The National Association of Road Transport Museums has elected James Freeman as its new President, reports Jonathan Welch
The National Association of Road Transport Museums (NARTM) has named James Freeman as its new President. James succeeds Lord Peter Hendy, who stepped down last year after becoming a minister in the Government. “We are delighted to welcome James to this important role,” said Chairman Dennis Talbot.
“NARTM now represents nearly all the formal collections in the country, taking in over 60% of the preserved buses and coaches across Great Britain. Right now, our team of Bus Inspectors are making huge strides with our comprehensive project to catalogue and grade all these vehicles, so that we can explain to the outside world the significance of all these vehicles.
“James is ideally placed to take on the role of NARTM President. Not only is he an enthusiast well known for his interest in the King Alfred buses of Winchester and much else besides, but he had a full professional career of over 40 years with successive leadership positions in the bus industry.”
James commented: “I am 68 and have been interested in buses and bus people all my life. That interest took me into a career in public transport, from which I retired some four years ago, though I drive PCVs part time for my local operator Stagecoach in Winchester, where I now live. I had a very full career in the bus industry, with the final seven years spent as Managing Director of First West of England, running the buses in Bristol and Bath, the area in which I grew up.
“As a youngster I had been fascinated by the unusual buses in Winchester, where I often visited relatives. Early on, I recognised that the independent King Alfred Motor Services was something different and indeed in many ways unique and I came to know it very well, through frequent visits to the city. Since then, I have been intimately involved in preserving the history of King Alfred through NARTM member Friends of King Alfred Buses.
“Over time, I have been involved with other preservation projects, not least the rescue and long term restoration of a 1961 AEC Bridgemaster from Leicester, with which I am still involved. In addition to FoKAB I am a member of nine other NARTM-affiliated groups.
“I believe that it is essential the bus and coach preservation movement has a strong and united voice and that NARTM offers us all the ability to swap knowledge and experience for mutual benefit. I look forward to doing whatever I can to support the officers of NARTM in furthering these aims over the coming years.”
