Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘We’re proud of what we achieved’: Brothers look back on 35 years running Tayport garage

Tom and his brother Billy Willison outside the Willison Motors garage.
Tom and his brother Billy Willison outside the Willison Motors garage.

A pair of brothers have handed over control of their Fife garage after more than 30 years.

Tom and Billy Willison set up Willison Motors in Tayport in October 1986.

After 35 years at the helm, they recently handed over control of the firm.

Various health issues have led the brothers to the decision that now is the right time to step aside.

Jim Taylor, who already owns the Angus Motor Company in Forfar, has taken over the business.

Tom Willison looked back on their three decades running the firm.

He said: “In the last few years both Billy and I have been having health issues, causing us to slow down.”

“We are proud of what we achieved.

Tom Willison shakes hand with new owner Jim Taylor, watched by brother Billy.
Tom Willison shakes hand with new owner Jim Taylor, watched by brother Billy.

“We will miss the customers, without whom we would not have survived.

“They have been fantastic.”

A family affair at Willison Motors

Tom recalled when he first set up the popular garage in the mid-1980s.

He said: “After working for various garages and motorcycle dealers, I found myself in a position in life where I felt I should start my own business.

“My other brother John brought it to my attention that a garage lay empty in Tayport.

“I made inquiries and took on the rent.”

Tom started on his own initially, with brother Billy joining Willison Motors shortly after.

It then became a family affair when John also gave up his job to join the family firm.

It has undergone several refurbishments and upgrades over the years.

In 2000, they decided to knock down the original garage and build a new building.

“This made a huge difference, we are now doing MOT’s and selling loads of cars,” Tom said.

The Willison family took over the Tayport garage 35 years ago.

He hopes the community support for the business will continue under the new ownership.

Tom said: “I know of several customers who have come to us for more than 30 years.

“The business will continue as before and now in the capable hands of Jim.

“We hope the customers continue to support Willison Motors, as they have done over the years.”

Though he’s stepped back from the day-to-day running of the business, Billy still intends to work part-time.

Tom is looking forward to getting out more on his motorbike in his retirement.

The brothers also praised the firm’s staff.

“Our employees over the years have been an important part of the team,” Tom said.

“Without the staff there would be no garage.”

Business as usual

Mr Taylor insists it is business as usual at the Queen Street garage.

He hopes to build on the good reputation built by the Willison family over the past 35 years.

He said: “Our aim is to continue to offer customers the same service they have been used to.

New garage owner Jim Taylor, flanked by brothers Billy and Tom Willison.

“Billy and Tom have worked tirelessly for over 35 years to make it as successful as it is today.

“Hopefully with the help of the team, the business will trade with the Willison name above the door for another 35 years or more.”

Mr Taylor wished Tom and Billy a well-deserved retirement.