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Thanks to the kind co-operation of several individual classic bus owners, visitors to the event can arrive by FREE classic bus service from the following surrounding areas ... FASTAWAY LEEDS (203) Leeds City Bus Station (Stand 25) 10:00 White Rose Shopping Centre (Stand A) 10:20 Tingley Crossroads (Bus stop 45015090) 10:25 Batley Mill Village 10:30 FASTAWAY HUDDERSFIELD (203) Huddersfield (Southgate J Sainsbury) (Bus stop 45017238 R1) 10:00 Leeds Road (OFL) (Bus stop 45016731) 10:05 Batley Mill Village 10:30 FASTAWAY AIREDALE Keighley (Dalton Lane/Frederick Street) (Bus stop 45025593) 09:30 Bradford (Forster Square/Cheapside) (Bus stop 45023324 N9) 10:00 Bradford (Interchange/Nelson Street) (Bus stop National Express) 10:05 Batley Mill Village 10:30 FASTAWAY WAKEFIELD Wakefield (Union Street) (Opp. Bus stop 45025213 U1) 10:00 Wakefield (Westgate) (Bus stop 45018408 W8) 10:05 Batley Mill Village 10:30 FASTAWAY FIVE TOWNS Pontefract (Opp. Bus Station) 09:00 Castleford (Opp. Bus Station) 09:20 Batley Mill Village 10:30 ... These services will return from Batley Mill Village at the following times, please note, most of the return calling points are by request only (highlighted) so please remember to make the crew aware when boarding if you wish to alight at the specified intermediate bus stops ... FASTAWAY LEEDS (203) Batley Mill Village 16:30 Tingley Crossroads (Bus stop 45015116) (by request) White Rose Shopping Centre (Stand A) (by request/set down only) Leeds City Bus Station (Arrivals) Approx. 17:00 FASTAWAY HUDDERSFIELD (203) Batley Mill Village 16:20 Leeds Road (OFL) (Bus stop 45016730) Huddersfield (Southgate J Sainsbury) (Bus stop 45016745 R2) Approx. 16:50 FASTAWAY AIREDALE Batley Mill Village 16:00 Bradford (Interchange/Nelson Street) (Bus stop 45015987 N1) (by request/set down only) Bradford (Forster Square/Cheapside) (Bus stop 45023311 N3) (by request/set down only) Keighley (Dalton Lane/Riverside) (Bus Garage) Approx. 17:00 FASTAWAY WAKEFIELD Batley Mill Village 16:40 Wakefield (Westgate) (Bus stop 45018407 W7) Wakefield (Union Street) (Bus stop 45025213 U1) Approx. 17:10 FASTAWAY FIVE TOWNS Batley Mill Village 16:10 Castleford (Opp. Bus Station) (by request/set down only) Pontefract (Opp. Bus Station) (by request/set down only) Approx. 17:10

Dewsbury Bus Museum - Spring Event - Sunday 21/05/23 10:00-16:00 Originally planned to take place at the Arriva Yorkshire bus garage in Dewsbury, the spring running day has now been re-located to the Batley Mill Village complex due to some internal issues within the Arriva organisation. It has been said by DBM management that there is a possibility of the September open day being held at an Arriva Yorkshire bus garage - watch this space! At the Batley Mill Village on 21st May, you'll find a nice selection of old-timer buses on display outside the complex. A tombola, transport trade stalls and light refreshments will also be available at this location. Regular (free) heritage bus service departures are scheduled to run from the Batley site in the direction of Dewsbury, connecting with MetroBus services in the town centre and MetroTrain services at Dewsbury railway station. As an added bonus, Arriva have kindly offered the use of an Arriva bus, enabling visitors to take advantage of the chance to ride through the buswash at the local bus garage. Thanks to the generosity of several individual classic bus owners, some complimentary (free) bus services are planned to connect with the event base at Batley Mill Village... Please keep a check on the www.dewsburybusmuseum.org or here on the www.blackprincebuses.co.uk websites for further information about these connecting complimentary bus services and other event details as they develop. On behalf of the organisers, thank you for your interest and it would be great to see you there!

Merry Christmas to all Black Prince followers - all are welcome to ride on the X51 today during Christmas Day 2022 and the 87 during NYD 2023.

I'm pleased to be in a position to offer FREE to use bus services again for the festive period 2022/2023. The timetables and route are attached, please feel free to share as required... X51 - Hourly during Christmas Day 2022 - buses to serve all stops on the route between Morley Tingley Mills and Elland Road, then limited stop between Elland Road, Leeds CC and St James's Hospital. 87 - Hourly during New Year's Day 2023 - buses to serve all stops between Morley Railway Station and the White Rose Centre. Buses are timed to connect with the Huddersfield to Leeds train service, which is scheduled to call at Morley XX17 each hour. Trains from Leeds call at Morley XX56 each hour, meaning a 20 minute connection time for travel from the train to the bus towards the White Rose Centre. Season's Greetings and best wishes from all of us in the Black Prince enthusiasts group, volunteering to make these services happen - I hope they are useful to people along the route...

I have recently started listing items for sale on eBay in an effort to increase funding available to continue the restoration projects currently in progress. Please consider a bid on the following items to help ensure the Black Prince fleet can continue running into the future :-) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265895010142 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265895131639 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265879126668 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265895158747 More items of transport interest for sale soon to be listed - please contact me for further info :-) Cheers for now and happy bidding! Bradley

Ffoshelig, Carmarthen B948 ASU, the 1984 Volvo B10M-56/Van Hool Alizée B51F formerly in the Kenzies, Shepreth fleet has been added to this operator’s heritage collection. It was new to Hutchison, Overtown and has one of few Alizée bus bodies built for the UK. This very rare machine was operated by Black Prince in Morley in 1995/6. 948 Black Prince timeline... 04/1995 - 948 acquired from West Coast Motors 09/1995 - 948 repainted into a smart version of Black Prince livery based on the WCM livery 01/1996 - 948 withdrawn from service 02/1996 - 948 sold on to Constable, Long Melford I have attached the website of the new owner/operator and wish them well in looking after 948. https://www.ffoshelig.co.uk/

On this incredibly sad day and while watching the funeral of our Queen, I thought it appropriate to remember how our local buses including Metro and Black Prince celebrated her Silver and Golden Jubilees. The Silver and Golden Jubilees saw many bus operators and other services going silver or gold in celebration of the Queen's 25/50 years of reign. Metro produced the rather fine example of JUM201L during the Silver Jubilee celebration of 1977 - the silver and purple livery really looked superb on the "Jumbo" bodystyle and the bodyside lettering read "THE QUEEN'S SILVER JUBILEE 1977" . In 2002, the paintshop at Fountain Street were tasked with the repaint of H811WKH (811) into a special gold livery with golden jubilee lettering along the bodysides. 811 looked fabulous with the crown on the bodyside and it was great to see Brian and Sheila joining the Golden Jubilee spirit!. The photographs attached were taken by Martin Calvert in 1977 and Michael Nash in June 2002.

The Leeds Running Day 2022... Good evening all, I have had a day winding down after the hype of the Leeds Running Day and thought I'd compile a little review of the day from my point of view to accompany the other sets of fantastic images and comments shared across social media. In terms of pre planning, I have spent hundreds of hours organising this event as an individual after the very sad loss of my friend and co-organiser Neil Millington two years ago. I was very nervous indeed in the run up to the big day as I was so determined to put on a nice show for everyone to enjoy - behind the scenes, there have been many hurdles to overcome, lack of available vehicles/staff, vehicle faults and failures and little support from Leeds city council in general (Although the staff at each individual LCC venue as always were really happy that the event was to go ahead) or indeed any organisation apart from Middleton and CEG at Kirkstall Forge, with Lucinda (Community liason officer) being absolutely brilliant and supportive of our coming to the Forge for the first time since the event began in 2014. In terms of the event base, the council had refused to carry out any site maintenance citing lack of funding, thus costing me over £200 to purchase the equipment so a small team of volunteers could go along and take the matter into our own hands. I was obviously keen to ensure the front top deck domes of the double deckers and the sides of all buses were not damaged by low trees or side branches - sadly we did not have the time (or inclination) to carry out ALL of LCC's responsibilities so the car park area was left overgrown thus sadly reducing the amount of car parking at Thwaite Watermill - maybe one day the council will find some money to actually improve this site - it is such a shame as the surroundings are very peaceful and the watermill is a fascinating place to visit. The car parking situation was rather difficult at Thwaite and the access is always unsettling with the chance of big buses meeting on the single track over bridge - we decided to mitigate any issues on the bridge by controlling movements in and out of the site by radio... Brian, Mel and Mick carrying out these duties perfectly during the entire day and preventing any sort of conflicting vehicle movement. The folks from Dewsbury bus museum set up the sales stall on the grass verge and positioned their vehicles ready to perform service on the green route. When the Black Prince buses arrived conveying the equipment, we were able to set up the tombola, sales stand and information point where we sold programmes and other goodies. My family did an amazing job with the stall and folk had a fabulous time having a go and winning some great prizes during the day! As the buses arrived, they were slotted into service with all departures being duplicated to ensure there was enough capacity to carry the expected amount of passengers along the routes. My Black Prince fleet was scheduled to run the core of the days service with my Leeds Atlantean 331 being the only LCT vehicle in traffic during the day - Morecambe 73 was the other bus requested to run for the entire day to cover all four diagrams on the basic service which the owner was pleased to slot in to. I was then able to mix up the duplicates as required, swapping buses out as they were getting a bit warm or the crews needed a break from driving or conducting. I was rather disappointed that no further LCT vehicles attended, but I am sure each owner or organisation had good reason for non attendance, maybe if the event happens in the future there will be more home fleet in traffic on the city streets. Nonetheless, between myself and my friends, we managed to provide an absolutely excellent cross section of preserved buses ranging from the 1950's to the 1990's and I think there really was something to interest everybody in the lineup - it was a real pleasure to see such great vehicles doing what they do best, carrying people to places and not sitting in a museum covered in dust. The 30 minute departure frequency seemed to work well and although the buses were very busy, they were not swamped as a result of the duplication. I had asked for volunteers to man certain points along the way, so Jack and Andy took up position at Middleton offering programmes and information to our passengers. Jake was on stand at Armley in the industrial museum car park and did a top job co-ordinating arrivals and departures and keeping passengers entertained while they waited! We had Lucinda on stand at the new terminus of the route, Kirkstall Forge and she really did pull out all the stops to make things work over there, providing drinks for visitors and putting on a fabulous display of Kirkstall Forge history and photographs for the enjoyment of anyone who took the time to pop in to the lobby. Kirkstall Forge had also made ample car parking available for this event which was superb! I hope many Black Prince fans made it along to the running day on Sunday and had an enjoyable day riding on classic buses through the streets of Leeds - all in all, the event went absolutely superbly, with all buses performing really well and some great passenger numbers carried - it was so nice to hear pretty much wall to wall positivity from all who came to speak with me during the day and nice to know things were going well, the visitors were happy and having a nice day out in the glorious sunshine! It only remains for me to convey my thanks to all who backed my efforts to return this event to the city of Leeds - my friends and family were hugely supportive (as always) and between us (be it running their own vehicles at their own cost, running the stall, selling the programmes etc) we really managed (against all odds) to provide a superb day out for hundreds of people, be they bus enthusiasts, families or tourists visiting Leeds from other areas, it is great to be able to show off our museums and attractions, especially such hidden gems as Thwaite watermill and the Industrial museum. What of the future?... let's let it develop, a lot could happen between now and next time - the fuel cost may become totally prohibitive - with my fuel bill alone for the Leeds Running Day being over £1000 it is very nearly untenable... I do hope to be able to arrange something in the future and if an event is deemed possible then it will be published here as soon as the plan starts to shape up. Good luck everyone and take care... Bradley

Dear readers, thank you for your continued interest in the Leeds running day for 2022. As the day is almost upon us, I'd like to share some further (recently finalised) information about the places we shall serve with our classic buses during the day... Thwaite Watermill - Historic watermill, nature trail, riverside/canalside walking - Light refreshments - WC facilites - LIMITED car parking at this site. Please use Kirkstall Forge if joining us by car (ample FREE parking) - Frequent bus departures over 3 colour coded routes. - Transport related stalls - Black Prince "Lucky 8" Tombola stall and "Lucky Dip" ... try your luck with us for a nice prize! Middleton Railway - The world's oldest railway, founded in 1758 - Railway museum - Cafe - WC facilities - LIMITED car parking at this site, but on street parking is available too Leeds (Eastgate) - This stop is aimed at passengers connecting with our classic buses from Leeds city bus station - Ample car parking available close by at the Victoria shopping centre (P and D) Leeds (The Headrow) - Stop off here at The Headrow to visit Leeds Art Gallery (FREE) and Leeds City Museum (FREE) - Cafe in the art gallery - WC facilities in both buildings - Tourist Information below art gallery - Ample car parking available close by at The Light (P and D) The yellow FASTAWAY route is to start (to Thwaite) and terminate (from Thwaite) here at The Headrow Leeds Industrial Museum/Armley Mill - A fascinating history of Leeds industry housed in a former mill, canalside walking - Light refreshments - WC facilities - Limited car parking at this site. Please use Kirkstall Forge if joining us by car (ample FREE parking) Kirkstall Abbey/Abbey House Museum - Abbey ruin to explore (FREE entry to Leeds residents), huge grounds - Abbey House Museum - illustrating the life and times of Leeds gone by - Light refreshments in Kirkstall Abbey/Cafe in Abbey House Museum - WC facilities in both - Car parking available (FREE) Kirkstall Forge Railway Station - Access to archive photography and information from a past era of Kirkstall Forge - Superb riverside and canalside walks - accessible canalside walk back to Armley (60 Mins) (You'll find a delightful cafe and community engagement centre at the "Hollybush" about halfway between Kirkstall and Armley on the canalside towpath walk) - Outdoor games and live music - Light refreshments - WC facilities - AMPLE FREE car parking available around this huge site - Direct connection from our bus stop to the British Rail network at Kirkstall Forge (KLF) Woodlesford Railway Station - Direct connection to the British Rail network at Woodlesford (WDS) - Nostalgic West Riding buses operating this route Timetable/Information booklet available on the day £5 including money saving offers... Staff available to distribute timetables at Thwaite, Middleton, Leeds (The Headrow), Armley, Kirkstall Forge - PLEASE support this event by purchasing a booklet... A selection of buses will be in service during the day, illustrating the bygone fleets of many parts of Yorkshire and the U.K. Leeds-Bournemouth-Devon-East Yorkshire-North East-Wakefield-Morecambe are just some of the places represented by our classic buses. Buses will follow the routes as described below in the route guide. I hope to see lots of people having a superb day and we shall all (Volunteers, organisers and participating vehicle owners) do our best to make things run as smoothly as possible... Cheers for now, see you soon. Bradley

News Release - Route Guide for Sunday 14th August 2022... This is where the classic buses will be running and stopping two weeks today - the red route is the main route calling at all of the museums and attractions along the way - the yellow FASTAWAY route is a supplementary route to carry visitors quickly from Thwaite Watermill to Leeds non-stop and the green route is the West Riding style route to be operated by WR buses from the Dewsbury Bus Museum. The timetable booklet will be available to purchase (£5.00) on Sunday 14th August 2022 - on the buses and at certain bus stops (volunteer numbers permitting)

The Leeds Running Day - first and last bus info ... *** The last full round trips calling at all red route bus stops ... From Thwaite 15:00 From Kirkstall Forge 15:30 *** Don't miss your last bus! The first buses of the day from each stop are planned as follows Red Route - Thwaite Watermill Bus Stop B 10:00 (Kirkstall) Middleton Railway 45028679 10:05 (Thwaite) Middleton Railway 45010116 10:10 (Kirkstall) Leeds Eastgate Victoria D 09:55 (Thwaite) Leeds Eastgate Victoria G 10:20 (Kirkstall) Leeds Headrow Civic K 09:50 (Thwaite) Leeds Headrow Civic P 10:25 (Kirkstall) Leeds Ind Mus Armley Bus Stop A 10:15 (Thwaite) Leeds Ind Mus Armley Bus Stop B 10:00 (Kirkstall) Kirkstall Forge Railway Station 10:00 (Thwaite) Green Route - Thwaite Watermill Bus Stop B 10:45 (Woodlesford) Woodlesford 45011587 11:00 (Thwaite) The last buses of the day from each stop are planned as follows Red Route - Thwaite Watermill Bus Stop B 16:30 (Kirkstall) 17:00 (Leeds Headrow) Middleton Railway 45028679 16:35 (Thwaite) Middleton Railway 45010116 16:40 (Kirkstall) Leeds Eastgate Victoria D 16:25 (Thwaite) Leeds Eastgate Victoria G 16:50 (Kirkstall) 17:10 (Headrow) Leeds Headrow Civic K 16:20 (Thwaite) 17:20 (Eastgate) Leeds Headrow Civic P 16:55 (Kirkstall) Leeds Ind Mus Armley Bus Stop A 16:15 (Thwaite) 16:45 (Eastgate) Leeds Ind Mus Armley Bus Stop B 17:00 (Kirkstall) Kirkstall Forge Railway Station 16:00 (Thwaite) 16:30 (Armley) 17:00 (Eastgate) Green Route - Thwaite Watermill Bus Stop B 14:45 (Woodlesford) Woodlesford 45011587 15:00 (Thwaite)