A mechanic from Oldham who goes by the name "Auto Lass" has spent nine months restoring a classic sports car to raise funds for veterans.
Jody Bevan is an auto technician and an MOT tester who started her 26-year-long career working on cars, plant and machinery as well as carrying out inspections on HGVs before turning to run two workshops, MNJ Autocare and MNJ Classics in Springhead.
Aside from her busy working life in the workshop, she also has a passion for saving classic cars from the scrap heap and getting them back on the road.
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In February this year, Ms Bevan began restoring a 1975 MG Midget sports car with a vision to raise money for the charity, Help for Heroes, by holding a raffle and gifting it to one lucky winner.
The 45-year-old has been vlogging the transformation of the iconic British sports car, which has been nicknamed "MG Marshall" on her Auto Lass YouTube channel and comes after a subscriber kindly donated the vehicle.
For almost a year, the Auto Lass team have been put to work with an extensive amount of work needing to be done on the vehicle.
It has also been rebuilt and had a military theme makeover, to honour the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Ms Bevan said when the work started the team "didn't realise the sheer extent of what the car needed" until it was stripped.
While the engine was thankfully in good condition, she said all the systems needed to be overhauled to make this "fabulously unique" vehicle.
She also has strong ties to the military as her grandparents and her partner both served, as well as 82-year-old Errol Atherton, a vital member of her Auto Lass team, who served with the RAF bomb disposal unit.
His military service is just one of many reasons Ms Bevan chose Help for Heroes as this year's chosen charity.
She said: "My granddad Randolph who served in France and Germany in the army was a father figure to me.
"He had so many memories of his service and enjoyed talking about the good times, including the BSA motorcycle he rode upfront in military convoys.
“He was a wonderful man, with a leg full of shrapnel that he loved to show people.
"I have all his military paperwork and medals that I cherish.
"His wife, my grandmother, Adeline, served in the RAF and I also have her military medals and dog tags that I’m so honoured to look after.”
She continued: "My father-in-law served as an engineering officer in the Navy for many years and my partner, Matthew, served as a Gunner in the RAF Regiment and carried out many operational tours of duty around the globe.”
"I chose Help for Heroes as this year’s charity as I wanted to show my gratitude to our veterans for their sacrifice and service."
Last year, the Auto Lass team also revived a 1981 Morris Ital 1.7HL, affectionately nicknamed Igor for charity, which was won by Brent Burnett who has been paying his good fortune forward by helping out with the rebuild of MG Marshall.
Other skilled crew members and volunteers include Brent Barton, Ms Bevan's partner, Matthew Bevan, Ryan Simpson and of course Errol, who as well as working on the bomb squad also worked in the early days of what is now RAF Fylingales, the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System.
As an ambassador for the Association of Heritage Engineers and with decades of experience in the industry, Ms Bevan also uses her platform to promote women in the automotive trade and support sustainable skills.
With more than 13,000 subscribers to her channel, she often talks about what it's really like for a woman in this typically male-dominated world.
But finally, on Remembrance Day (November 11), the painstaking makeover was completed and the team live steamed picking a ticket at random from a bucket.
It was then revealed Andy Sherratt was the lucky winner and in the broadcast when he had been told he'd won the car, Andy could be heard saying: "Oh my god, thank you.
"That's fantastic."
Ms Bevan added: "Andy, congratulations. I'm absolutely thrilled to bits for you.
"I have met this gentleman twice and what a character and true gent you are - you deserve this.
"I'm chuffed to bits."
Overcome with emotion at the reveal, Jody said it "all got a little too much" and had to pass her mic over "as the emotion was just too strong".
She continued: "I've literally put everything into that little car and it's taken everything out of us all.
"It took hours and hours of man and lady hours, but it has obviously been well worth it.
"We are all exhausted but it couldn't have gone to a nicer chap."
The full amount raised through the raffle is due to be revealed by Auto Lass on Friday (November 17) during a special presentation by Help for Heroes.
If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.
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