(27 Jul 2015, 10:15 am)Charles41 wrote It is such a shame that they are ceasing operations. The company is very well regarded locally, perhaps residents of the Coquet Valley can come up with a scheme to keep the company going.
To give an example, the Rose and Crown pub at Slaley (near Hexham) was threatened with closure. The locals formed a cooperative (Slaley Community Assets Limited) which purchased the pub and now runs it. I believe a similar situation occurred with the Jazz Café in Newcastle following the death of the owner.
Charles
Completely different beast to taking over a pub though. While a pub could be staffed with unskilled volunteers from the local community (with one person employed to coordinate), it's doubtful a bus company could be purchased and operated by local volunteers unless, of course, that community is made up of fitters and drivers who are willing to donate their time and hold the relevant CPC's.