Former Longbridge Workers & Families - Memories of Rover Closure

My dad worked at Longbridge from 1963 until Rover collapsed in 2005. What are your memories of Rover? My dad started at Longbridge as a 16-year-old lad in 1963. He was from Coleshill and spent his entire working life building cars there, right through to the collapse of MG Rover in April 2005. After meeting my mum at Longbridge, he moved to Droitwich in 1987 and made the journey to and from the factory every day until the gates finally closed. Growing up in the late 80s and 90s, I never really appreciated how much Rover was woven into family life. Looking back now, I realise I was what many would call a "Rover baby". What has struck me while researching the history of Rover is that the closure wasn't just about 6,000 jobs disappearing overnight. It affected suppliers, transport firms, local shops, chip shops, pubs and countless small businesses across Birmingham and the West Midlands. Entire families and communities felt the impact. People often debate whether it was poor management, politics, unions, foreign ownership, lack of investment, bad timing, or all of the above. Whatever your view, it's hard to deny that the loss of Longbridge marked the end of something much bigger than a car factory. I'd genuinely love to hear from anyone who worked at Longbridge, had family there, worked at a dealership, supplied Rover, or simply remembers the factory being part of everyday life. What is your strongest memory of Rover or Longbridge?