Welsh Rugby legends past and present helped celebrate a £200,000 investment in Oil 4 Wales’ garage in Maesteg.

The opening of the new-look Maesteg 24/7 petrol garage, brought together hundreds of children, alongside the Welsh Rugby stars.

Those in attendance were former Welsh international rugby players Scott Quinnell and Daf Jones, together with current squad members Rob Evans, Ken Owens, Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar, and Dan Lydiate, along with the  youngsters who received goodie bags, free hot drinks, sweets, and cakes and the chance to chat with their rugby heroes.

Managing Director Colin Owens said: “As Wales’s national brand and a trusted national oil distributor, it was a pleasure to invite the people of Maesteg to meet the nation’s favourite players, and despite a couple of disappointing results the turnout shows how much rugby is valued by the Welsh communities and  it is clear that rugby remains Wales’ number one sport.”

The major redevelopment saw a total redesign of the shop, including upgrading of tills, a completely bespoke state of the art wine section, and a full deli and bakery serving home made cakes, pies and freshly baked breads. The development also included a modern and spacious new café, which is now open seven days a week, serving a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks.

The enhanced facility has resulted in Oil 4 Wales employing four new local people, which could increase in line with demand as people become more aware of the facility.

Mr Owens said: “Oil 4 Wales’ long-term plan is to remain a Welsh, family-run company for the benefit of the communities of Wales, and I hope the significantly improved  facility will benefit the people of Maesteg – a town which has not seen much  investment in recent years. As the national brand, Oil 4 Wales seek to invest in communities that need it most.”

He added: “Despite the tough financial year the company has recently experienced, which saw profits falling from £600,000 in 2015 to £12,000 in 2016, because the customer base increased by 10,000 new customers, it was decided to go ahead with the investment.

“I would like to thank Lloyds Bank for supporting us in progressing with this community project.

“Having seen the results, we are satisfied that the right decision was made in line with our company strategy of working with the community for the community.”

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