Heritage group pays tribute to Northampton bus driver and calls for public’s support for ‘fitting send off’

Northampton Transport Heritage is asking for the consideration of motorists and road users on Thursday 1st December as they provide three heritage buses as part of six bus funeral cortege, of which, one will convey the deceased, Richard Heron.

Richard Heron died suddenly in early November leaving his wife Lorna and four children. Richard was a bus driver working for Stagecoach and was well known to passengers as well as staff across the county and beyond. He was also a keen worshipper at St Gregory’s Catholic Church. Everyone who knew Richard will all say the same thing; what a gentleman he was, how helpful and considerate he was and how he was just such a lovely man. He was also a professional bus and coach driver for well over thirty five years, working for firms such as Shelton Osborne, United Counties and latterly Stagecoach.

Richard was also a keen volunteer with Northampton Transport Heritage driving heritage buses to a very high standard at town events such as Heritage Open Days, which he did for many years. He was a very popular person who nothing was to much trouble for, after his family, whom he loved and talked about a lot. A much valued and respected gentleman.

The cortege will assemble at St Gregory’s Church on Birchfield Road East/Park Avenue North at 10.30 and will depart there at approximately 12.15 and will then travel via Park Avenue North, Kettering Road, Abington Square and Greyfriars. It then will pass through Northgate Bus Station. It will pause for two minutes there (no service departure will leave at this time) for staff to pay their respects to Richard before departing for Kingsthorpe Cemetery via Mayorhold, Barrack Road, Kingsthorpe Road, Harborough Road and then parking on Holly Lodge Drive to allow mourners to alight and walk to the graveside.

The bus carrying Richard will continue to the main cemetery entrance on Harborough Road and travel to the graveside.

Road users in the vicinity of the cortege are asked to be considerate and to give road space.

Graham Croucher, NTH Chairman said: “After a lifetime of dedicated service to the travelling public, we think that is it fitting that our dear friend Richard is given a fitting send off and is conveyed in a style that befits the love he had for his profession, and we would ask the public to pay some respect to that. We ask if motorists would assist us on the day, if they see us, by being patient and giving us the space on the road to proceed unhindered as a cortege. The Police are unwilling to assist us so we will be relying on the goodwill of the traveling public to allow us to convey Richard to his last resting place in dignity. We wish to keep the cortege together but would like to cause as little disruption to traffic as possible and we thank people in advance for their patience.”