Last year we were contacted by the Ford Accident Repair Centre network with a view to their dealership members joining FOXY Choice’s Female Friendly garage network. We were delighted of course.

This was our first introduction to Wool & Bovington Motors, a Ford dealership based in Wool in Dorset. As you might expect, they easily met our standards in terms of quality with ATA accreditation, OFT and manufacturer approval.

They also employ females in customer facing roles and, as was proven last Friday, they also organise excellent Ladies evenings in the heart of their community. So off we set to sample their hospitality and to take FOXY off the beaten track in Dorset…

The main dealership showroom had been emptied of its usual cars (no mean feat this) and given a pink makeover including balloons, tablecloths and distinctive cocktail glasses.

All ladies were given a gift bag on arrival and could then wander around the various stands. FOXY Lady Drivers Club was the only motoring-related one but we were in good company with a local Wedding Planner, hair straightening sessions thanks to Mary at Snippets hair salon, an aquatics centre and a local jeweller.

Casual and friendly at all times, the evening programme included a trip round the neat and tidy service and repair garage area with the opportunity to see the chassis and underside workings of a car up on a ramp as well as some examples of typical car parts we’re likely to have paid for without necessarily knowing what they look like – such as car springs and plugs.

All this whilst Paul and a team from Purbeck KungFu were showing ladies in the dealership how to defend themselves, using hairbrushes and perfume sprays as deterrents, should the worst ever come to the worst…

After two hours the crowd started to thin out and by 9pm the displays were being dismantled. Everyone agreed it had been a good night and as I left I heard a mention that Ladies Evenings are likely to be a regular occurrence.

Undoubtedly this will have been good for business for Wool & Bovington Motors because, as was all too evident on the night, women talk and they will tell their family and friends about this afterwards.

From FOXY Lady Drivers Club’s point of view it’s always good to attend these sort of evenings, to tell women about our specialist services and to add this experience to our review of the Female Friendly garages on our network.

Full marks and special thanks are due to Bob Flint (representing the bodyshop team) and Amanda Pyne who made us all very welcome on the night.

FOXY