Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 8 THE door industry journal winter 2023 Industry News Celebration of Life Roy Chamberlain 25th November 1950 - 4th October 2023 It is never easy to say goodbye to someone who has been part of our lives. When that person has gone there is a void where they used to be in your life whether it be Family, Friend or Work Colleague. It’s a void that cannot be filled with a garage door! However, when an individual has lived the fullest of lives and has influenced and touched the lives of so many, memories flood back and when the mould is broken they leave their mark in so many ways. Roy Chamberlain, husband to Madge, father to Kelly & Lindsay and grandad to Isobel, Jack & Olivia sadly passed away in October after a period of ill health. Many of you reading this (Friends & Associates) will have known Roy from Chamberlain Doors, an extensive business based in Bolton which will be celebrating 50 years in 2024. Starting his working life at Bolton Gate Company, Roy was promoted to production manager before he was 20, so it is not surprising that during the last 50 years since Roy established Chamberlain Doors, he rose to be at the forefront of the garage door industry not only building a robust and successful business but also working with other leading garage door specialists to found the AGDS (Association of Garage Door Specialists) and serving as it’s first chair. Roy spent his working life driving improvements & change to the benefit of the industry, challenging and changing what he felt was wrong, leading by example and developing a ‘We Can and We Do’ culture. He was an honest businessman, integrity was his watchword and he has inspired many. In business, Roy could be hard but always with a soft centre. He always treated everyone with the utmost respect and recognised the contribution of even the most junior cog in the wheel. On a Saturday morning, he was often to be found in the warehouse facility at Chamberlain Doors with a bag of bacon butties or pasties and chatting with the drivers, installers and warehouse staff. Tributes flowed at Roy’s funeral at which many industry members were present and many a word has been shared about Roy since his passing, describing Roy as a ‘Legend’ and ‘Irreplaceable’, ‘Garage Door Royalty’, ‘a Colossal’, ‘a Garage Door God’, ‘a lovely man’, ‘a loyal friend’. Whilst many of Roy’s achievements are well known it was little known that Roy introduced roller doors to the UK following a memorable trip to Australia when he secured an arrangement to ship containers of doors across the world on the strength of a handshake. Robert Thompson of B & D in Australia who remained friends with Roy over the years wrote shortly after his death “Roy was a giant in our lives and we will all have our wonderful, sometimes outrageous stories to share. In many ways, Roy was a quiet achiever, with humility, but then you will see him astounding people with his clever business strategies and dogged
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