25 year celebration for Museum stalwart

A car enthusiast who started off his career as a 16 year old helping out with odd jobs at a popular Cumbrian tourist attraction will celebrate a quarter of a century with the company this July.

During his time at the Lakeland Motor Museum, Chris Lowe has appeared on TV shows including Salvage Hunters and BBC Countryfile with John Craven. He has also seen the Museum scoop the accolade of ‘Best Small Visitor Attraction’ from VisitEngland and was personally awarded a national award by Deaf Blind UK for his customer service.

Chris has gradually worked his way up the ranks at the Museum, continuing to juggle a part-time job throughout his A-levels and a degree in Automotive Engineering, before being offered a full-time role in 1997. The 41 year old, who lives in Grange-over-Sands was then appointed Operations Manager in 2013.

Chris Lowe says, “Some people go to work just to earn money, but I can genuinely say it’s a vocation for me. Growing up, one of our neighbours owned a Jaguar XK 120 which I found really fascinating, so from that point on, I had an inkling that this could be the path I would take.

“No two days in this job are the same. Sometimes I might be tracking down a new exhibit, sometimes creating a new display, and other days I’ll be cleaning, doing general maintenance jobs and speaking to visitors.

“The Museum has seen massive changes over the past 25 years, not least the fact that we are now open 364 days of the year and welcome more than 80,000 visitors every year. It makes me genuinely proud to be part of a business which has grown into a nationally-recognised heritage site and attracts people to Cumbria from across the country.”

Recently named as Britain’s best classic car destination, it’s a double celebration for the Backbarrow-based attraction, which is also marking its Ruby Anniversary this year.