A group set up to hold three charity fundraising running days a year in London is hosting its first event on 10 March, and further buses are invited, say the organisers. North London Transport Events has organised a Golders Green & Muswell Hill Running Day and two further events are planned for November.
“We are delighted to be able to hold these events thanks to the full co-operation of TfL, which has been very helpful,” said spokesman for the group Trevor Muir.
Trevor was a conductor at Finchley Garage from June 1979 until its closure in December 1993 when he worked on the official last bus, AEC RML 903, the last of an ‘experimental’ batch of ‘long’ Routemasters.
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“It was like a big family, a second home, and we were devastated at the closure,” said Trevor. “So many activities were organised and we were allowed to adopt RML 903 as the depot show bus, even taking it to Dublin.”
In 2018 Trevor contacted his former colleagues to organise a running day marking 25 years since the closure. So successful was this that a series of other events followed, not least two last November, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the closure of Chalk Farm garage followed by a Finchley Bus Running Day. These events raised funds for the Poppy Appeal and Children in Need respectively.
“With TfL giving us permission to hold three events a year obviously a more formal group of organisers was needed,” Trevor explained, The Golders Green & Muswell Hill Running Day is raising funds for Comic Relief. Buses will be running from around 0930 to 1630hrs using normal stops, though services are not part of the TfL network. Routes operated will include a section of the 13 from Finchley Church End to Swiss Cottage, the 102 Muswell Hill Broadway to Pennine Drive, the 210 Muswell Hill to Golders Green, 240 Golders Green to Mill Hill Broadway and 603 Muswell Hill Broadway to Swiss Cottage.
Vehicles are expected to include RML 903 and other AEC Routemasters, RTs and RFs, a Leyland National and a Dennis Trident, plus at least one surprise.
Trevor, who also conducted for BTS, MTL London and Metroline as well as London Buses said: “We are very much looking forward to this event and know the public as well as enthusiasts will love it. We have an excellent selection of vehicles to operate all the services but would welcome a few more.”
Anyone with a suitable former London Transport bus is invited to contact Trevor on 07956 528474 or via [email protected].
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