A coach firm is gearing up for growth after taking delivery of a new fleet of vehicles.

Cumbria Classic Coaches has acquired five classic buses with the help of a business enterprise grant from the Department of Trade and Industry.

The family firm, based at Bowber Head, Ravenstonedale, has doubled the number of vintage coaches on its books.

Owner Will Hamer bought the buses from Stefan Torres of York, who was keen to keep his collection intact rather than sell them off individually.

He said the DTI grant, worth £10,000, had helped to tip the balance when deciding whether to make the £60,000 investment in the buses.

The new line-up includes a 1953, 29-seater Commer Avenger bus, complete with Art Deco light fittings, sunroof and wind-down windows, which has undergone conversion work at Crooklands Garage from a petrol engine to running on the more environmentally friendly and cheaper Liquid Petroleum Gas.

Three of the other coaches will be familiar to fans of ITV's Sunday night show Heartbeat, having appeared in the Sixties-based serial.

Mr Hamer, whose wife Claire, son Anthony and daughter Alison Morriss all work in the business, said he was delighted with his latest acquisitions.

Buying the coaches means the business can start running vintage bus tours both at home and abroad, either on its own or in conjunction with a heritage magazine.

The first foray overseas will happen in May, when a week-long trip to Norway is being lined up once all the necessary paperwork is completed.

A five-night tour of the Lakes and Dales is all set to run in June and September, with trips to Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight also on the cards.

The firm's coaches are in demand for private functions such as weddings and corporate events.

It also runs the Kirkby Stephen-Hawes bus service on Tuesdays during the season, and plans are in hand to extend the route to Ribblehead Viaduct from Easter.

Cumbria Classic Coaches carried around 17,000 passengers last year on the popular Kendal Klipper free bus service, which it has run around the town since 1999.

And it operated guided trips, complete with a Roman soldier, during last year's Hadrian's Wall spring festival.

Special souvenir tickets are handed out

to wedding guests, and passengers can now even purchase Cumbria Classic Coaches merchandise.

Founded in 1998, the business sprang up from a hobby - Mr Hamer's long-held passion for buses from yesteryear.

Scouring the country for classic coaches, the former civil servant drove his first bus a 1934 Leyland Lion back from Aberdeen and later bought another vintage vehicle in Redruth, Cornwall.

So what is the enduring appeal of classic coaches?

"They are head-turners and they are very satisfying to drive," explained Mr Hamer.

"They have crash gear boxes and there is quite a skill in driving them."

January 10, 2003 12:01