RETIRED chairman of Britain's oldest Ford dealership, Norman Hendy of Ferndown, has died at the age of 77.

Born in Southampton in 1938, he served as an apprentice mechanic in Bristol before moving to Bournemouth in 1964 to run the Hendy Ford in Boscombe.

To mark the firm's 60th anniversary, they were joined by sports commentator Des Lynam, comedian and entertainer Max Boyce, gymnast Suzanne Dando and racing correspondent Ian Robertson with everyone taking part in a sport-themed quiz.

Taking huge pride in his employees, Norman featured in the Daily Echo in November 1987 as he surprised Aubrey Tattum, who had worked for the company for 51 years, with a new £7,000 Fiesta Ghia on his retirement.

In a Daily Echo article in April 1989, staff from the firm spoke about the £100,000 investment that they had made into their showrooms in Lansdowne, which aimed to make buying a car more like 'entering a department store and choosing an outfit.'

The family-run firm donated a new Ford Fiesta in December 1989, which raised £30,000 towards a new Kidney Research Centre in Dorset. This was one of a number of cars handed over by Ford-Lennox, as it was formerly known, before changing to Hendy-Lennox, over the years in aid of charities and good causes.

In April 1991, Hendy Body opened in Yeoman's Way, meaning that the firm's body shop could move from their Palmerston Road site, with the premises taking up 20,000 square feet.

The firm celebrated its 100th anniversary as a limited company in 1998, at the time employing over 900 staff across 30 sites. It has since gone on to expand its offering to include Honda, Mazda, Kia, MG and Iveco franchises, plus Ford and Iveco van and truck franchises.

Outside of his working life, he was a founder-member of the Ferndown Rotary Club and remained an active member throughout the rest of his life. He was also a keen yachtsman and owned several boats over the years, as well as being a member of various yacht clubs in the Poole area.

Norman died on May 3 and is survived by his two sons, Stephen and Paul, who followed him into the business. Family and friends will attend a committal service at Bournemouth Crematorium on Tuesday, May 31, at midday, followed by a celebration of his life at St Mary's Church in Ferndown at 1pm. Donations will go to the RNLI and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Trust.