The Greater Manchester Transport Society (GMTS), which operates the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester, has been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest accolade available to voluntary groups in the UK.
The award recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit local communities. GMTS is one of just 230 charities to receive the award this year.
Dennis Talbot, Chairman of the Greater Manchester Transport Society, says: “Since we opened our doors in 1979 we’ve welcomed over a 250,000 visitors to see the story of how local transport shaped our region. It couldn’t have happened without our volunteers, working in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester, building a museum that is one of the most popular of its kind.”
Chair of the Greater Manchester Transport Committee, Counciller Mark Aldred, says that preserving Greater Manchester’s transport heritage is of vital importance. “We have supported the museum for over 40 years, and we look forward to tell the next chapters of the story of transport in shaping Greater Manchester,” he says.
The Museum is situated in a historic former bus depot in Cheetham. It brings tourism and regeneration to an area of the city with ‘high social deprivation’ according to the charity, and houses over 70 restored coaches and buses. It is delivered through a partnership of the charity’s volunteers and TfGM.
