Peelings mobilise the fleet

After a year that has seen the eight-strong coach fleet of Tittleshall-based Peelings Coaches confined to school runs and a few services, Thursday 18 December saw the entire fleet occupied on a private hire contract. Even the company’s heritage coach, a 1982 Volvo B10M Plaxton Supreme, got in on the act.

The movements involved the return carriage of pupils from three schools to the Princess Theatre in Hunstanton for performances of the pantomime ‘Mother Goose’, starring Mervyn Francis in the title role. Two coaches conveyed children from Blenheim Park Primary School to the morning performance while the early afternoon show was the destination for four coaches from Docking Primary School and a further two from the associated Brancaster Primary School which share a single Head Teacher. In the light of Covid-19 each coach carried only 20 pupils.

Proprietor, Jonathan Joplin, told B&CB: “Our previous last school private hire was back in March though we have had two golf trips since then. We’re running seven schools a day and apart from one swimming trip a week, that’s all we’ve done.”

He praised the organisation of the schools and the theatre which ensured everything ran like clockwork.

Jonathan’s delight at having every coach out was matched by that of the whole driving team, which includes four members of the Joplin family. They had been limited to school contracts and some contracted bus services (for which two buses are owned) since the pandemic began. The children looked pretty enthusiastic about it too.