Prestatyn businessman Tim Williams and classic car designer awarded New Year’s honors

The 73-year-old created Bon designer wear at 104 Prestatyn High Street in the 1970s. He moved to a larger space further up the street at 121 in 2018.

Mr Williams is married to Ann, who received the BEM – British Empire Medal – for her service to charity and the community in 2015, was commended for “taking every opportunity to present Prestatyn High Street for the sake of the independent traders and the city as a whole. ”

He was also recognized for the creation of the Prestatyn Classic Car Show.

Mr Johnson speaks with Bon owner Tim Williams. Photo: James Davies MP / Twitter

It started 20 years ago. The event, which also allows charities to showcase their work and collect donations for charity, is North Wales’ largest free car show and attracts thousands of attendees each year.

Mr. Williams told the Newspaper: “I first discovered [I had been recognised] when I received a letter from the Cabinet Office at the end of November informing me that I had been recommended to Her Majesty The Queen for the honor of an MBE. I had absolutely no idea this was going to happen and just couldn’t believe what I was reading. In fact, I had to read it several times to understand it.

“It is of course a huge honor to be recognized and I also feel a slight embarrassment that nothing that my wife and I have accomplished would have been possible without the help of many other volunteer volunteers, many of whom are with us since the shows started and have now become good friends. ”

Mr. Williams opened Bon Designer Wear in April 1972 after working for men’s clothing stores as a manager.

He added: “The last one, some may remember as Horesh and Sons in Rhyl, a private fashion company, which was very helpful to me when the opportunity arose to open my own store.

“The ’70s were a brilliant time for fashion, with almost weekly style changes – an exciting decade to begin with.

“I had a fantastic staff working with me and after a few years we opened Bonne Amie, a ladies’ fashion store, which was owned by my wife, then Razzamatzz, a gift shop in Prestatyn High Street.

“I’ve always believed in Prestatyn. The city has always oozed charm and independent shopping.”

Mr Williams said some of the “most difficult times” he has assured came in the mid-1990s when the Point of Ayr coal mine closed.

He explained: “This coincided with the general slowdown in all the main streets and a feasibility study, organized by the county council on the main street of Prestatyn, led to the conclusion that this was a unusual street, being on a hill, and with a large space in the center occupied by the presbytery.

“We always thought the way forward would be to have events in the city, to bring people back to the High Street.

“Ann remembered attending a garden party as a young girl in the parsonage and after talking to Reverend Clive Southerton she thought she would have a flower show in the gardens. proved successful and after a few years we thought it would create a nostalgic atmosphere if we had a few classic cars at the entrance. ”

In the year 2000, for the millennium, the couple were looking for ideas that would make the city party.

Tim said: “For once we had a classic car show.

“It was received so fantastically by both car owners and townspeople that we had to organize it again and it has grown into an annual event that has grown from very humble beginnings to probably the largest free classic car show in North Wales. It not only now fills its original parking lot, but spills into the main street, with the hill now being an asset as cars are on display there.

The auto show also generated additional publicity for the city when some of its cars were featured in the Carol Vorderman Life Documentary.

“We were also asked to provide cars for the fashion shoots and TV works and to transport the judges for the Wales in Bloom competition.”

Mr Williams met Boris Johnson, Prime Minister, in the summer of 2021.

Mr Johnson joined Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies in his election campaign ahead of the Welsh government election on 6 May.

“Meeting the Prime Minister in the summer of this year has been a privilege as I believe that without the support of this government throughout Covid many of our stores would not have survived,” Williams said.

“It hasn’t been easy for two years, but we’re still here.”

Mr. Williams was born and lived at the Boat Inn, Erbistock.

He attended Rhuabon Grammar School and came to Prestatyn at the age of 16. He met his wife at 18, and the couple married at 20, in 1968.

The couple have two grown sons – Peter who owns Autoservices Garage in St Asaph and Chris who lives in Ormskirk and runs a design office for an online fashion company.

Mr Williams said: “During my years at the Boat Inn, one of our summer hobbies was building go-karts as we hurtled down the steep hill to the hostel with a gazebo around the corner for warn of oncoming traffic.

“Several times, I failed to take the turn ending with a controlled slide on the gravel of the rectory. It was my first taste of mechanics and speed, something that was resurrected for the Soap Box Derby that we kept in the parsonage lane for several CCSs.

“During the 80’s I was a member of Clwyd Vale MC, competing in rallies with my brother-in-law Andy. So it was only natural that everything about cars was my stage.”

Mr. Williams has been an active member of the local Business Association and participated in the Town Together partnership.

It has, in previous years, been an integral part of Prestatyn’s entries in the Great British High Street Competitions. He is also actively involved in the city’s successful candidacies to Wales and Britain in Bloom.

Mr Williams added: “Neither Ann nor I ever envisioned the honor of receiving these awards.

“All we cared about was the survival of Prestatyn High Street which now looks great.”

James Davies, MP for Vale of Clwyd, said: “I congratulate Tim, who is now joining his wife Ann with an MBE!

“I have enjoyed working with the two in the community for over 20 years and Tim’s annual classic car show has helped bring fun and also great success to Prestatyn High Street.”