LEONS coaches.
 

Travelling north on A1 on Sunday evening, I was met by about twenty coaches travelling south in convoy. At least 15 were in LEONS livery with the remainder carrying banners proclaiming 'under contract to LEONS'.

What scale of event would warrant a score of coaches travelling together?

With the company based in Stafford they were, presumably 'returning' - though why not use M6 (or M1)?

I don't remember whether they were north or south of M62 . . .

Furthermore, reading through their catalogue, they seem to concentrate on destinations in the south of England. Those northern (and Scottish) holidays seem to be later in the year. Puzzling.

could they have been up in Edinburgh with air passengers Scottish airports were closed due to volcanic ash cloud

It was Sunday when I saw them . . .

People trying to get away from London before Obama got there?

The convoy (which was nose-to-tail) was travelling south.

Perhaps there was a sporting event (such as a football match?) that took place on the Sunday (I saw them early Sunday evening - about 6.30pm AFAICR).

Probably Newcastle - West Bromwich . . .

Going to pick them up then???

Sorted!
 

LEONS coaches have a sponsorship deal with West Bromwich football club, so, as WB were playing at Newcastle it's not surprising that the fans were being transported by LEONS' coaches (and, I believe, the Police insist that away fans travel in convoy - ie they are escorted into and out of the Toon).

I do enjoy it when something like this falls into place!

From:- http://www.footballshirtculture.com/...ship-deal.html

That's that sorted then!:):)

I really couldn't see a coach company organising holidaymakers such that 20 coach loads travelled together . . .

Those days are sadly gone, you don't get "Wakes Weeks" anymore.

I'm not sure some of our southerrn readers will know what "Wakes week" was. Our foreign correspondents certainly won't. Some of the younger, northern ones might not, either.

It was a week, in summer, when the mills shut down. Everyone, except the mill mechanics, had a holiday and lots of them went away. Quite often by the train load. The mechanics would work on the, unusally silent, machinery, doing jobs that couldn't otherwise be done, without losing production.

You know what Wakes Weeks are...................are you my Daddy?

Vehicle manufacturers would close for two weeks, during which the new model production equipment was installed (they introduced a new model every year, though with a range of maybe three different-sized vehicles this meant a three-year cycle for each model).
Only plant engineers and maintenance staff would be allowed (indeed, required) to work during the shut-down.
Because few workers would have their own transport (at least in the 1950s - less so during the 1970s) they would embark on coaches to take them to whatever seaside town was nearby. Scots from Glasgow would venture south to Blackpool. Others would head for the Eastern resorts of Scarborough, Filey, Yarmouth or Southend.

Then folks got richer and wanted to fly overseas to Spain.

Nowadays the World . . .

It's just not the same these days, is it??