Arriva North West - Winsford Depot

[knutstransport]

RE: Arriva North West - Winsford Depot
I don't know the driver mentioned here but I'd thought I'd share this story as others probably do.

Quote:A TERMINALLY-ill bus driver was given a boost after being asked to go on a tour of his depot with one of his young passengers.

Colin Clapton, 60, originally from Northwich but now living in Holmes Chapel, was diagnosed with two aggressive brain tumours in August.

The popular bus driver, who says he decided not to have major brain surgery, has been off work ever since but he is always in the thoughts of his regular passengers.

Colin has been a bus driver for 25 years, covering Northwich in recent years.

Before that he served in the British Army for 17 years.

“I enjoyed every day as a bus driver,” he said.

“There were so many nice people who helped towards that and have kept me going.

“I remember all the lovely people who used to get on my bus and make my day, give me a lovely smile, tell me I did a good job and appreciate what I was doing.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my job.”

Since stopping work Colin said he has been inundated with get well cards.

One of his regulars, Katrina Lumsden, sent a heart-felt letter to Colin written by her son, Kian Hamilton, saying how much he missed him.

Kian, who attends Weaverham Forest Primary School, is a huge bus enthusiast, so much so that Colin has his own special nickname for him.

“I call him Professor Kian,” Colin said.

“He knows so much about our industry.”

Colin said Kian is polite and courteous, and praised his mum for bringing him up well.

Katrina, 42, said: “We go on the bus all the time.

"When Kian was a couple of years old Colin started giving him high fives when he’d come on the bus.

“As he’s got older and he’s learned to speak he knows him as Colin.

"He’ll get on the bus and will be like ‘alright Colin’, and high five him.

“They’ve always had a good relationship.

"Colin knows all of his passengers by name.

"Kian loves him to bits.”

Last month, Arriva arranged for Colin to go on a tour of their Winsford depot with Kian, aged nine, from Weaverham.

Colin said: “Even though I haven’t been to work in five months now, I went to the depot in my uniform.

"He loved that day and wrote a touching letter afterwards, saying thank you.”

During the tour, Colin gave Kian one of the ‘Employee of the Month’ certificates he has been awarded during his time as a bus driver.

“I am proud of that,” Colin said.

“I hope Kian grows up and keeps that for the rest of his life.

"I know he will treasure that. It made his day going round the depot.

"He loves buses so much.”

Katrina said Kian thought the tour was ‘amazing’.

She said: “One of the guys at the depot gave him a model bus and Colin gave him one of his certificates, which he got framed and it’s on his wall.

“I just think it’s amazing they have this really good relationship.

"He knows all my kids by name. Kian just loves him.”

She added: “What's happened to Colin is really sad. Kian is devastated."

Colin is one of seven children, and has two children of his own, a son and a daughter, and seven grandchildren.

http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/...passenger/