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WHEELS / Midland Red Coaches
LATEST NEWS
also see our other pages: Buses for
Business, Buses for Pleasure
Weddings and Partnerships, Funeral Services, Bus Driver Experiences
(updated July 25th 2010)
BUS DRIVER EXPERIENCES 2010 PREVIEW DAY
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Monday 19th July saw vintage buses and coaches running around the track normally reserved for Motorbikes and Race Cars at the famous Mallory Park Circuit in Leicestershire.
It was the preview day of the 2010 Bus Driver Experience Days by Midland Red Coaches
First to take the wheel was BBC's Julie Mayer from BBC Leicester. Julie reported live during two slots as the day started. She reacquainted herself with the famous Midland Red D9 double-decker that she used to travel on in earlier days, but she had never before climbed up into the Drivers Cab. Sitting next to the 10.75 litre BMMO engine, Julie accomplished some manoeuvres including a reversing test.
Ashley Wakelin, the man behind the Experience Days gave an introductory talk with a potted history of the highly respected Midland Red Driving School of the 1950's and 1960's. He also recounted some experiences of his early days working with Midland Red and how the techniques, styles and depth of training has changed over the years to what is now a much more cost-driven exercise.
Held once a month, the Bus Driver Experience Days are designed to recapture the best from those early days, whilst being an informative and fun day. Mallory Park is a fantastic location for this unique classic bus driving experience which uses buses and coaches from the WHEELS Heritage Midland Red Coaches liveried fleet.
Various courses are available. All commence in a classroom environment with licence and medical checks. Vehicle familiarisation and walk-around checks follow, then Instructors demonstrate various manoeuvres which participants have the opportunity to replicate. Dependant upon the course chosen, these can include Reversing using only vehicle mirrors, Hill Start, and Use of "crash" and semi-automatic gears. The participant will then progress from Single to Double Decker vehicles.
Individual and Group Bookings are welcomed, with groups of ten participants attracting corporate discounts.
See our Bus Driver Experience page for more details and further pictures of the preview day.
email us at: buses@wheels.co.uk
A 1928 Midland Red Funeral - more information appeal
Readers with family connections from the Bromsgrove area please read !
This story was sent to us by the family of a very early Midland Red Bus Conductor from Bromsgrove Garage. Just as Midland Red Coaches operate funeral transport, so did Midland Red too - one of the first way back in 1928 !
Please contact us if you know of family connections or the names in the article "ring any bells".
See the funerals page for the full article.
144 To The Malverns ! By D9 Double Decker bus !
Book Your Seats Now
The next In Search of Old Bus Routes
takes place on Sunday 11th April 2010 and will be by popular demand,
once again covering the famous 144 route Birmingham to The Malverns, via Bromsgrove
and Worcester. This is a beautiful and scenic route and the longest
Midland Red bus route using double deckers - it has a long history starting
in 1928 !
Contact Ashley on 02476 633624 or 077 3388 4914 to reserve seats.
or email us buses@wheels.co.uk
It's a trip for Nostalgia and Scenery on this famous historic Route.
Our New BBC Behind the Scenes Tours are a great success. Further trips are planned for the July to December leaflet and again next February.
This is a chance to see how our local and national TV programmes are put together, the news and weather studios, and also to see how BBC Radio works. Of course we never know exactly what we are able to include on these tours as it depends on breaking news and use of the various studios, but we normally see someone famous or who we recognise.
In our last tour Midland Red passengers had the chance to participate in a play "The Haunted House" as it would have been done for a radio recording, complete with lots of sound effects and five or six voice parts. It was great fun for everyone involved and those onlookers who were the audience. Everyone wanted to see the Midlands Today studio, to sit in Nick Owen's chair and see where Shafali Oza presents the Weather forecast. We were also given lots of information about other programmes like The Politics Show and Country Tracks.
Pictures:
If you havent been before - join one of our next tours, but of course if you are part of a group, we can arrange a tour for you on most days to suit.
Midland
Red - on TV
Our latest TV appearance on "Priceless Antiques Roadshow" was broadcast at 6:30pm on Tuesday February 2nd on BBC2. Associated with the Antiques Roadshow, the programme was presented by Fiona Bruce. The section of the programme that featured our Wheels / Midland Red coach "WHEELS PIONEER" was presented by ceramics expert Will Farmer. The programme was filmed during 2009 in conjunction with the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club and features our classic red and black liveried coach in scenes around Stoke on Trent. You either love or hate Clarice Cliff pottery, but she was important in the Potteries heritage. The crew filmed many sad scenes of once familiar areas of her life, from her apartment, the College of Art where she studied to where her factory once stood. We toured the area with some serious fanatics of the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club from all over the world who brought their own knowledgeable guide of the area. The bus featured in over ten minutes of the programme with interviews conducted on board the coach, and with several scenes of the bus passing by.
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Birmingham University - World Aids Day
For the last two years Birmingham University have hired our Midland Red D9 double decker to promote World Aids Day on December 1st. It's a great fun day to put over a serious point!
The bus visited various buildings on the University site during the day and the students called in, making collections and giving out red ribbons, leaflets and the famous Terrence Higgins Trust advice packs and balloons etc.
There is no doubt that the bright red Midland Red double decker is a great advertising tool for any campaign where you want to get noticed, as the bus is such an icon of The Midlands.
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Seasons Greetings to you all
Midland Red Coaches joined with Debenhams in November to provide a charity with a festive treat.
Our Classic Midland Red D9 bus picked up at Abbey Park Leicester on a special Christmas Service into Leicester, The passengers were members of the Wishes4Kids charity for terminally ill children and their families. An almost full load of passengers were in for a surprise when Santa Claus welcomed them on board the bus.
The bus was complete with adverts for the charity which were provided by Midland Red Coaches and our adveritising contractor Brookfield Signs of Hinckley.
The bus travelled with Santa to take the children for a "Breakfast with Santa" experience provided by Debenhams.
On the way the bus travelled at walking pace through the centre area of the city shops with Santa waving to the many onlookers on the way.
Its OFFICIAL - Santa Claus arrives by Midland Red bus !
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30 years on.....
SPECIAL D9 DAY in Leicester - 22nd November 2009
It's hard to believe but it is 30 years since the familiar
D9 double decker ended everyday life with Midland Red. We joined with
others in Leicester for the
Celebrations.
It really is hard to believe, but it was in 1979 that the last regular Midland Red bus service ran using the familiar D9 double decker buses. They were then retired.
The D9s last operated in Leicester. So on Sunday 22nd November we ran a trip to Leicester from Coventry, Bedworth, Nuneaton and Hinckley, and then on to Leicester. The trip was popular and had some of our regular daytrip passengers but also some staff, retired staff and their friends and family.
There was free time in Leicester, as well as visiting the National Space Centre where FOUR D9s met up for a unique photoshoot, interviews and filming etc. Then the buses laden with passengers, made their way to Scraptoft where the last journey departed on that day in 1979. A short break followed while passengers were able to buy a copy of the new book by Mike Greenwood - "Midland Red's BMMO D9, A Bus That's in a Class of its Own". It's a super book with lots of useful reference information on this iconic bus, and it also has a few mentions of our own D9 bus too, fleet number 5415. We can recommend this book to you if you would like to know anything about this famous Midland Red D9 type. Articles inside include Design and Construction, Meet the Press, A Busmans Dream of Home, Modifications and One-Offs, A Drivers Perspective, Liveries, Allocations and Withdrawals, D9's working in London and elsewhere, and finally The Survivors. Large format, colour and black and white photographs and at a cover price of just £7.95. Published by: Leicester Transport Heritage Trust, 13 Warren Road, Enderby, Leicester. LE9 2DR.
Then we all eagerly awaited the 1541hrs departure time for a re-run of the final journey. A prompt departure saw the D9s run together back to Leicester. There were lots of photographers and the event was being filmed by DAVIDEO for a future DVD release to accompany their excellent range of already available titles on Midland Red - many containing rare archive material.
The day was enjoyed by all. The next In Search of Old Bus Routes
takes place on Sunday 11th April 2010 and will be by popular demand,
once again covering the famous 144 route Birmingham to The Malverns, via Bromsgrove
and Worcester. This is a beautiful and scenic route and the longest
Midland Red bus route using double deckers - it has a long history starting
in 1928 !
Contact Ashley on 077 3388 4914 to reserve seats.
Email: buses@wheels.co.uk
BBC use our D9 for Breakfast Time Reports.
The D9 has been our most popular bus during this Summer as you can see from our updated articles on this page.
Early one weekday morning in September we picked up our reporter for the day - Fran Daly from outside the BBC studios in Coventry and travelled to Kenilworth for our first report. As part of the programme report Fran had to buy a postcard of Kenilworth and post it to see how long the card would take to be delivered during the recent spate of postal strikes.
Then it was off to Warwick, and due to traffic delays we made the report back from the bus stop next to the BP filling station adjacent the Woodloes traffic island. Then it was a drive through Leamington Spa and back to the BBC Coventry and Warwickshire studios in Coventry city centre. We had waves from passers by and a few horns hooting from people who heard us on the airwaves. You will notice that the route number on the bus is the wavelength for BBC Coventry and Warwickshire 94.8
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Midland Red Coaches help Celebrate 80th Birthday for retired Driver Alf Barnett.
We were proud to be asked to help make a special occasion even more special for a Leicester man.
Alf joined the once empire-like Midland Red company at its Wigston Depot in Leicester not long after the war, but as was common in those days he was not the only member of his family to work "on the red". His late brother worked at the now closed Southgates garage in the centre of Leicester, and his Grandfather also worked for the company. We would like to thank Arriva's John Breen, a long standing employee who joined Midland Red over 45 years ago and is the absolute font of all Midland Red knowledge - if you want to know anything about the operation everyone asks John! John knew Alf from his working days and had the contacts to make Alf's day a very personal experience. John presented Alf with a documented history of Southgates garage, a Fleet List, and some memorabilia items before we progressed on to even more surprises.
Before the bus pulled up outside Alfs house in South Leicester, he thought that he was heading into town to pick up a birthday present with his daughter, but when he ventured out of his house to see what the classic Midland Red bus was doing outside his house - he noticed the name on the front of the bus! Then a busload of his friends and family came out of the nearby bus stop shelter to add to his surprise.
After John Breen had made his presentation at St Margarets Bus Station, it was off to Wigston Depot (his old workplace). The bus had special permission to park in the depot and was met by the Depot Engineer, John who had come in to see Alf on his day off. It was over fourteen years since Alf retired and he was very surprised at how things had changed. Things that had stayed still for decades, had suddenly become modern - the concrete ramp where buses were steamcleaned has been changed for a state of the art cantelever lift where buses rise up into the air to be cleaned underneath; and the old fashioned bus wash was replaced with a totally enclosed wash-tunnel. Inside the depot, the rooms where the bus conductors laboriously counted the cash on lead-covered benches had been replaced by a built-in automated coin counting machine which simply gives staff a receipt for the days takings - the cash is later collected by an external security firm. In Alf's day there were a number of ladies employed at the depot whose sole job was to "cash-count", and the takings were transported on the "bank-bus" in wheeled wickerwork baskets with a couple of Drivers on board to help wheel the money into the bank.
The passengers on the bus during Alf's tour of his old workplace were not quite as interested in the bus depot as Alf, and of course it was safer to keep everyone on the bus where possible. So it was soon off to our next port of call, Market Harborough where a stop was made at a local hostelry for Tea, Coffee and Cakes for everyone before returning to Alf's home.
When you worked for the old Midland Red company it became an important part of your life - this was very evident by spending time with Alf. After all those years he was completely at home on the Midland Red bus.
It's recently been the season for PROMS !
WHEELS Midland Red Coaches operate lots of Prom transport where students have taken great efforts to dress up for the occasion, and start their evening out in style. Below you will see a small selection from our 2009 Proms.
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| Parents gather at Wilmcote village to see off their "grown up" youngsters on the evening of their prom at a Stratford upon Avon hotel. | Banbury was the start point for these smart, happy and exceptionally well behaved students on their fresh-air journey from Middleton Cheney to Rye Hill Golf Club. | Some of the
Hinckley Hastings Scholars who travelled aboard our red double decker to
their Prom at Hinckley Golf Club from Burbage. This Prom hire was sponsored by Brookfield Signs of Hinckley.
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Transport to a Wedding, a River Cruise, and a double deck scenic bus tour - it's all in a day's work!
WHEELS Midland Red Coaches can really add a nostalgic touch to your special occasion - Planning is the key to getting it just right.
Here are photos of some recent work with informative captions.
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| Weddings are a significant
part of our business and often need considerable planning to get detail
just right. Choosing a venue (just like choosing your transport), is
crucial in ensuring that your day is a success.
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Tony from Henley in Arden was in for a surprise when his wife arranged a secret evening out - dining on a barge at Stratford upon Avon. A vintage Midland Red D9 bus ride into the centre of Stratford started the evening off well. | Sarah's significant Birthday event started with her cooking breakfast for the bus crew! Pickup was north of Nottingham, then it was off on a special tour all around The Vale of Belvoir through some of Leicestershire and Rutland's finest scenery. Passenger friends enjoyed a conducted tour of a micro brewery, lunch in a wildlife and country park. The picture above shows the group with our D9 bus at the third and final stop at an old country pub. |
| Check with us to see if our classic buses are suitable for your hire requirements |
| WHEELS operate vintage
and classic buses and coaches for Weddings, Partnerships,
Special Occasions, and Day Trips.
Bearing this in mind,
we restrict our operations to preserve our vehicles for future
generations to enjoy and so as a guide, we operate normally
inside the old Midland Red area, which includes Leicester,
Coventry, Northampton, Banbury, Worcester, Birmingham,
Wolverhampton, and Stafford. We occasionally make exceptions
depending on the work. For TV and Film work we can arrange for
work to be undertaken anywhere when we can arrange suitable
stops and accommodation for the bus. |
| BOOK YOUR DAYTRIPS DIRECTLY WITH US BY PHONE |
| WHEELS has closed its
Model Shop in Coventry Pool Meadow, and Midland
Red bookings are being handled directly by telephone until
arrangements have been made for a booking agent to be
appointed in the City Centre.
Book by Telephone - The number is
077 3388 4914. This number
gets directly to us, but if we are engaged or with clients,
you will be able to leave a message and we can return your
call, but please leave your name, number and more importantly
a message so that we can get back to you with some accurate
information. You can Book Day Trips, Private Hire etc by
telephone and pay by Card, or by Cheque just as
normal. |
| THE BIGGEST RANGE of Vehicles for Special Occasions - For Hire |
| WHEELS/Midland Red have the biggest range of vehicles for just about any special occasion. Our unique vintage Charabanc, a vintage D9 Red Double Decker, and Classic Bristol Coach, etc - all available for Hire with experienced uniformed Drivers. See our Buses for Business and Buses for Pleasure pages. |
Classic Leyland Coach still goes Long Distance !
After a long
career of almost thirty years our British classic Leyland Leopard coach is still
going on tour. It has just completed an 8-day tour to Weymouth with the Bedworth group
that we have taken for the last six years to various
English resorts.
The tour itinerary included day trips to Dorchester, Poole, and Seaton. Garaging for the coach whilst at Weymouth was kindly provided at the ex Western National depot which even had staff who were ex Midland Red! It had been some time since a Leyland Leopard had been at the depot and some thought it had come a week too early for the annual bus rally - but local staff were excellent and very welcoming.
The above pictures show: 1. Weymouth seafront showing the secluded bay. 2. The faithful Leyland Leopard coach - named WHEELS Challenger. 3. The sand sculpture on Weymouth beach depicting Windsor Castle - especially made for the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh who visited during our stay. 4. The Daytrip to Seaton included a visit to Seaton Electric Tramway.
This modern classic Coach can also be available for PRIVATE HIRE - Ask us for details.
IT'S GO, GO, GO on our latest coach refurbishment !
After a
year of running as the lead coach on our Day Trip programme, we have now
completed the refurbishment of our British Classic Leyland coach.
This coach has 40 spacious reclining coach seats fitted with retractor seatbelts and footrests, curtains, and lots of legroom. The improvements will make for added comfort of our loyal passengers.
In addition, there are two areas designed as seating areas for groups, where between three and eight passengers can sit together as one group.
The coach will again head our Day Trip programme for 2009 - with even more choice of destinations, more departures, and now an improved coach to ride aboard !
This modern classic Coach can also be available for PRIVATE HIRE - Ask us for details.
TAMWORTH gets MIDLAND RED DAY TRIPS !
Tamworth
will once again be seeing Midland Red Coaches around and about operating a range
of specialist Day Trips from the town.
There are an interesting range of destinations offered and passengers can
enquire and book tickets at Tamworth Tourist Information Office, (TIC) in Market
Street, Tamworth. or contact us directly by email or telephone.
Tamworth has seen a special Heritage Bus Service operating on Heritage Weekend
between the Town Centre and Middleton Hall, allowing townsfolk to visit this
stunning restored building and grounds for the past four years. Passengers
were pleased to be aboard a Midland Red bus again after a gap of over twenty
years. The decision to operate from Tamworth will give some good
opportunities for local passengers to visit more places of interest. Ask
for details.
DAY TRIP PROGRAMME
Our NEW DAY TRIP programme is now out and its available here on this wedsite for you to download and print your very own copy !
There are many new destinations as well as some of the favourites retained for good measure! Building on the success of last year's leaflet, there are some new destinations in the programme. During the last few months we asked you for feedback for new destinations and many of these have been included. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.
We know that our programme is very competitively priced and great
value (you have
told us so). We do not surcharge our Tours, to cover the
astonishing rise in the cost of our diesel fuel, whilst we can never say never -
we do not plan to alter our prices from those advertised. Instead, we hope that
you will choose to come with us on even more of our trips - and hopefully join
our Midland Red Travel Club (see below).
We are pleased to build on our successful programme, and also retain our general policy
of not arbitrarily canceling our tours. This gives you the confidence to
book with us and look forward to your trip. It gives us the ability to
build up a good reputation and a friendly bunch of regular passengers, many who
would class themselves as friends. Please book early.
JOIN OUR TRAVEL CLUB
It's especially for our regular passengers and gives the cheapest of
any fares available, and there are even selected trips for a fiver! *
Call us for an Application form.
* for members only !
Download a Day Trip leaflet from our web site. - just go to our Day Trips, Excursions and
Special Events page where you will find a PDF copy of the leaflet that you
can print off yourself.
You can book trips by
telephone and pay by credit/debit card too.
Digbeth Coach Station Closure Event
and a potted history - by Ashley Wakelin
National Express have released their new plans for the future of Birmingham's Coach Hub. After many years of deliberation the existing site at Digbeth has been chosen for the new Coach Station.
Saturday 17th November 2007 was the last day that people could see the old coach station, which has an interesting and varied history. It started life in January 1929 as Midland Red's "city" garage and at the time it was the company's biggest garage, and operated by far the most mileage of any depot. It employed the largest number of employees of any of its 35 garages, and had the most vehicles allocated to it. Four years earlier in mid 1925 Midland Red acquired the land and developed the site which involved the demolition of some back-to-back houses, some old shops and a storage/warehouse.
In 1930 when the coach station was just a few months old, Midland Red acquired Black & White Motorways. Later control of this organisation was shared and Associated Motorways was formed (its network of services eventually to become the network of National Express), and in which Midland Red was a big player. Digbeth then became the home of both Midland Red's Birmingham coach operation and Associated Motorways. It has never had enough space and often with over 100 buses as well as the coaches operating from there, it was often organised chaos, especially during coach interchange times.
The front of Digbeth Coach Station was modernised in the mid 50's and when completed had the most modern state of the art facilities of any in the UK. Midland Red had always been proud of its Restaurant at Digbeth - even having its own sugar sachets printed as early as 1960. But after the refurbishment it became a 100 seater with very modern kitchen facilities and its own logo'd porcelain plates and dishes. There was a Booking Hall, Waiting area, Shop, Toilets, and even public telephones!
Sadly what was modern in the 1950's just would not do fifty years later. The facilities were never improved and Digbeth became the poor relation as far as passenger facilities were concerned. The new coach station will have modern facilities but won't have the luxury of an overall roof. Temporary coach station facilities have been opened just over the other side of Digbeth High Street, and on a visit recently I was very surprised by its facilities - indeed had the temporary facility been the Digbeth replacement I think it would have been quite acceptable. So congratulations National Express for providing good facilities for the next two years whilst Digbeth Coach Station is refurbished.
The closure of the Coach Station was an event involving everyone - even if not everyone had heard about the event! A range of classic and vintage buses and coaches were on display in the coach loading area. Around the perimeter were food kiosks including healthy smoothies and pancakes too. There were two stalls selling model buses and some other stalls with bric-a-brac. National Express had a well stocked show stand with giveaways which were eagerly accepted by all. A limited edition last day post-card was given to all people attending which was not available elsewhere. It had a special final day stamp.
During the day Bryan Bannister a Senior NatEx Manager conducted a couple of special walk-arounds of the upstairs offices which were known as Spencer House (after Midland Red Chairman John Spencer Wills). It was wonderful to revisit the upper floors (normally out of bounds), as when I worked for Midland Red I attended a couple of training courses there some thirty-odd years ago. There were also visits to the Inspectors Control Room overlooking the coach station floor. This room was an absolute hive of activity in Digbeth's heyday with messages by phone being sent and received to other coach stations, hired-in coaches given instructions, and drivers organised.
Lunchtime saw BBC's Ashley Blake giving a passionate speech, admitting his interest in coaches from a young age. Born and bred in Birmingham he travelled by coach as a child aged 7, and admitted that he couldn't sleep the night before visiting Digbeth! His favourite seat was behind the driver where he could pretend to drive and said that before his career in TV he worked at a HGV Dealership, but never got around to driving a coach. He was later given a special look around the National Express training coach which had made a journey from Heathrow depot for the event.
There were a number of ex members of staff in attendance, not just from Digbeth, but from other outposts of the Midland Red empire. I even met a driver from Harper Bros of Heath Hayes (taken over by Midland Red in the 70's). He eventually came to Digbeth to work for Midland Red Coaches. Midland Red Coaches was based at Digbeth before moving to Carlyle works, Edgbaston for a time before it was disbanded.
Special thanks for the hard work done by Bryan Bannister and Cathryn Jeeves for making a great day happen. I also feel that Richard Gough (the night Coach Controller at Digbeth) should be highlighted for thanks as he came in to the old Digbeth in uniform, and without pay to be part of the event. Of course ANYONE in a uniform in Digbeth gets lots of questions and problems to sort and yes, the closing day was no exception. He was his usual very helpful self and enjoyed the event, but he went beyond the call of duty. He was later at work again relieving his colleagues at the new temporary coach station so they could also get a few minutes to say goodbye to the old place!
As darkness approached, the closing ceremony was started by BBC's Ed Doolan who had been a long time critic of Digbeth Coach Station and its facilities, but he admitted that it was a special occasion to say a heartfelt goodbye to a place which had meant so much to Birmingham and its people over the years. Then, as visitors made their way to the doorway to see the last National Express Coach leave Digbeth Coach Station, an explosion of fireworks inside the coach station made a spectacular display with the highlight being a curtain of white light falling like rain from above the exit doorway of the coach station. The classic buses and coaches then left to join the peak hour queues in Digbeth High Street for their journeys home after a very memorable day. .....Bye Bye Digbeth.
Take a look at our photo slideshow of the event.
On Thursday 25th August we made a very special visit to Althorp House, during the
week of the tenth anniversary of the passing of Diana Princess of Wales.
The coach picked up passengers from Nuneaton, Bedworth and Coventry for the
journey to Althorp, Northamptonshire. The weather was perfect for our
visit. It was a fully inclusive excursion, with
access to the Upper Floors of the house too. After disembarking from
the coach, there was a house tour, then time for a spot of lunch in the
courtyard, and the stables for the Exhibitions, and a walk around the lake giving
good views of the island where Diana rests.
At 3pm when other coach passengers were leaving, all Midland Red Coaches'
passengers assembled in the house reception to be escorted to the private
quarters and the Grand Dining Room where a luxurious Afternoon Tea was provided
from family crested china.
This was certainly the highlight of the visit. The Tea was served by uniformed
waiting-on staff; there was unlimited Refreshments and an excellent variety of
hand-trimmed Sandwiches, Scones and Cakes.
Sorry that we haven't any photographs of the Tea, but inside photography is not
allowed at Althorp.
This Excursion fare was £37.50 per person and what a fabulous trip it was.
The Photograph below shows some of our passengers just before our journey home (click on the photo to see a larger version).
TRAVEL CLUB
Midland Red Coaches Launch a travel club for regular travelers and Group
Organisers.
You, as a member of our Midland
Red Travel Club, will be able to get discounted travel on most of our journeys
in our Day Trip programme, and even a discount in our SHOP on our Model Bus and
Model Train products - ideal for those family presents.
BUS ADVERTISING
We have a number of vehicles which have advertising space
available.
We can arrange the designs and artwork, produce the adverts for you and have
them fitted to our vehicles and all for a very reasonable fee.
If you are interested in promoting your business or product or wish to advertise
a vacancy or special event then get in touch.
Currently available:
Single Deckers: Side (above windows), Side (below windows), and rear
panel.
Double Deckers: Sides - large panel (between decks), rear panel.
email us for more information: buses@wheels.co.uk
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2004 MIDLAND RED Celebrates 100 years.
WHEELS are celebrating the Midland Red Centenary (1904-2004) with the
introduction of a special Limited Edition print.
Depicting the three Midland Red leaders - Wyndham-Shire, O.C. Power, and D.M.
Sinclair, alongside all the famous and affectionately remembered buses and
coaches from the twenties to the late sixties.
WHEELS have commissioned the original oil painting -the basis of the Limited
Edition and no doubt collectable prints. The painting is now well advanced and
we will show an image of this as soon as this is possible., but advanced orders
are now being accepted. The extent of the Limited Edition print will
amount only to 500 copies. Advanced orders are recommended to avoid
disappointment. The opportunity to celebrate this once in a lifetime event
by owning one of our full-colour pIeces of artwork will cost you £24.99 plus
£2.95 postage and packing and it will be sent to you rolled and tubed ready for
you to frame in your chosen style. The
prints are available and in stock.
2004 - WHEELS celebrates 20 years.
Look out for our special promotions during 2004 - we have some special limited edition mugs available, and we will be launching hundreds of Wheels balloons throughout our operating area, some of which will contain messages and special offers associated with our anniversary and birthday celebrations.
STAFF VACANCIES
PART TIME PSV ENGINEER WANTED
An experienced Mechanic is required who can maintain our fleet to MOT standards
and make periodic inspections and undertake MOT test preparation, restoration
and painting etc.
Hours and Days to suit, please get in touch.
e are currently compiling a list of part time Driving staff for next season. You can see from this web-site that we operate a diverse fleet of interesting vehicles and a similarly diverse and interesting range of work for large and small business clients and individual customers who want something a little different to make their day out something very individual and special. It takes particular people with a caring nature who are outgoing and flexible to make this possible. If you firstly are interested, and consider yourself suited to this type of work and hold a PSV (PCV) Driving Licence* and have at least three years experience, have excellent 'people' skills, are flexible and enthusiastic in your approach to work, have untold patience, and prove you can care for our traditional buses and coaches, then call us on 077 3388 4914 and request an application form. We reward good drivers with a highly competitive pay scale.
* Some of our vehicles have traditional "crash" gearboxes and so will require an 'all-types' driving licence. Holders of automatic/semi-automatic licences should not be deterred from applying.
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Our vehicles create a
wonderful ambience for your special occasion. The
benefit of choosing a vehicle that suits your occasion and
style adds to your day.