The A to Z of the ZX Spectrum

Remembering Sir Clive Sinclair and his wonder machine

The 1980s was a very grim time for many people. There was high unemployment and high inflation. The Labour Party – who should have been hitting the right notes in attacking the Thatcher-led government – was split between its left and right wing factions of the party. If you substituted Thatcher for Johnson, you could be forgiven for thinking ‘deja vu’.

Beat The Bus Syndrome: A DSM Criteria

What are the signs of Beat The Bus Syndrome?

Whether you take the 192 to work or the 216 to Town, you expect the bus to get you from A to B as trouble free as possible. Stopping every so often on a busy route is inevitable as several other passengers fancy going the same way. Loadings vary according to the time of day, which is why journeys are faster in less busy periods.

Jobseekers’ Discount Scheme Pays Off for Stagecoach

Jobseekers’ bus journeys double on Stagecoach routes as UK vacancies near million mark

• Trips under Stagecoach’s National Jobseekers’ discounted travel initiative up 115% since May;
• Bus travel to find work rises as latest ONS data reveals more than 950,000 UK job vacancies;
• More than 120 people a day applying to work with Britain’s biggest bus and coach operator;
• Job applications up 8.5% on pre-COVID levels as 300 operations and engineering roles on offer;
• Government figures show bus journeys outside London now close to 70% of pre-COVID levels.

The Bus Bus Bus could take us to our Jobs Jobs Jobs as Britons get back to bus. Passenger numbers are beginning to reach pre-COVID levels outside London. For the country’s jobseekers, demand for buses have doubled as individuals look to secure roles among a record number of vacancies in the UK.

Now You Know What We Did This Summer: Bridlington By Bus, Train and Taxi

A look at Bridlington’s public transport offer

Thanks to previous lockdowns and pandemic conditions, it has been two years since we left our last Now You Know What We Did This Summer round-up. The last entry looked at Bournemouth’s buses, which we found were dirt cheap compared with Greater Manchester’s buses.

The last time yours truly went to Bridlington was nearly 12 years ago. I had an overnight stay there and used Lord Tennyson’s favourite resort as a halfway point between Doncaster and Middlesbrough. There, I was supporting the late great Donna Williams at what became her last UK lecture tour. After seeing her Doncaster lecture, I got Northern’s service to Bridlington (via Goole and Hull), then continued to Middlesbrough by bus via Scarborough.

Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes, 05 September 2021

Bussing back to school the Oldham and Saddleworth way

For Oldham and Saddleworth bus users, there are very few changes of note. Besides three Stagecoach Manchester routes, there is welcome news for nocturnal ‘9 bus passengers.

Tameside and Glossop Bus Service Changes, 05 September 2021

All the latest back to school bus times and the usual changes

• Stagecoach Manchester routes revert to winter timetable;
• New Sheffield connection for Hyde passengers;
• Late night 409 journeys to Ashton restored.

For the first time in a while, Tameside’s latest service changes make for more positive reading. Evening journeys will be boosted on one of our trunk routes and Hyde is going to get direct bus links to Manchester Airport, Sheffield and Macclesfield.

An Absolute Beginners Guide to Watching Non-League Football

Or: How I Ditched Premier League Football and Saved Thousands of Pounds a Season

Association Football is England’s National Sport. It brings billions to our economies, whether at the turnstile, public house or towards our broadcasters. The top clubs pay eye watering salaries to their players, and the fans pay equally eye watering amounts for the privilege of seeing City, United, Liverpool or the like. Historically, it has sold newspapers, satellite dishes and broadband packages.

A New Era Begins for Stockport Bus Station

1980 version of bus station to close this weekend

This Saturday sees the end of one era for Stockport bus station, and the start of another one. By midnight on the 29th August 2021, the 1980 version of Stockport bus station will be gone for good.

Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, August 2021: The Ashton Review of Shops

Welcome back to your window on the Tameside shop windows

After two months away from looking at the shop windows, The Ashton Review of Shops is back on East of the M60. The creator of this blog has been busier with other activities related to his job and has spent less time in his locality.

And Then There Was Three: Revisiting a 1982 Dukinfield Pub Crawl

What became of the eleven pubs that Dave Hale visited on a Dukinfield pub crawl in 1982?

In 1982, the Campaign for Real Ale in Greater Manchester printed a monthly magazine called What’s Doing It started out as a typewritten newsletter in 1975 with five A5 pages. It was published till 2006 by Neil Richardson, who was known for his local history books. Though Manchester and Salford focused, it gave some coverage to the Rochdale Oldham and Bury, and High Peak and North East Cheshire CAMRA branches.