On Sunday 13th April, we are collaborating with our friends at the Albion Club (Albion Trucks and Buses WorldWide). We are holding the ‘Albion 125 End of an Era’ road run’, to mark the end of 125 years of Albion engineering in Glasgow. The run will go from Bridgeton Bus Garage to the Riverside Museum, by way of Finnieston, where the first Albion factory was from 1900 to 1903, and then Scotstoun, where the company moved to in 1903 and where production of axles finally came to an end in October 2024. The run will also take in Yoker, where Albion also had premises.
We are aiming to gather as many roadworthy Albion vehicles as possible to take part in the run and go on display at Riverside. We already have a number confirmed. So please get in touch with us on info@gvvt.org (or the Albion Club) to let us know if you can bring your Albion!
In the meantime, stay tuned to our social media pages FacebookTwitterBlueSky or Threads for more information over the coming weeks and months.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Trust over the last year. It has been a great year with many achievements along the way. Even though we’ve not hit last year’s high on visitor numbers, we have carried a record number of passengers on our buses. Just over 20,000! Both the Open Weekend and West End Bus Fest had their best ever passenger figures.
The achievements of the Trust have been different this year but no less satisfying. These would include the following:
The parade celebrating 100 years of Glasgow Corporation motorbuses
buses heading up St Vincent Street on 3rd August 2024 as part of the parade to mark 100 years of Glasgow Corporation motor buses – (c) Frank Murphy Photography
Marking 25 years of the Back on the Road social inclusion programme
Ken Bruce becoming our Patron
Ken Bruce meets GVVT Chairman Steven Booth at Bridgeton Bus Garage
Stephen Templeman being our building manager and the improvements he’s made about the garage
Nicola McHendry being our team leader in the Museum & Archive and organising an improved and expanded display of artefacts from the collection
The drone flythrough of the garage
Paying off early our loan for buying the garage
Back on the Road achieving full funding from external sources
With the help of Sir Brian Souter, introducing an interactive zone at the garage including a bus simulator
The ‘Wee Happy Bus’ kids driving experience introduced
The introduction of a family membership
Our latest book published, ‘Glasgow’s Buses’, using the photographs of Iain MacGregor whose archive now belongs to GVVT.
‘Your Wee Happy Shop’ going from strength to strength with an expanded range
Of course, while these are singularly special things, they would not be achieved without all the supporting activity that GVVT members collectively do whether volunteering at our events, assisting in the shop, working in the museum and archive, ensuring vehicles are ready, our activities are promoted and publicised, the garage is looked after, we’re visible in the community through our outreach, our membership is catered for or ensuring the Trust is governed and administered. So thank you once again for the help everyone has provided in 2024.
We can look forward with confidence to 2025 and the opportunities it will bring. If you would like to be involved in our activities, please join online at gvvt.org/membership and get in touch with us at volunteering@gvvt.org to find out more.
Back on the Road’s Christmas party took place at Bridgeton Bus Garage on 12th December and celebrated the programme’s participants past and present with friends and supporters. BOTR founder, Dr Alistair Ramsay, was on hand to present the certificates of achievement as part of the festivities.
The assembled party and Alistair Ramsay (centre)
As well as all the usual Christmas music, food and silly jumpers, the party had more in store for programme supervisor, Gordon Kerr, than he’d bargained for. Gordon has two very important milestones coming up which he’d been keeping quite quiet about. Unbeknownst to him, BOTR director, Martin Walker, and programme coordinator, Vince Ho, had other ideas and had been working on a secret mission which would be revealed at the party.
Gordon is celebrating 20 years running the Back on the Road programme. That’s almost as long as the programme has been running itself. An amazing achievement. The second is a special birthday, his 60th! With Martin acting as MC for the party, the surprises started to roll. The lights in the room were dimmed as the door opened with Gordon’s wife, Rosie, coming in with a big cake and candles ablaze. He had no idea Rosie was turning up or that a cake was organised to mark his birthday. Then, ‘beaming in’ from London, GVVT Patron, Ken Bruce, offered his thanks and good wishes to everyone associated with BOTR as well as a special message for Gordon on his achievements.
Gordon’s wife, Rosie presenting the cake to Gordon.
Speaking after the event, Steven Booth, Chair of Back on the Road, said: “Not only was today’s Christmas party a celebration amongst friends, it was also a celebration of the amazing achievements of our programme participants. It was great to be able to mark the progress they continue to make.
Gordon Kerr saying a few words
Gordon Kerr deserves the high accolades he has received for the work and commitment he has shown to Back on the Road and the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust. He is integrated into the fabric of life at Bridgeton Bus Garage and is universally liked and respected. We are very grateful for his service to the programme and its participants, past and present, and here’s to many more years with him involved.”
Martin Walker and SantaVince Ho and SantaStephen Templeman & SantaBrian Ritchie and SantaSanta Short and Santa Claus
On Friday 13th December, GVVT made a festive drop off at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. The Trust donated 50 copies of its ‘Colour Me Bridgeton‘ colouring books to the hospital to give to some of the kids who will be staying them this Christmas. The donation was inspired by a brave young boy called Tommy Paul Quinn who visited Bridgeton Bus Garage earlier this year. Tommy is only two years old but has a rare form of cancer. His treatment requires ongoing hospital visits. Despite this, Tommy is a bright wee lad with a big smile and loves anything with wheels.
Hannah from the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity was on hand to receive the donation from Trust Chair, Steven Booth.
Our 2024 Open Weekend was another success story for the GVVT.
A huge thank you to everyone who came along to our Annual Open Weekend.
We had over 2800 visitors over the weekend, including many first time visitors.
Carol Doran and her daughter posted about their visit on Facebook
We had visiting buses from all over the UK and Ireland many of which helped operate our free bus services and tours alongside vehicles from the GVVT collection. We had over 70 bus departures from Bridgeton each day (71 Sat and 77 Sun using 22 and 24 different vehicles respectively). A big thank you to the vehicle owners who made their buses available to ride on and also to the local bus companies who displayed their latest vehicles over the weekend.
Our visitors enjoyed free trips on a huge variety of buses ranging from the 1928 Leyland Titan to the 2006 Volvo B7RLE, there was something for everyone!
We could not run our event without our own team of volunteers who give up their own time to assist with GVVT events. We had 67 volunteers on Saturday and 77 on Sunday, with many working both days (plus pre-event preparation)! Duties include bus driving and conducting, entrance desk, shop, archive museum, bin emptying and cleaning! If you like to join the GVVT and help with our events you can do this here. Our patron, Ken Bruce volunteered on both days too!
Finally, a thank you from our patron, Ken Bruce
Don’t forget, you find our about our upcoming events at on our events page and on our social media channels.
It’s an absolute cracker, featuring over 100 images from the collection of the late Iain MacGregor, compiled by Phil Halewood.
Commemorating 100 years of Motorbuses in Glasgow we have 108 A5 pages in full colour. This book is only available from our online shop and our Wee Happy Shop at Bridgeton Bus Garage (only open on GVVT events and tour dates). All funds raised from this book support the work of the GVVT.
We just love this fly-thru video created by the very skilled Andrea Costa, with superb photography and drone piloting, it really has to be viewed to be believed!
Flying THROUGH buses – FPV ONE SHOT – Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust
Filmed at Bridgeton Bus Garage, the video is best viewed with earphones for the best experience! You can see some of Andrea’s other work on his YouTube channel or on Instagram
Andrea at the controls of the droneThe drone in the yard at Bridgeton
Don’t forget you can see more for yourself (from the ground) on our Open Weekend on October 12 & 13. Info: gvvt.org/annual-open-weekend
The countdown to Open Weekend starts at 100 with the launch of Paul Russell’s 100 Parade, an outstanding video account of GVVT’s historic celebration of a century of the motor bus in Glasgow, staged in August.
Experience GVVT’s collection of 130 buses and lorries plus 40 guest vehicles and a host of trade stalls at Open Weekend on October 12 and 13, 10am-5pm at Bridgeton Bus Garage. More at gvvt.org/annual-open-weekend
Back on the Road has marked its 25th anniversary with a celebration and a double funding boost.
As well-wishers gathered at Bridgeton Bus Garage to salute the GVVT programme which has helped steer scores of people out of addiction and into work, the People’s Postcode Trust announced an award of £21,452 and Glasgow Eastern Merchants’ Society revealed a grant of £5000.
With support by the Corra Foundation continuing, BotR looks to its past with pride and to the future with confidence.
Steven Booth addresses the guests at the BotR 25th celebration
More participants such as Alex will benefit. Aged 45, he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for 20 years, but under the guidance of programme supervisor Gordon Kerr, has learned work skills which have helped place his life on a positive path.
One of 37 guests at the BotR celebration, Alex said: “I worked as a labourer on building sites until drink and drugs took over and I became unemployable.
“Thankfully, I’m now in recovery and learning. Just getting up and coming to the garage means a lot. It’s a commitment, a routine and it has restored my self-confidence.
“Being introduced to coachbuilding and painting by Gordon has convinced me I can acquire skills and work again.”
BotR pre-dates GVVT by three years, and Alex is the latest in a line of more than 200 people in recovery who have benefited from the programme – a statistic founder Alistair Ramsay wouldn’t have dared forecast in 1999.
Former GVVT trustee and then director of Scotland Against Drugs, Alistair said: “Back then a lot of money was spent warning people about drug abuse. After 18 months of gruesome advertising, there wasn’t a single person who was not aware of the dangers.
Alistair and Aileen Ramsay
“However, there was nothing to help those in recovery get their life back together by getting a job.
“We turned to the former Glasgow Bus Museum and chose L446 as a restoration project. A six-month pilot proved so successful, similar projects were set up by SAD in Shetland, Aberdeen, Bo’ness and Dumfries, and BotR was flagship.
“After BotR relocated to Bridgeton and GVVT was established, the true hero arrived. Gordon Kerr was appointed supervisor and brought to the project not just a unique set of skills with the ability to pass these on to the participants but also an amazing ability to empathise with their issues.”
Gordon blends experience of coachbuilding with social care skills learned at college and puts BotR’s success down to its unique approach.
The guests view the Dart driving simulator, a recent BotR project.
He said: “I have an HNC in social care gained with support from GVVT. It has helped immensely because this job is as much about counselling as it is panel beating.
“We have developed our own techniques, working with empathy and we don’t judge. That’s how we have lasted.”
Gordon’s 20 years’ service was saluted by BotR board member Martin Walker, who also paid tribute to project co-ordinator Vince Ho and volunteers Heather MacDonald and Mark Caldwell.
Mark Caldwell conducts a tour of the facilities at Bridgeton Bus Garage
Other guests included Tracy Thomson, of NatWest Social and Community Capital, Veronica Hetherington, representing the Corra Foundation, and John Grady, newly elected MP for Glasgow East.
John said: “It was a privilege to join the Back on the Road team for their 25th birthday party.
John Grady MP with John Anderson
“It was incredibly moving to hear from the people the programme has helped, and I am sure it will transform many more lives over the next 25 years, too.”
John shares his experience with BotR
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsOK
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.