A garage is celebrating its 100th anniversary in Calne.

The family run business is now in its third generation. Cyril Thomas has been going since 1921.

The whole business began after Cyril, having been discharged from the army after World War One, tried to find a job.

He went knocking on doors until he was soundly rejected by the owner of a big house who was looking for a chauffeur.

“He was told by the owner of the house that he didn’t want any old whipper snapper driving his car,” said his son Cliff. “So he decided then that he would only work for himself.” Cyril first ran the Derry Hill post office, before branching out into selling bicycles. He then built the business into both a coach company and a car dealership.

“He bought his first coach in 1933, and we expanded to 22 coaches by the time we sold that up in 1998,” added Cliff who took over the business in 1964 after his father died.

His son Keith now runs the show and supplied the town with a responder ambulance. “We’ve been here so long it is nice to give back to the town,” he added.

“We don’t know exact date Cyril was born,” said grandson Keith who now runs the Curzon Road garage. “It was in may so we are using that as a date.