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2022-10-31-accounts

Bristol Vintage Bus Group

Registered Charity number 1083056

Photo: Ken Jones

ANNUAL REPORT 2021 / 22

Bristol Vintage Bus Group Registered Charity number 1083056

ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22

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This was an interesting year with some notable achievements. The 50-year milestone was celebrated and, after a six-year enforced break, we made it back to the Park & Ride site for our main event. Following the pandemic, the rallying season had largely returned to something approaching normal, although one or two of our ‘traditional’ attendances would appear to have disappeared from the scene, at least for the foreseeable future. It is clear that the cost of fuel has had an impact on both our hobby and the heritage railways that often feature wider transport events in their calendar. The future may be challenging.

It was good to note that, following the AGM in January, the average age of the Executive Committee reduced somewhat.

Outreach

Some school involvement was again possible this year, although they are generally not happy for us to provide rides owing to their safety concerns because our vehicles lack seat belts. Although these are available on hired coaches, they aren’t fitted to service buses – so presumably the children are never taken on these either. We did manage to pay visits to three primary schools in the area during the year.

There was some social services involvement during the year, resulting in two adults and one child, all with learning difficulties, paying visits to Flowers Hill because of an interest in buses.

There were three visits other than on rally days from family groups from further afield who had discovered us via the internet. This including someone who had driven FTT after she had been sold on by Western National to a private operator. He was surprised and delighted to find her in preservation and relived former glories sitting behind the wheel.

In March we took a long-term member, now confined to a nursing home, on a nostalgic trip aboard the RE, which he declared to be his favourite bus – and which had terminated outside his house in service when he lived in Frenchay. He and the staff member who accompanied him thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Rallies and Events

STALL

With bus rallies getting back into the swing of things again, the stall made appearances at the regular ones we attend, as well as our own mini running days in March and October. We also had a particularly profitable time at our reintroduced rally at the Brislington Park & Ride site in July, more about which later in this report. We had hoped to take the Mercedes to a new rally at Stow-on-the-Wold, but on the day she refused to start!

Donations of books and models came our way following the sad deaths of some members and these were gratefully added to our stocks.

EVENTS

First off, at the end of November 2021, was a Twilight Run through the city centre up to Durham Downs. This evening entertainment was spoiled in a major way by the fact that the VR chose to sit down in the middle of the road next to the Cenotaph and

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refuse to engage gear. Several members then had to spend the rest of the evening waiting for recovery back to Flowers Hill.

Next up came the 50[th] Anniversary celebration in early March. Members will be familiar with the fact that this marked the event in 1972 when three young men purchased the Leyland PD1, the acorn from which the present mighty oak (?) of BVBG was born. An excellent time was had by all who attended.

We also ran a shuttle bus between Warmley signal box and Bitton station in June, in which month we also attended a Mini Action Day at Castle Combe Racing Circuit.

August saw us at South Cerney for the annual Friday to Sunday Gloucestershire & Country Extravaganza, a regular favourite. The open top rides this year featured the Lodekka and Aled Rees’ Olympian – and a substantial amount was collected in donations. Thanks to those intrepid members who chose to spend the three days there camping out! The Mercedes and stall also made an appearance on the Sunday.

One Saturday in October we joined with other Bristol buses in providing a free shuttle service between a car park at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway and the Aerospace Bristol museum to mark that organisation’s anniversary.

There was unfortunately only one Members’ Event in the year, a trip to the Basingstoke Festival of Transport in May, courtesy of Aled Rees’ Leyland Lynx. The Secretary opted for too late a start, but we just about made the cut-off time for entry to the site … It had been hoped to attend one of the Commercial Transport in Preservation’s runs, but this did not come to pass.

BUS RALLIES

The rally highlight of our year had to be the return to the Brislington Park & Ride site at the end of July. There had been some administrative difficulties in securing this along the way, but it came good in the end. The day started rather wet, a dampener on proceedings in more ways than one, but by mid-morning sunshine was in evidence and the day continued fine. There was a good turn-out of bus and coaches, we managed to offer a decent number of free rides, Julie Tancock’s refreshments team did brisk business (thanks to them for their hard work), and both exhibitors and visitors seemed happy with the way the event turned out. We were extremely grateful to Alan Peters and Mike Walker for their sponsorships. Thanks are also due to all those members and others who drove, conducted, marshalled and generally assisted in running the event.

Our mini running days in March and October were well attended, but there is a growing issue of parked vehicles on the Flowers Hill site, making it more difficult to entertain visiting buses. There is a definite place for these events as a social gettogether for the wider bus preservation community and the committee will continue to monitor the situation.

Buses went to rallies in Stroud in June, Bournemouth in July and Alton, later that month, the latter with Aled’s Lynx and Josh Hughes’ Marshall Dart. The Dart also made an appearance at the WHOTT rally in Dorchester in August.

We had hoped to send FTT to Wythall in April but that proved not to be possible.

Lionel Tancock’s Wilts & Dorset coach featured three times in the year at Victoria Coach Station, including for the Royal Blue Run in June, and additionally went to Penzance, the Isle of Wight, Wythall, Showbus and the Kingsbridge 7’6” event, the latter in September.

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OTHER EVENTS

There were some special occasions that featured our vehicles in the year. Families and friends of members celebrated weddings on three occasions for which we provided some free transport and a party of well-wishers from Portishead were taken to Wells in October when a Group member from the town was ordained at that city’s cathedral.

Maintenance

PREMISES

Various work has been carried out on the Flowers Hill buildings including:

Both units have benefitted from a big tidy-up during the year and some essential equipment purchased, as well as useful donated items courtesy of a member.

VEHICLES

Routine servicing continued to be undertaken as well as specific work such as:

During routine servicing worn rear bearings were identified on the RE, work on which was ongoing at the end of the year.

Finance

Members will note from the Annual Accounts that we had a successful year. Your committee has not yet committed any of the Covid-19 grant monies to any specific project.

Bristol Vintage Bus Group

Income and Expenditure Account

Year ended 31 October 2022
2022 2021
INCOME
(1) Rally sales 3,100 1,578

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Stock sales 404 390
(2)
Other sales		 2,881 249
Rents received 7,339 6,903
(3)
Donations		 8,885 1,680
Miscellaneous income 1,614 148
Membership subscriptions 1,325 1,210
Total income 25,548 12,15
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EXPENDITURE
Stock 318 130
(4)
Rally expenses		 2,386 298
Vehicle expenses 4,740 7,961
(5)
Property expenses		 9,906 11,908
(5)
Sundry expenses		 2,454 71
Administration expenses 212 154
Total expenditure 20,016 20,52
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Surplus (Defcit) for the year 5,532 -8,364
Balances at end of year:
Current account 50,127 45,608
PayPal account 1,613 600
Notes:
(1) More business last summer, especially the re-introduced Bus Show at
Ride		 the Park &
(2) £700 in programme sales at the July event. £1k unidentifed income.
(3) First Group made a £5k donation in respect of GHT 127; both Alan Peters and
Mike Walker donated £400 each towards the cost of our July rally
(4) An attempt has been made this year to identify costs, particularly fuel, of
attendance at events rather than include it in vehicle expenses
(5) Expenses for one-of premises purchases eg: CCTV, have been split of from the
routine expenditure on NNDR, rent, insurance and utility costs
Dayley Lawrence
Treasurer
January 2023

(1) More business last summer, especially the re-introduced Bus Show at the Park & Ride

Independent Examiner’s Report

I confirm that with the information provided to me by the Bristol Vintage Bus Group the accounts are a true and fair representation of the financial situation of the Group.

Accounts 2021/2022

A Manning

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30 April 2023

Mrs Anita Manning 69 Duckmoor Road Bristol BS3 2AA

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