One of the biggest issues facing pretty-much every sector of the vehicle preservation sector is a need to attract fresh blood. Look around almost every show, and it’s clear that by and large, ours is an aging hobby. Thankfully though, there are some new, younger enthusiasts coming through, and one such is Beverley-based Tommy Darley. Though only 25, Tommy is now on his fourth preserved lorry, and his 1997 ERF EC14 is a superb piece of kit.
We’ll start, though, with a look at Tommy’s family background – lorries are basically in the blood and have always been around. His paternal grandfather was Eric Lovelock, a well-known lorry man around Hull who operated “a handful of wagons” on bulk and scrap haulage. He also ran a well-known Hull scrapyard for many years. Eric’s daughter Kerry is Tommy’s Mum, and his Dad is Carl
