He was to the town in the 21st Century what Lady Starmer had been in the second half of the 20th Century: involved in countless organisations quietly, but restlessly, for the good of the town.
Dela Smith, the headteacher of Beaumont Hill special school and Darlington director of education Geoff Pennington receive the keys to a new minibus from Sherwoods managing director Alasdair MacConachie in October 1998He was Vice Lord Lieutenant of County Durham; Chair and Honorary President of St Teresa’s Hospice; Chair of Darlington College; Chair of Darlington Partnership; Honorary Chair of The Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital; President of Darlington Rotary Club, a member of the independent advisory panel of the School of Infantry at Catterick Garrison, board member of ED Walker Homes, and Chair of Governors at Durham School.
READ MORE: TRIBUTES POUR IN TO ‘MISTER DARLINGTON’AND: WHY ‘MISTER DARLINGTON’ DESERVES A FITTING TRIBUTE
He was born in India where his father was the brigadier colonel of the 6th Gurkha Rifles in the British Army – hence his enduring interest in the Gurkhas stationed at Catterick.
He came to this country in 1962 to become an Army cadet, and after 10 years serving in Gibraltar, North Africa and Northern Ireland, he left to enter the motor trade, initially in Bristol.
Alasdair MacConachie kicks off the Darlington Community Plan with Dodmire Infants who launched the initiative at Morton Park Business Training Centre in June 2000But towards the end of the 1970s, he was drawn to Darlington by Sherwood Brothers, a business formed in Hurworth during the First World War by John Sherwood who owned a steam traction engine. His sons, Henry and Alan, moved the business into motor cars and in the late 1920s bought Oates Brothers garage in Grange Road. The Oates brothers seem to have had a connection with General Motors of the US, selling Buick, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile vehicles which transferred to the Sherwood brothers.
In 1925, GM bought Vauxhall of Luton, and in 1928, Sherwoods began offering Vauxhalls to the motorists of Darlington, allowing Mr MacConachie to remind people that he was “your friendly local Vauxhall dealer”.
In the late 1970s, Sherwoods was taken out of family ownership by Northwold Motor Holdings, which centralised its operation by taking over the former Minories showroom in Chesnut Street. This meant divesting it of its garage off the Green in Hurworth (Greenside Court is now on its site), and its two properties in Grange Road (one is now the petrol station and the former car showroom is now Majestic wine).
The Sherwoods showroom in Grange Road before its sale in 1979. It is now a Majestic wine warehouseThis was when Mr MacConachie became involved, and in 1981 he and a partner, Ian Cail, bought Sherwoods outright.
READ HERE: THE FULL STORY OF SHERWOODS
And so began his long career of getting his picture in the paper. The first cutting in our archive that mentions him is from June 3, 1983, when he invited the Conservative Parliamentary candidate, Michael Fallon, to give a gold watch to chief technician Basil Whitfield, who had served 50 years with Sherwoods having started as an apprentice in 1933 on 2d-an-hour.
Alasdair MacConachie and some of his sales staff in September 1984 who were all going to take the Advanced Driving TestUnfortunately, that photo doesn’t survive, but one from September 28, 1984, does, showing Mr MacConachie and his 13-strong sales force preparing to sit the Advanced Driving Test to make them better motorists, and better motor salesmen.
He believed in putting his business at the heart of the community, and one of his earliest causes was St Teresa’s Hospice, which was founded in 1986.
Alasdair MacConachie soon after taking over Sherwoods in 1981 with a 1934 Vauxhall Light SixAlasdair MacConachie presenting a gold award to Sherwoods rental manager Shirley Furlong (centre) in September 1991For his services to the community, he was granted an OBE in 2004, and in 2012, Darlington granted him the rare distinction of making him a freeman of the borough. Since 1900, only 18 people had been made honorary freemen, the last being former council leader Jim Skinner in 1982 and before that Lady Starmer herself.
In 2012, John Williams, who led the council for 20 years, and Alasdair MacConachie were made honorary freemen of the Borough of Darlington. Since 1900, the title had been bestowed upon 18 people, the last being former council leader Jim Skinner in 1982Now talk is turning to how his 40-year contribution to his adopted town can be commemorated, and it has been suggested that, because of his love of music, the bandstand in South Park can be named after him.
Once every mayor celebrated their year in office by planting a tree in the park, and all the coronations of the 20th Century were marked by the planting of two oaks. There are memorials to other renowned Darlingtonians in the park – the Fothergill Fountain, the Manson Boulder, the Potts Memorial Clock, the Fowler Monument, the Chandler Rose Garden – and so it would be entirely appropriate for the motor dealer with great drive to have the MacConachie Memorial Bandstand named after him.
Alasdair MacConachie and Darlington council leader John Williams write a letter on July 2, 1999, to the Treasury calling for Darlington to regain the assisted area status it lost in 1993. This would mean extra access to European Union money. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury was Darlington MP Alan Milburn, so perhaps they knew they were on to a winner…Within two weeks of receiving the letter from Mr MacConachie and Cllr Williams, the Government announced that 97 per cent of the North East would be covered by assisted area statuses, up from 90 per cent, and the region would benefit from nearly £500m of additional funding over seven years. This encouraged Mr MacConachie and Cllr Williams to launch a new jobs initiative in the townDarlington mayor Cllr Bill Dixon presents Alasdair MacConachie and Jane Bradshaw of St Teresa’s Hospice with a cheque for £5,000 from the Darlington Social Services Fund in April 2000Mark Pickering from Spennymoor who was among the first in the country to win a Vauxhall car in the Instants scratch card competition. He is receiving the keys to an Astra from Alasdair MacConachie Darlington bedding centre managing director Stuart Clark hands a cheque for £100 to hospice director Alasdair MacConachie. Back row: Penny Saint , Dr Trevor Bernie , Billy Khan , Elaine Isham and Jayne Johnson from Sherwoods relax on the bedsIn June 2000, St Teresa’s Hospice was presented with the Investor in People award by Health Secretary, and Darlington MP, Alan Milburn. On bench, from left: Meg Gilley, chief executive Darlington Primary Care Group, Hospice Chairman Alasdair McConachie, and Health Secretary Alan Milburn
Launching The Northern Echo charity golf day in September 2001 with Colin Tapping, deputy editor of The Northern Echo, and Ralph Givens, professional at Stressholme Golf ClubJeff Dawson, of Darlington Borough Council, launching the 2005 Darlington 10k race, which was sponsored by SherwoodsSigning the Take to the Streets pledge are (from left) Brendan Foster, director of public health Miriam Davidson, council leader John Williams , Darlington Partnership chairman Alasdair MacConachie , chairman of Sport England North-East Peter Rowley and Peter Barron, the editor of The Northern EchoDarlington College achievement awards 2009, Alasdair MacConachie with TV’s Wendy Gibson and the Darlington mayor Jim Ruck and his wife, Margaret
Alasdair MacConachie proudly holds his OBE after he received the award from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the community in DarlingtonAlasdair MacConachie in 2008 after receiving an honorary degree from Teesside UniversityCounty Durham’s new High Sheriff, Alasdair MacConachie, on March 26, 2009In December 2010, the Sherwoods garage in Chesnut Street was transformed into a beauty salon so that staff from Estee Lauder at Binns could put on a charity evening raising money for St Teresa’s Hospice. With Mr MacConachie are, from left, Claire Towey, Lesley Hardy, Jackie Welch, Lynn Johnson, Julie KilpatrickThe Darlington Sherwoods 10k race revs up in March 2012 with TFM radio presenter Antony Collins, foreground, on the start hooter and background from left Dave Betts, Darren Riley, Bob Whitehouse, Alasdair MacConachie, Jeff Dawson, Andy Hodgson, Chris Gibson and Danny Robertson A civic celebration in April 2012 to commemorate 25 years of the Darlington & District Hospice movement. Pictured are St Teresa’s Hospice director Jane Bradshaw, mayor Cllr Lee Vasey and Alasdair MacConachieSherwoods managing director Alasdair MacConachie, left, with Yorkshire chairman of the Gurkha Welfare Trust Lt Col Keith Ryding and the famous kukris, the Gurkhas knivesMr MacConachie lays a wreath at the Darlington cenotaph on Remembrance SundayAlasdair MacConachie, camping as a youngster
READ MORE:
35 AMAZING, HISTORICAL FACTS WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DARLINGTON AREA IN 2024
AND IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH: 45 AMAZING, HISTORICAL FACTS THAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DARLINGTON AREA IN 2024