticipated i8, BMW’s hybrid supercar. Artist Chas Jacobs displayed paintings of the local area, and Peter George Banks Jewellers showcased a dazzling range of diamonds and watches.

The centre on the big launch night

????

KIM’S HEART-FELT FUNDRAISER.

Windermere Area First Responders

LLOYD / ISSUE 01

With a wealth of interior comfort and driving features, from new ConnectedDrive technology to the sumptuous Executive Lounge feature, the new BMW 7 Series redefines luxury on the move.

49

7 SERIES.

THE DIARY

Food by Sanah of Lancaster

If you’re going to host a charity casino night, it’s nice to do it in style.

And that’s precisely what Customer Relations Manager Kim Hayton did after being inspired to raise money for a cause that’s especially close to her heart after it came to the aid of her grandad when he suffered a heart attack.

Guests donned their finery for a James Bondthemed evening where they raised over £800 for The Windermere Area First Responders, who are currently looking for new members. “They mean a great deal locally,” Kim says. “They’re a team of volunteers trained in first aid, oxygen and defibrillator use and so on. Because of where we are, it can take time for ambulances to reach emergency calls, but when the volunteers are paged they can be at the scene very quickly while the patient is waiting. They put themselves in really difficult situations at times and you can’t put a price on how much they help.”

The event was at the Grey Wall Hotel, Kim’s local, in Windermere village in October 2015.

Apple Watch.

RRP £299 www.apple.com

WIN 50 LLOYD / ISSUE 01

WIN AN APPLE WATCH WORTH £299.

It’s the must-have accessory everyone’s talking about – and now you can win an Apple Watch, RRP £299, in our free prize draw.

This black model MJ2X2B/A represents a revolution in wearable technology. It is beautifully designed and engineered, designed to look good on even the most fashion-conscious user, and it’s comfortable and convenient to wear and use.

The Apple Watch runs a version of iOS that is simpler than its smartphone counterpart. To make calls or use web-based services from the watch simply pair it via Bluetooth with a compatible device (iPhone 5 and up, running the latest version of iOS 8).

Powered by Apple’s new S1 chip, the Apple Watch features a 38mm-wide, 340 x 272-pixel

rectangular touch screen coated with sapphire to protect the device from scratches.

You swipe and tap on the screen to navigate, and Apple has introduced a new method of input called Force Touch, whereby the device registers how hard you press the screen and triggers an action like a right click or long tap.

For hands-free control, you can also interact with the Apple Watch via Siri. Apple’s voicepowered digital assistant can take dictation to compose messages, find the nearest coffee shop or tell you the next event on your schedule.

To enter please send your name, email address and contact telephone number to bmwsouthlakes.competition@lloydgroup.co.uk.

Alternatively pop into Lloyd South Lakes with your details for the competition.

Competition closes: April 30, 2016 *Terms and conditions apply. All entries to be received by 6pm on April 30, 2016. The winner will be chosen at random and notified by May 6, 2016.

Lloyd Ltd. A successful family business since 1964.

Over 50 years’ experience in agriculture, materials handling, construction, garden and horticultural equipment sales, service and repairs, with a branch network covering Northern England and Southern Scotland.

Lloyd Ltd offers new and used machinery and equipment sales, efficient and effective servicing, genuine parts and competitive finance packages.

AGRICULTURE

CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS HANDLING

Everything for your farm - tractors, feeders, spreaders and handlers.

Diggers and skid-steers. Mini, midi or heavy-duty for all of your projects.

Fork lift trucks and telehandlers for warehouse, stores and construction sites.

GROUNDCARE

LAWN & GARDEN

EQUESTRIAN

Machinery and equipment for parks, play areas, estates and golf courses.

Mowers, ride-ons, strimmers and trimmers for your garden.

Clothing, accessories, tack, feed and bedding for you and your horse.

New and quality used pickups from our Dumfries branch.

Head Office: Kingstown Broadway, Kingstown Industrial Estate, Carlisle CA3 0EF. 01228 517 100.

Branches also at Alnwick, Bishop Auckland, Dumfries, Kelso, Newcastle and Penrith.

REVOLUTIONARY FRIENDLY EXCEPTIONAL INNOVATIVE STYLISH DYNAMIC EFFICIENT IMPRESSIVE RESPONSIVE WELCOMING REPUTABLE OUTSTANDING COURTEOUS COMMITTED ADVANCED ECOLOGICAL INTUITIVE TRUSTWORTHY SINCERE CHIC UNDERSTANDING PIONEERING LOYAL LONG-STANDING RESPECTFUL AUTHORISED INFORMED CONSIDERATE POLISHED ESTABLISHED RADICAL CONTEMPORARY INGENIOUS ORIGINAL ECONOMICAL POTENT POWERFUL LEADING STATE-OF-THE-ART MODERN ADEPT SKILLED KNOWLEDGEABLE ENLIGHTENED PERCEPTIVE INFORMED INSIGHTFUL FOCUSED EXPERIENCED HIGHLY REGARDED PRESTIGIOUS RESPECTED REASSURING INNOVATIVE INGENIOUS RESPONSIVE DUTIFUL COURTEOUS EXPERT RENOWNED EXCEPTIONAL PRINCIPLED AUTHORITATIVE CUTTING-EDGE PROGRESSIVE.

ENJOY NEW EXPERIENCES IN BMW EFFICIENCY. Issue 1

Lloyd South Lakes BMW Kendal Road, Grange-over-Sands Cumbria, LA11 6QR www.lloydsouthlakesbmw.co.uk @LloydSouthLakes

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The Ultimate Driving Machine