September 2023 was a very exciting month for the team at Cooper Barnes. We left the National Bodyshop Awards in Birmingham clutching the award for Best Medium Sized Bodyshop in the whole country.

Fast forward to 2024 and we were again nominated. Having crossed everything last year, there was absolutely zero chance we were going to make the final two years in a row.

That's what we thought until we got the email to say "congratulations, you are finalists" What us, again, really?

The nomination last year felt like a win, as the awards are chosen by industry leaders and our piers, the actual win was the icing on the cake.

So why did we win? There are 7 category's to be graded on, the three most important are how we treat customers, how we treat staff and how we reduce our impact on the environment.

We have always understood the impact on the owner when a car becomes unavailable due to a fault or non fault accident. Everything you've planned for the immediate future halts. You can't just "pop" anywhere, can't do a big shop, pickup of drop off kids etc etc. It's hugely inconvenient.  Until the insurer provides you with a courtesy car, or we supply one from our in house fleet, you're almost stranded. Whether you've been involved in a fault or non fault accident, your first call should be to someone who puts you and your car first, not the insurers bottom line. So a call to one of our team will take some of the stress away, as we offer free claims management and support throughout the process.

We understand the range of emotions you go through in the case of an accident, but our Bodyshop is here to help and get you back on the road asap.

Our team are critical to our success, we certainly wouldn't be in the position we are without them. We therefore offer market leading pay and conditions, a full range of support, be it work or private, social events and an open door management style.

Every department is unified on our mission to provide excellence in everything we do, and the family run ethos runs throughout the company.

Being green is hard in our industry, bodyshops and accident repair centres have often struggled to reduce or offset their carbon emissions.  2 years ago we appointed an energy reduction company, experienced in working within the bodyshop sector. They set us on a clear and achievable path to become Carbon Neutral / Net Zero in two years. From changing lighting systems, using greener suppliers, better recycling and being mindful of our own actions, I am delighted to say that we are now PAS2060 Carbon Neutral.

Will we win again this year, could lightning strike twice? Who knows, we will have to wait until the 19th of September to find out.

But the DJ's will once again be rolled out and hopefully the biscuits consumed over the past year will still allow the buttons to be done up!