Dad, why is my name on the side of that lorry?

4 November 2019


When six-year-old James Latham kept spotting his name in giant letters on the side of lorries and buildings during family trips, he was understandably dumbfounded and asked his parents why.

To help explain the mystery to his inquisitive son, Stephen Latham, a teacher in St Helens, Merseyside had the bright idea of contacting the nationwide timber and panel products distributor on twitter to ask if James could visit one of their branches, and the kind-hearted team at the Leeds site were more than happy to oblige.

This week, the Latham family, including James’s parents, Stephen and Claire and his two-year-old brother Thomas, who live in Widnes, were invited for a VIP tour where James junior got to see his name everywhere.

On arrival at the 66,000ft2 state-of-the art distribution site, James and his brother were given specially made high-visibility jackets for their tour and they also received a goody bag of promotional items, all appropriately emblazoned with the James Latham name. 

They were also presented with a miniature forklift truck, kindly supplied by Combilift, which both boys were very excited about as they got to sit in a real one during their tour.

But the real highlight of the visit for James came when he got to sit in one of the distinctive purple and green lorries with his name splashed across the cab and trailer.

Stephen Latham thanked their hosts for the day saying, “This has been a truly amazing experience and one which our boys will never forget.  They were very excited about today and both had a wonderful time, but particularly James, who now says he would like to own a factory when he grows up”

James and younger brother Thomas in their custom made high-vis
The young James Latham in the cab of one of his namesake’s lorries