This year’s Original King Alfred Running Day on the May Day Bank Holiday, May 5, once again saw large numbers of enthusiasts as well as the wider general public descend upon Winchester for the day. They found the usual comprehensive network of vintage bus routes covering both the urban and surrounding areas of the city, provided by FoKAB’s own collection of some fourteen vehicles, supported by an astonishing 35 visiting vehicles, most of which operated on service, and all of them providing free rides for everybody.
Unusual this year was the number of open-toppers available to ride on – half a dozen of them, varying in age from a 1936 Leyland TD4 from Eastbourne to a 1977 Leyland Olympian from the Isle of Wight and including the King Alfred Atlantean. Offering so many open-toppers was bound to tempt fate weather-wise, and true to form, Winchester suffered its first rainfall for many weeks in the middle of Running Day – isn’t that just typical?! But people still made for the top decks, whatever the weather!
The Enthusiasts’ Bazaar made a welcome comeback this year, organised by FoKAB member Julian Bowden and located between the bus station and the Broadway, providing an extra attraction for the bus riders and selling an attractive range of books, models, and other ephemera.
At long last, FoKAB’s Leyland Titan PD2 HOR 811 was finally inaugurated into public service by the Mayor of Winchester Councillor Russell Gordon-Smith, accompanied by the grandson of the founder of King Alfred Motor Services, Richard Chisnel, and his wife, Maureen. They joined a full load of passengers to take a celebratory full load of passengers to Colden Common and back over King Alfred’s Route 1 via Hockley and Twyford.
Visitor numbers held up well again this year. “Every year we are proud to bring much trade to Winchester as people flock to the city, spending money in the shops and restaurants across the town”, commented James Freeman, Chair of the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB). “We have been running similar events in each of the forty years of our existence, and we are about to celebrate these years in a birthday celebration at the Cattle Market beside Andover Road on Saturday 31 May – in just a few weeks’ time, in fact.”
Everybody is invited to see the whole King Alfred collection on display, from 1200 to 1600. Make this a date in your diary!
For information and to donate to any aspect of FoKAB’s work, please go to our website: kingalfredbuses.org.uk
For additional information, please write an email to: info@kingalfredbuses.org.uk
