All smiles as Ford Family Festival helps launch new Middlesbrough Ford Store

It was all the fun at the festival at Lookers Ford Middlesbrough, which has hosted its very first Ford Family Festival event to celebrate the completion of its recent transformation.
 
There was something for everybody at the open day, which celebrated all things Ford, including a display of classic models, from heritage Mustangs to a WRC Ford Fiesta rally car.
 
Attendees also got to see a breath-taking display by stunt driver Paul Swift, who put the Ford Focus RS and the updated Ford Mustang through its paces with a series of break-neck manoeuvres and challenges.
 
There was fun for all the family too, including face painting, an animal corner and a balloon artist, as well as a popcorn machine and candy floss.
 
Football fans were catered for, with former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull hosting a penalty shoot-out competition. There was also a cinema bus screening kids favourites throughout the day.
 
The festival followed the recent completion of the site’s £3m upgrade, which has transformed it into Teesside’s very first cutting-edge Ford Store.
 
The site, which operates as part of the Lookers Group, saw the size of its indoor new car display more than double from 5 to 11 vehicles.
 
The 3,500sq ft extension brings the total size of the showroom up to 9,000 sq ft, with the adjacent 16,000 sq ft forecourt providing enough display space for 250 used cars and vans.
 
The changes include more than just the look of the site, with new General Manager Ken Swindles joining the team to help promote it to the surrounding area, as well as improve upon its high levels of customer service.
 
Ken said: “The Ford Family Festival was a fantastic way to celebrate the opening of our brand-new Ford Store in Middlesbrough and a great way to catch up with customers, old and new, in the local area. We see ourselves as a community focussed business and we look forward to hosting more events and getting involved in more community initiatives over the coming years.”