Wrightbus calls on public to help rebuild lost archive as Ballymena manufacturer marks 80 years

Paul Savage (left) with Christian Reynolds in front of the 80th anniversary mural.

Wrightbus is asking generations of workers, passengers and bus enthusiasts to help recover eight decades of its history after significant archive material was lost before the Ballymena manufacturer was rescued from administration in 2019.

As the company marks its 80th anniversary, it has launched a public appeal for photographs, stories and personal memories that can help rebuild a record stretching from its beginnings in Ballymena in 1946 to today’s zero-emission buses operating around the world.

Former employees and their families are among those being encouraged to search old photograph albums and collections for material which may otherwise never make it back into the company’s archive.

Bus drivers, operators, suppliers, enthusiasts and passengers are also being asked to contribute — whether they have photographs of Wrightbus vehicles on local routes or at rallies, images taken during depot or factory visits, or memories of working in and around the company.

Rebuilding history lost before 2019 rescue

The appeal has particular significance because a substantial amount of historical archive material was lost before Jo Bamford CBE rescued Wrightbus from administration in 2019.

That means some of the surviving record of one of Ballymena’s best-known companies may now be sitting in family albums, personal collections and the archives of bus enthusiasts across the UK and further afield.

Wrightbus hopes its anniversary year can provide an opportunity to bring some of that material back together and preserve it for future generations.

Christian Reynolds, Managing Director at Wrightbus, said:

“Our 80th anniversary is a celebration of everyone who has been part of the Wrightbus story over the last eight decades, and our thanks go to Paul and others who have been so generous with their help so far.

“From the people who designed and built our buses, to the drivers who operated them and the passengers who relied on them every day, thousands of people have played a part in our journey.

“We want to capture those memories and preserve them for future generations. Whether you have a photograph of a Wrightbus vehicle on your local route, a picture from inside our factory, or a personal story connected to the company, we would love to hear from you.”

A 30-foot journey through Wrightbus history

The work to piece together the company’s past is already under way.

Bus author and enthusiast Paul Savage recently returned to Wrightbus headquarters during its staff fun day, where a 30-foot-long mural featuring the company’s past and present was unveiled.

Paul supplied photographs and information for the picture wall, helping the team assemble some of the defining moments and vehicles from the manufacturer’s history.

His connection with Wrightbus stretches back almost two decades and previously led to his involvement in The Wright Way, a book produced to commemorate the company’s 60th anniversary.

“My relationship with Wrightbus began nearly 20 years ago, probably early 2007, when I was asked by then Wrights director Ted Hesketh if I would work with Jack Kernohan, retired Sales Director, on his reminiscences of 60 years of the company,” Paul said.

“That led to the publication in 2010 of The Wright Way - a book which one reviewer suggested should be on the reading lists of business studies courses. Jack joked that I was there to translate his Ballymena Ulster-Scots into English so the rest of the world could understand it.

“It’s been wonderful to be back again, this time piecing together some of the best bits from the archives. But more is needed.”

From Ballymena beginnings to buses around the world

Founded in Ballymena in 1946, Wrightbus has developed from its early manufacturing roots into one of Northern Ireland’s most internationally recognised industrial names.

Across its eight decades, the company has pioneered developments including aluminium bus framing and low-floor technology and produced some of the UK’s most recognisable public transport vehicles.

Among them is the New Routemaster, which became a familiar sight on the streets of London.

More recently, the Ballymena operation has become a major centre for zero-emission bus manufacturing.

Wrightbus says it has now produced more than 3,000 zero-emission buses for operators around the world and was responsible for the world’s first hydrogen double-deck bus.

For Ballymena, however, the anniversary is also a story about generations of local people whose working lives have been connected to the factory — and whose photographs and memories could now help fill gaps in its surviving historical record.

How to contribute to the Wrightbus archive

Anyone with photographs, documents or memories connected to Wrightbus is being encouraged to get in touch.

The company is particularly interested in:

• photographs of Wrightbus vehicles from across the decades;

• pictures taken at the Ballymena factory;

• vehicles photographed in service, at rallies or during depot visits; and

• personal memories from employees, former employees, drivers, passengers, operators, suppliers and enthusiasts.

Material can be submitted by email to:

heritage@wrightbus.com

Selected photographs and stories may be used in future Wrightbus displays and online content during its 80th anniversary celebrations.

For a company whose history has been shaped by thousands of people in Ballymena and far beyond, the appeal is now about finding pieces of that story which might otherwise be lost — and bringing them together while the people who remember them can still tell the stories behind the photographs.