Dad and daughter's sadness at end of Vauxhall era

Paul and Cass Geary are part of four generations of their family who have worked at Vauxhall's factory in Luton

A father and daughter have shared their sadness at the closure of Vauxhall's van-making factory in Luton.

Paul and Cass Geary are part of four generations of their family to have worked at the plant in Bedfordshire since it opened in 1905.

Vauxhall's parent company, Stellantis, announced the closure in November as it planned to move its electric van production to another site in Cheshire.

"If I think about it too much I start crying because it is a comfort, it's been home to me for the last 10 years," said Ms Geary, a warranty analyst.

The 31-year-old said she felt "an immense sense of pride" each time she walked through the gates of the Kimpton Road plant, where the last van rolled off the production line on Friday afternoon.

"I often walk around thinking 'did my grandad walk down these corridors? Did my great grandad walk down these corridors?'," she added.

"It's a way of me still being with them, even though they're no longer with us.

"To now think I'm not going to have that opportunity anymore… It really does break my heart. I am genuinely devastated by the whole thing."

About 1,100 jobs were put at risk as a result of the plans to shut the plant

Stellantis, which also owns Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat, previously said rules to speed up the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK had partly driven its decision.

Rules have stated EVs must make up 22% of a manufacturer's car sales this year, and 10% of van sales.

'Unsettling'

Mr Geary started working at the factory in September 1991, taking a role in the bodyshop as a metal finisher before becoming a union representative.

It was a job his father encouraged him to take, with his grandfather also having been employed by Vauxhall.

The 58-year-old, who grew up on Luton's Marsh Farm estate, said the company created careers for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Mr Geary says Vauxhall has been in his family's blood for generations

"Like a lot of council estates, [Marsh Farm] had a reputation that the kids from the schools there won't do anything," he said.

"But a lot of them have instead gone on to be managers at Vauxhall.

"That opportunity was there for everyone. It didn't matter what your status was or where you started from."

Now work has ceased, machinery will be transferred to Ellesmere Port, in Cheshire, and production on Vauxhall's medium all-electric vans will commence in 2026.

Vauxhall's parent company, Stellantis, announced the closure in November

"It's unsettling to think now this is the end," said Ms Geary, a mother-of-two who initially took the job on as a "stop-gap".

"I got working there and that was it, it was home and I couldn't see myself working anywhere else."

Both Ms Geary and her father said they were unsure what their next step would be after losing their jobs, but together they planned to enjoy family time before any making any decisions.

Referencing the closure decision, Mr Geary added: "We couldn't understand why and, for me, I still can't understand why?

"The bit that hurts me the most is that even today, my work colleagues are still smashing it.

"We're not all just work colleagues, we're all friends and family."