Members and Committee
The year started with some changes to our policy and procedures that were needed due to the membership growing. With the increase in people working in the depot it was needed to slightly change things to keep everyone safe. We also had 2 of our committee members, Alex William and Matthew Hill deciding to leave to further their memberships in other groups. Alex was Secretary and his place was filled by Sonya Thompson. We also slimmed down the Trustees. We did attract more members this year and are still building the membership program. Our bespoke membership is nothing that you can get anywhere else in the North East and we pride ourselves on giving members hands on interaction with our fleet and on Insight days. On the job training is also a vital part of our membership package. While this is good we also have social days to give people the chance to have a relaxed talk with other at the depot.
Building
On the building side we are working with Esh Estates, who own the building to formulate plans to pass on the deeds of the free hold to NNRG. This will be on the terms of a 999 year lease. Our Solicitors have our paperwork done and at this time are waiting on Esh Estates Solicitor to act on their behalf. Once we have the documents and ownership passes to us then we can go after major funding to restore our Grade 2 listed
building into the condition it was. We are continuing to finance work on the building to make it whether proof. The goal is that in 3 years we will have a open access visitors center in the ground floor with classic car storage. Storage for such things is very hard to find in the North east so we decided that we would help a local car club.
Fleet
At NNRG we pride ourselves in the collection of buses that we have. Each has its own individual story to tell and are not just simply one of many that we decided to save. Our fleet of 7 needs to be kept in tip top condition. Age ranges from 44 years old to 20 years old. It was the youngest buses we have that stole the show at the start of the year. NK54NVN is a Scania L94UB Wright Solar low floor bus, not distinctive? Well, yes it is. This example was named after the CEO of the Go Ahead Group, a worldwide transport company back in 2006 when it was still in everyday service. Chris Moyes was a very hands on CEO and I knew him very well. It was decided when we bought 5217 that it would carry his name again. We unveiled the new nameplate at our first open day in March.
The unveiling was captured by 100's who had braved the rain to come to the event. This was to mark the end of a long restoration of some 5 years of hard work by us to get 5217 back to its best. While work on one bus was good we still had the running fleet to keep on the road and one that was going to prove to be quite a challenge for us to get back on the road. Our group is famous for its 2 Volvo B10BLE's. R855PRG we have had since 2015 V988ETN came to us from another preservationist in 2019, the same year we got NK54NVN and the same year we moved into our Depot at Philadelphia. R855PRG has always been the work horse of the Group doing the task of supporting other charity. V988ETN has only ran a few days for the Group before suffering a mechanical problem with the power steering system way back in 2021. Since then it's been sidelined. In April this year we started to change the pipe work on the steering system from front to back. Once this and a few more jobs were done we had a go at starting it up. No good. For 2 weeks we went through the electrical system and final found a issue with a diode and relay. Once tested V988ETN took its place on the running fleet with FTN 710W, R855 PRG and NK54 NVN. This was the first time that we had 4 running buses. Thought the year we kept them maintained and available. Over
the winter we are hoping to do a overhaul on FTN710W and get our Volvo Olympian, S914 FVK's restoration finished.
Open days and the Community
The NNRG pride itself in making our Depot and busses available to the general public. We do this mainly by going to organized event around the North of the Country. However we do have 4 open days each year. These have grown from a very modest event in 2022 right up to the last one we had that had over 500 people through the door. We invite others who own preserved buses to come along. Both individuals and groups who we work with. These are a huge hit with enthusiasts who come from miles away to get up close and find out more about them. We also run our buses to a timetable for people to sample what they are like on the road. The open days give us and the general public a chance to showcase what we do. They are also a very useful tool for potential funders to come and see what we do. We also support the wider community in general. We have become close to a number of Nursing Homes that are close by. Many of the residents worked for Go Ahead Northern at the long closed Philadelphia Depot that was but 200 yards from our building. We have also worked with likeminded charities and groups to help preserve the transport heritage of the North East.
Conclusion
The Northern National Restoration Group are continuing to push forward on all fronts to build on our success and forge relations with other likeminded charities across the country. At home we are continuing to build our membership and hopefully push onto the next phase in buying the depot and getting the work done that's so important. Once that's done then constructing the visitors center.
By NNRG Chairman, Craig Smith.
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