2013 Review

2013 is over and it was a very busy year for us here at Southampton & District Transport Heritage Trust. One big thing we’ve done in 2013 is launch into social media and what a success it’s been. This blog was the first stage of the social media launch way back in early April. Since then we’ve published 13 posts and this is the 14^th. The blog covers what happens behind the scenes at S&DTHT with things we get up to and our trip to Northern France where we found ex Southampton bus 314 still surviving.

Late April saw the launch of our Facebook and Twitter pages and both have proven more useful than ever expected. When we started the Facebook page we thought we would get about 30/40 likes but as we post this blog it’s up to the amazing figure of 250 likes; something we never thought we would reach so soon after launching Facebook and we are ecstatic. Aside from this, we have found Facebook very useful as we can post some of our archive pictures and have people reminisce about the bygone era. When we posted an archive picture for Memory Monday it reached over 8,000 people after being shared many times. Events we are going to can also be posted on Facebook and Twitter to keep our followers up to date with information. Twitter has also hit around 100 followers; we like to post different things on Twitter from time to time that's a little bit different from the stuff that is posted on Facebook. Our last launch was our Flickr Group which was started to get as many pictures of buses from the Southampton area and also the local area in one group as possible. There is also some other pictures of other transport-related pictures in the group from the trams and Floating Bridge. The group now has over 1800 pictures in it.

 

(Our Facebook Page)

Our buses themselves have been very busy in 2013, attending over 20 events from the free bus service at the Solent Model Railway Show at Eastleigh in February to the very busy Maritime Festival in May, and then the Southampton Running Day in September. 2013 has seen some different events and we’ve enjoyed them all, despite often being some very cold days and then very hot ones. Behind the scenes work is carried out most weeks at our base in ‘Mini Portswood’ where our store has been sorted out so we know what spares we have. Progress has been made on our next project and we hope to have more news on our next project very soon.

(Running Day in September) 

So what has 2014 got in store? Well the first event we will be at is the last Friends of King Alfred Buses Running Day in Winchester. A very popular event for the start of the year but due to redevelopment that's due to be taking place soon in Winchester the organisers have taken the decision that 2014 will be the last New Year’s Day running day in Winchester. 1 – JOW 499E & 432 – NLP 389V will both be at the event on the Park & Ride service and 402 – KOW 910F will be on static display. We are planning on attending a variety of different events in 2014 like we have done in 2013, and we hope to have a list available soon of which events we will be at.

Finally, we would like to thank you all for reading our Blog, liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and being part of our group on Flickr. It truly does mean a lot to us and we look forward to welcoming you on our buses in 2014. From all at S&DTHT, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

How did we end up in Northern France?

The story of why four bus enthusiasts from Southampton travelled to Northern France started in September 2013, when at the monthly meeting of the Trust one of our members Paul said whilst on a shipping holiday in Northern France he thought he saw what looked like an old Southampton bus being used as a pizza bar. Sadly it was not open when he was there but he noted down its chassis number; that being 2D3RA1052. After some research by Tom it was traced to 314 – 314 AOW which was last known to have gone to France in April 1976 to Hotel Cristal in St. Etienne.

(314 - 314 AOW in Southampton City Centre)

Luckily Paul had taken some photos of the bus and once they were developed more information about its use was able to be found and it turned out to be used by Popote Urbaine which in English means Urban Meals. Due to a number of reasons it was kept quiet that 314 was still going strong in Northern France and a trip was planned for the end of November where the four would visit the bus in Northern France. Contact was made with the owner of 314 where we surprised them with the information that the bus they were using was originally from Southampton.
 

On Saturday 30^th November the trip to see 314 started early and the first stage was to travel from Southampton to the port of Dover to catch the P&O ferry to Calais. Arriving in Dover early just before 9am, we were lucky to be able to get on an earlier ferry as originally we weren’t going to leave England until 10:15. We were quickly loaded onto the P&O Spirit of France ferry and left at 9:25am. Due to the difference in time zones we arrived in France at around 12am (11am GMT) and made our way through Calais to where 314 was located.

One thing that is very different when driving in France in comparison to driving in England is that we were driving on the wrong side of the road to what we are used to. As we left Calais; making sure of course we were driving on the right side of the road, we pulled over for a quick break and to call the owner of 314 so when we arrived at the location there was someone there to meet us. As we drove through the French countryside we arrived at the city where we needed to be. Making our way through the city we found 314 in a car park alongside the docks.

(314 - 314 AOW in 2013)

After a few months when 314 was found, we had made it to her and finally met her owner Jess whom we had been in contact with. Jess allowed us to have a good look at 314 which is in remarkably good condition. A lot of work has been done to make it a pizza bus but there are still bits in her from when she was a bus in Southampton. Downstairs is used as the cooking area and upstairs is used as a seating area. We presented the owner with an original number plate 314 AOW. During our time in the city we enjoyed a meal and then started the long trip home to Southampton. A quick stop was had in Calais for some duty free, and again we were lucky to catch an earlier ferry and arrived back in England just before 6:00pm. Sadly there are no plans to bring 314 back to Southampton at the moment as it's owner is very happy with it. More information about 314 can be found Here.

 

(Tom and Charnie present Jess with an original number plate)

The trip overseas

Our last trip out for 2013 was our usual trip to the Isle of Wight Bus Museum in Newport on the island. The trip to the island is very different to any other bus rally as a ferry trip is needed to get to the island.

This year may have been the last rally at their site in Newport as they hope to move to Ryde to a former bus depot which will gave them more opportunities than their present site in Newport. The morning of Sunday 20^th started at our yard (‘Mini Portswood’) where 289 – E289 HRV and 402 – KOW 910F were started and got ready for the trip, and it was just after 8:45am the bus left the yard and headed into town and picked up a few members and friends en route. Arriving at the ferry port at around 9:30am there was time for those who needed to get a ticket to get one and then it was time to be loaded onto the ferry. The ship for our crossing to the island was the Red Falcon. The crossing takes an hour so there was enough time for a coffee and time to relax. As one of our members works for Red Funnel, we were treated to a visit to the bridge, where the captain talked about how the ship moves and different aspects of crossing the Solent.

 

(289 at Yarmouth Bus Station)

 

Arriving on the island just after 11am we made our way to the bus rally in Newport. The quayside was full of buses, and some were on display, while others were operating service to various parts of the island. 402 was on display and 289 was used in service to Yarmouth. 289 itself has not returned from having a new engine fitted and there are still a few jobs left to do but for the time being 289 is fine to use. One job that is hoped to be carried out over the winter is to fix the electronic number destination blind that it has, and a general tidy up will also be carried out. The trip home started at 2:30pm when we left the rally site and headed for the ferry home. A good day was had by all and next year the trip to the island may be to the new museum at Ryde and we wish all involved in the move good luck.

 

(289 & 402 arrive home seen coming of Red Eagle)

Time flies when you're having fun...

So it’s been over 2 months since we lasted updated our blog and the last two months have been a busy couple. Because of this we've not had much time to update our blog, so here’s a look at what we’ve been up to and a sneaky peek at what's coming up next year:

Back in our last blog we mentioned about the Running Day that was taking place on Sunday 8^th September in Southampton; the event which was organised by one of our members Phil Blair of PB Bus Marketing. The event saw 8 Southampton buses running different routes that went via Portswood. Another 7 buses ran on the event, and a wonderful day was had by all. In total £500 was raised for Naomi House Hospice and Jack's Place at Sutton Scotney. Thank you to all who donated.

(Buses in Pound Tree Road on Running Day)

 

The following weekend (Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th September) saw another buses weekend; that being the Heritage Open Weekend, which sees heritage venues open to the public. This included the SS-Shieldhall which is located in Dock Gate 4 in the City and not normally open to the public. 1 – JOW 499E was used on the shuttle on the Saturday, the Southampton Tram Group and Dunkirk Little Ships were also open on the Saturday. 71 – LOW 217 was used on a City Tour from Tudor House and stopped off at different places around the City Centre where a talk was given about the different locations where the bus was stopping. Places that the bus stopped were the Titanic Engineers Memorial, SeaCity Museum and various other locations.  71 – LOW 217 was used on the free shuttle on the Sunday. It’s hoped that both the tour and shuttle bus to S.S Shieldhall, Southampton Tram Group and Dunkirk Little Ships may return in the future.

(1 - JOW 499E & 71 - LOW 217 in Dock Gate 4)

An annual event we do is provide a free bus service from Alton Railway Station on the Mid-Hants Railway to Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. This year 71 – LOW 217 was used on Sunday 29th September on the service. The vintage bus service is operated by our friends at Medstead Depot Omnibus Group, who are one of three groups under the Working Omnibus Museum Project Ltd, and some of the fleet is stored at the depot. On Saturday 5^th and Sunday 6^th October 432 – NLP 389V was out and about; this time back home from when it was in service with First in Cosham but this time it was used on a free service from Cosham Bus Station to North Harbour where our friends at the Fareham and District Model Railway Club were holding their annual show. There is just time for our last trip of the year and we're off to the Isle of Wight for the annual Isle of Wight Bus Museum Running Day. This is one of our favourite events of the year, and this year it’s hoped that 289 – E289 HRV & 402 – KOW 910F will attend the event.

 

(432 - NLP 389V at 1000 North Harbour)

 

The last few months has seen our storage area tidied up and sorted out as it was getting a bit messy. 367 – BTR 367B has also been raised up onto blocks so the gearbox can be removed and fixed. It's hoped that 367 will be back on the road early next year ready for the 2014 season. We’re already planning for next year some dates for your diary: 1st January 2014 is the Friends of King Alfred Running Day in Winchester and Saturday 22^nd and Sunday 23^rd February will see the annual free bus service for the Solent Model Railway Show at Fleming Park, Eastleigh. This is the service that stops at Eastleigh Train Station and Southampton Airport Parkway, running every 30 minutes throughout the day. A few other new things will also be launched in 2014 so be sure to look out for them. Over the next coming months on this blog we will be looking back at how the S&DTHT website started and will have some guest blogs as well. Thanks for reading our blog and for your continued support.  

A Summer Summary

The summer is in full swing and we have been very busy over the last month or so attending rallies, moving buses and enjoying the hot weather. Take a moment to read what we've been up to.

The first bus rally we went to was the Alton Bus Rally and Running Day held at Anstey Park in Alton. We went along with 133 – TTR 167H and were also joined by 271 – FTR 271X & 361 - BTR 361B of the 393 peservation group. We left ‘Mini Portswood’ in convoy just after 9am and headed north toward Winchester and in an effort to save some time we decided to take a trip up the motorway. We arrived at the rally site just before 10:30am. A number of other ex-Southampton buses were also at the rally; them being 318 – 318 AOW, 353 - 373 FCR and 403 - ALD 993B. So in total there were 6 ex-Southampton buses at the rally on show. 133 was not in service until later  so there was plenty of time to enjoy some of the other buses at the rally and take a look at the numerous stalls. After spending most of the morning looking around the stalls and talking to a number of friends, it was time to take 133 out for a trip. The trip would be to Medstead and Four Marks Railway Station, with a quick stop at Alton Railway Station, which is around 7 miles altogether. 133 was full for the trip, which was pleasing to see. After returning to the rally site it was time to head back to ‘Mini Portswood’. 133 performed remarkably well all day. 133 has since been withdrawn from the road as it's due its M.O.T in a few weeks. 

  

 

Sunday 4th August saw the Provincial Society Bus Rally at Stokes Bay in Gosport. 432 – NLP 389V would return home to where it operated for a few years. 402 – KOW 410F, along with 271 – FTR 271X and 361 – BTR 361B of the 393 peservation group. would also attend the rally. This would be the first time in a few years that four buses went to a rally together. At one stage it was planned to take six buses but due to 133 – TTR 167H needing pre-M.O.T work and 1 – JOW 499E having been out and about a lot this year after returning to the road late last year it was decided to let it have a rest and just take the four. We left ‘Mini Portswood’ just after 9am and the first stop was for fuel, but then it was quickly onto the motorway and down to Gosport for the rally. All four buses were parked up together on the rally site, which as can be seen below made for a wonderful photo opportunity. 432 – NLP 389V and 402 – KOW 410F were used in service from the rally site to Gosport Bus Station, running passengers back and forth between the two destinations throughout the day. After returning from Gosport Bus Station on its last run 432's charging light, which had caused it many problems for most of the year had come back on. As a result, 432 was switched off so an investigation could be carried out under the bus, but nothing was found. So it was decided to turn it back on but it wouldn’t start and after scratching heads and help from others at the rally it was finally found that one of the relays was not working properly. After playing around with the relay, 432 fired back into life and headed back home. 

 

 

432 – NLP 389V has been off the road most of this year suffering from electrical problems. which the team have been working to resolve, and a number of tests were done to find out what the problem was. It was thought that the starter motor was the problem so that was removed and it was then found that a number of other items needed to be replaced. The starter motor was then refitted to the bus but the electrical problem continued. The problem that it was causing was the charging light would not turn off after a few minutes. So next the alternator was removed and sent off to Leyland to be repaired. Once at the repairers it was found that it would be best that a replacement alternator was put onto the bus as the old one was in need of a lot of work. A few days later the replacement alternator arrived and was fitted. After being laid up with the electrical problem and a replacement alternator being fitted, 432 was finally fired into life, and after a few moments the charging light went out. 432 was then taken for a spin around the yard to make sure everything else was ok and thankfully it was. Whilst being off the road 432's M.O.T ran out. So an M.O.T was booked and on Thursday 1st August, 432 was taken to I M services for it to be carried out, and it passed, meaning it was back on the road and ready to head off to the Provincial Society Bus Rally at Stokes Bay in Gosport. 432 spent some time in the Gosport area before being retired from service in June 2004 after mechanical problems.

 

A number of other buses have been moved around. This has included 222 – GTR 484 which has been bought by member of the Trust. 222 needs to be restored as it was unfortunately damaged in a fire some years ago. 222 was first brought back to  Southampton a few years ago by Phil Blair of PB Bus Marketing, who planned to restore it but due to other projects 222 was put up for sale. In July, 222 was moved from where it had been stored in Eastleigh to South East Coachworks in Faversham, Kent, where work would start on the next stage of restoration. 289 – E289 HRV, which has been on loan to Xelabus has also been off the road due to needing a new engine after the old one blew up. It has since received a new engine, which was fitted at Brijan Tours. More news on 222 & 289 will be announced soon.

 

 

 

As always with the modern world social media is at the forefront of most organisations and S&DTHT is no exception. We have recently launched on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and of course this blog. Since launching into the social world earlier this year it has proven very successful for us, and in the last few weeks we celebrated reaching 100 likes on Facebook, and over 50 followers on Twitter. To top it all off, this is also our 10th blog post, showing that we are continuing to grow and expand. We couldn't have possibly imagined where we are now, and the response to our entry into social media has greatly exceeded our expectations. Flickr has many pictures of buses so something we have been working on over the last few weeks is to get pictures of buses in and Southampton, and after a few hours work we have managed to get over 1,200 pictures in the group, and it continues to grow. It’s well worth a look if you fancy a trip down memory lane.

Finally, Sunday 8th September will see heritage buses return to the streets of Southampton as part of The Mighty Regents Running Day, which sees the recreation of 1970's bus routes with AEC Regent V buses and Guys, Leyland Atlanteans, Bristol K's & Lodekkas. Buses will run from 9:00 until 18:00, running several local Portswood routes to and from some of Southampton's Districts, the city & Docks. This will be the first running day in Southampton since May 2010, which marked the closure of the Portswood Bus Depot. More information about the running day will be on the website in mid-August. Until then, thanks for reading.

 

 

Part 2: Book Launch

After the previous day’s activities of surprising one of our members, we were back out the next day on Sunday 30th June. This time we were at a different event; a book launch. The book that was being launched was 'A 1950 Southampton Childhood' written by local authors James March and Penny Legg. Our involvement with the book dates back to late October 2012 when we received an email from Penny asking if we had a suitable bus image to complement the chapter on buses in the book.

After searching through the archives we found a suitable image to use. The bus which was to be used in the book was 204 – GTR 466; a Guy Arab III with Park Royal body. This was new to Southampton Transport in 1950. Due to the picture having to be scanned at high resolutions so that when printed in the book there was no problem with the quality of the picture, Tom, who did not have the equipment to scan the picture, arranged to take the picture to Penny and James to scan at high resolutions. As there was a deadline for the book to be finished we managed to find the picture for the book and have it to Penny and James a little over a week after they first contacted us.                                       

                                                            (204 - GTR 466)

After a few months of not hearing from Penny and James we received an email in February 2013 saying that the book was going to print in the next few weeks and they were going to arrange a launch for the book in May at The Dolphin Hotel in Southampton, and asked us if there would be any possibility that we could being 71 – LOW 217 along to the launch to allow guests at the launch to reminisce about buses in 1950s. After considering the request we obliged and agreed to help. Originally the launch was going to be on Sunday 19th May but due to delays in the printing of the book the launch was subsequently delayed also, until the book was ready and a new date was set. The new date was finalised and the launch date became Sunday 30th June.

On Tuesday 16th April David and Tom attended a meeting at The Dolphin Hotel along with Penny and James and Hotel manager Neil to go through the details of the launch. Also as part of the launch it was decided that guests would go for a small ride on 71 around town and stop off for a picnic along the way. The first choice to have the picnic was Mayflower Park in Southampton but for a number of reasons this could not happen so another location was looked for. The location that was chosen was Royal Victoria Country Park just outside the city in nearby Netley.

So after the original email some eight months ago the day of the launch had arrived. After the previous day’s busy activities, it was an early start with drivers and conductors arriving at ‘Mini Portswood’ just after 10:30am. Due to the number going to the launch it was also decided that 1 – JOW 499E would make an appearance. Just after 11:30am the buses arrived at The Dolphin Hotel and picked up the guests of the launch and headed out of the City over the Itchen Bridge and along Weston Shore to Royal Victoria Country Park.

                                           
                                                          (1 - JOW 499E & 71 - LOW 217)

A lovely hour or so was spent at Royal Victoria County Park where guests enjoyed the picnic and learning about the buses. We all headed back to The Dolphin Hotel where Penny and James gave a talk about the book. After an enjoyable time we headed back to the yard but a request by our chairman David was to picture the buses in Queen's Terrace in the city as major road works are currently being carried on Queen’s Terrace and the road system is to be changed. He wanted to get pictures of the buses before the roads are changed.

                                         
                                                       (1 - JOW 499E & 71 - LOW 217)

If you have a request that you think we could help with, why not contact us via email or via our social media – Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. In recent weeks to keep up to speed with the modern world we have uploaded some information to Wikipedia about Southampton Corporation Transport. If you have some information that you think needs to be added to it why not edit it or let us know and we can add it to the article. Also just to let you know that both Facebook and Twitter now use Hashtag # and our Hashtag is #oldsotonbus.

Part 1: Planning a surprise

Being a volunteer group most of our events take place during the weekend. Sometimes events do take place in the week but this is rare. Over the weekend of Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June we had two events; one being a simple event in the form of a book launch, and the other being something we never done before; a surprise afternoon out for one of the members of the Trust. On the face of it, it would seem simple to organise but as the member who was going to be receiving the surprise is a very active member of the Trust, it proved somewhat difficult.

So where did the idea to surprise one of our members come from? The member in question was Charnie Holden, a big contributor to the Trust. The story starts on Thursday 23rd May when our chairman David and website manager Tom went to the wash-up meeting for the Southampton Maritime Festival that happened in early May. After the meeting David and Tom were discussing another event that was happening at the end of June; that being the launch of a new book at the Dolphin Hotel in Southampton on Sunday 30th June, entitled ‘A 1950s Southampton Childhood’, written by local authors Penny Legg and James Marsh. The authors had contacted the Trust in late 2012 with a request for a picture of a Guy ‘Arab’ bus for the book, which we were happy to assist them with.

The book was due to be launched in May but due to the book being delayed the launch was put back to Sunday 30th June. 71 – LOW 217 was offered to be used as part of the launch to show guests attending the launch what buses would have been like in the 1950s. With 71 – LOW 217 coming out of where it’s kept for the weekend; somewhere in deepest darkest Hampshire, David and Tom discussed what else 71 could be used for over the weekend. Tom then had a thought. It was Trust member Charnie Holden’s 40th birthday in July so with 71 being down why not have a surprise outing? And so began the surprise plan.

Over the next couple of weeks the plan went a bit quiet, until the next Trust meeting on Monday 10th June where the matter was discussed, in particular on the matter of whether we could actually pull off such an event with the support of all of the Trust members, whilst also ensuring that Charnie remained none the wiser. The first job to do was to secretly contact Charnie’s wife Karen and let her know our plans and if she was up for it. So Tom messaged her via Facebook, and a few days later she replied saying “Sounds like a lovely idea - have you spoken to Ian?” Ian is Charnie’s right hand man. Charnie and Ian are childhood friends and Ian loves to pull a joke on Charnie from time to time. The next thing for Tom to do was to contact Ian, who was quite up for the idea.

Following this, Trust chairman David sent an email out to members announcing the idea but here was where we hit our first problem as most of our internal communication is done via email, so we had to make sure all members were aware that no email about the weekend could be sent to Charnie. Luckily no emails were sent to Charnie before the event and a number of checks were done the week before the surprise, with Tom texting Charnie to see what he was up to and even Tom sending Charnie a picture of the event he was supposed to be going to on Saturday 29th June. There was a bit of a panic at one stage as a few days before we received a text from Dave, another member, to say he was going to work on 402 - KOW 910F on Saturday evening as 402 had suffered a fuel starvation problem a few days before the planned surprise. 402 was the bus Charnie and Ian had rebuilt the side on a few months ago; Charnie’s wife was messaged to let her know his plans for Saturday and to make sure he was in at 4pm for a knock on the door that he would never expect.

                                     
                                            (71 - LOW 217 & 361 - BTR 361B) 

By this time only a few days before the event the plans were finalised. The plan was for trust members to meet at ‘Mini Portswood’ at 3pm on the Saturday and get the buses ready. It was decided that three buses would be used. 71, which was down for the book launch the next day, 402, which Charnie has spent countless hours on over the last few years, and a very special guest in the form of an East Kent Coach, which is owned by one of our members. This vehicle is normally kept in Kent but was on a visit to Southampton and so was able to come along for the surprise as well. The route, which was also planned comprised of a short tour around Southampton, ending in Riverside Park for a small buffet.

The day had arrived and after weeks of planning it was time to put the plan in action. Members arrived at ‘Mini Portswood’ at 3pm on Saturday 29thto get 71 – LOW 217 and 402 – KOW 910F ready for the off. East Kent Coach FFN 446 was being kept elsewhere so mobile contact had to be given as we were leaving the yard to ensure that the coach would be in position ready for the surprise. ‘Happy Birthday’ banners were attached to the buses. As we set off to depart however, we were hit by an unfortunate problem. 402 would not start, so it was decided at the last minute to leave her at home and take 361 – BTR 361B instead. Then just before 3:30pm the buses were off and heading for Woolston. We knew that Charnie would be in as he was not planning to go up to 402 until late in the evening as Ian said he was working late and was unable to make it until later on in the day. We knew however that this was not true and was part of the surprise. It was arranged that all three buses would meet at Peartree Church just outside of Woolston and then head off in convoy to Charnie’s house. 
                                    
                                       (East Kent - FFN 446 & 71 - LOW 217)

Before the buses got to Charnie’s house for the shock of his life, family and friends were picked up and then the buses were put in position. Then, after weeks of planning the moment had arrived. It was time to knock the door and give him the surprise of his life. It was decided that long time friends of Charnie, Ian and Dave would knock the door along with Tom, who was filming the moment. They were stood outside the house and it seemed like ages before the door was opened and when it finally was Dave said “Is Charnie coming out to play”. Within seconds of the door opening where a shocked Charn stood and speachless. Then he realised that he had been got and that everyone had mangled together to plan the whole event without him knowing.

                                           

                                                 

                                                             (Charnie and Karen)

After a few minutes everyone was loaded onto the buses for the off. The first stop on the tour was Ocean Village, and from there we headed through the City Centre up to Portswood, passing what was the home of Southampton Transport for many years before the depot closed in 2010. After going through Portswood we headed for ‘Daisy Dip’ in the north of the City between Swaythling and Bassett, where Charnie spent most of his childhood. Finally we headed for Riverside Park where we would enjoy and small buffet and celebrate Charnie’s coming of age. Thankfully the weather was pleasant and we didn’t experience the rain that is normally a main feature of the British summer. After an enjoyable hour or so it was decided to round everyone up for a group picture and then start the journey back. 361 headed straight back to the yard as some members had other things planned, the East Kent Coach went back to the yard where it was being kept, and this left 71 to take Charnie and his family and friends back home, before heading back to ‘Mini
Portswood’.   
                                      

                                      


              We would like to thanks everyone who was involved in organising the event.

In Part 2, we take a look at the day after the surprise when we went to a book launch with 1 – JOW 499E & 71 – LOW 217.