Swaythling passenger cars in the UK, leaving the Southampton made Transit as their only British-made vehicle. In 2009, with the new Kocaeli, Turkey, plant in full production, Ford reluctantly halved production at Southampton and reduced the workforce to just over 500. Employing 500 workers, the factory produced up to 35,000 Transit chassis/cab variant vehicles annually, of which 50% were exported. The Ford Southampton plant closed on 26 July 2013. The very first branch of the DIY chain B&Q was opened in Swaythling in 1969. The shop was owned by Messrs Block and Quayle. Swaythling railway station is on the main line
DIY SOS DIY SOS DIY SOS is a British DIY television series made for the BBC and presented by Nick Knowles, Lowri Turner, Kate McIntyre and Brigid Calderhead. The series was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2010, before transitioning into its current Big Build format, also presented by Knowles. Collectively, 205 episodes of "SOS" and "The Big Build" have been broadcast, while Garden SOS aired for one series in 2003. Launched in 1999, after audience figures showed interest in other home make-over shows such as "Changing Rooms," "DIY SOS" was a weekly full builder and designer level renovation of a section of