Every so often an old photo turns up that stops you in your tracks. This one popped up on a Facebook feed this week. It was taken in 2008, on the day we collected our brand new Bellwoods Removals van from the sign writers.
The picture quality is not up to much. It was taken on a camera from 2008, after all. But it was a proud moment for a family business, and it still is to look back on.
A van with our name on it
Bellwoods has been moving people in and around Huddersfield since 1977. Plenty of vans came and went over those years, but there is something about seeing the family name go up in big white letters on a bright red box body. Removals and storage underneath, and a row of picture panels showing what we did, with piano specialists at one end and house removals at the other.
Pianos were on the side of the van then and they are still at the heart of what we do now. If anything, the piano work has grown, and we now move them right across the country as well as around Kirklees.
About that 0800 number
Back then a freephone number on the side of a van made a lot of sense. Ringing a landline from a mobile could cost a fair bit, and a free number took away a reason not to call. These days nearly everyone has inclusive minutes on their mobile contract, so it simply does not matter any more, and we no longer use an 0800 number.
Look a little lower on the van, though, and you will spot 01484 538917. That is the same number we answer today, eighteen years later. If you want to talk to us about a move, that is the one to ring.
wemoveyou.com and the moving kits
The web address on the van, wemoveyou.com, is still ours too. It is printed on posters and other bits around town, and typing it in now brings you straight to this website.
The bottom line on the van says we sold moving kits, bags, boxes and bubble wrap. We did, for many years, until it became more work than it was worth. These days we point people to the same boxes and packing materials we buy ourselves, along with a guide to how many you are likely to need.
Retired, but not forgotten
This van worked hard for us until it was retired around 2016. It did its share of house moves, storage runs and pianos, up and down Huddersfield's hills in all weathers, and it carried the Bellwoods name to a lot of front doors.
The vans have changed since then. The name on the side has not, and neither has the way we work. Bellwoods is still family-run, now heading into its third generation, and still moving homes and pianos with care.
Planning a move?
If you are moving house in Huddersfield or anywhere in Kirklees, take a look at our house removals, piano removals and furniture storage, or get a free removals quote. Or just ring 01484 538917, the same as it was in 2008.