Enthusiasts mark Midland Red's 120th anniversary

A number of Midland Red buses were on display at the anniversary event

Bus enthusiasts have gathered to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the inauguration of Midland Red.

The bus company was one of the largest in the country, covering most of the Midlands until it shut in 1981.

An event, held at Transport Museum Wythall on Sunday, showcased more than 30 of the company's iconic red buses.

Alan Dedicoat, the voice of Strictly Come Dancing and the National Lottery results, said he was privileged to be the guest of honour at the event as he was taken to school on a Midland Red bus.

The company, which employed about 8,500 people at its peak, designed, built and operated all of its own buses.

One of Midland Red's first own-build buses was a 1924 single-decker, seen at Great Malvern in 1938

It was conceived in 1904 and first traded a year later, eventually operating across an area which covered Gloucester in the south and Derbyshire in the north, and from Northampton to the Welsh border.

Mr Dedicoat said: "I've always been interested in Midland Red because I went to school on Midland Red buses.

"I was born in Hollywood which is the next village along from Wythall and so it seemed an appropriate time - 120 years of Midland Red - to come back and celebrate. "

Denis Chick, trustee at the museum, said: "We have a massive selection of Midland Red.

"Most of them are on the road today

"It was a big company, it employed 8,500 people - why wouldn't you celebrate that?"