Honk for Hope Blackpool

Coaches on the Tower Headland with a BBC TV interview taking place

Nearly 200 coaches from across the country took part in the Honk for Hope cavalcade along Blackpool Promenade on Tuesday 14th July. The aim of the event was to highlight the plight of the coach industry due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has created wide reaching problems for leisure and transport businesses throughout the UK.

The coaches aimed to congregate at junction 32 of the M6, where it meets the M55, at 11 am, thus creating a natural convoy along the M55 to Blackpool. The coaches then travelled via Squires Gate Lane to the beginning of the Promenade at Starr Gate.

The cavalcade then processed along the Promenade until they reached Gynn Square roundabout, where they turned around and headed back south down the Promenade. Five coaches parked up on the Tower Headland in front of the Tower, where television interviews took place.

The main body of the coaches processed along the reverse route down the Promenade and Squires Gate Late before turning left onto Yeadon Way, by the roundabout at the end of the M55. The coaches drove along Yeadon Way before parking up on the large car park just before the Waterloo Road exit.

A Bova of Copeland's Tours from Stoke arriving at Starr Gate

A Setra coach advertising Honk for Hope UK

Coaches processing in both directions at Starr Gate

Coaches from Chesters Travel heading south along the Promenade

Some of the more colourful coaches on Yeadon Way car park

A line-up of coaches on Yeadon Way car park after the cavalcade

The coaches gathering together on the car park on Yeadon Way