Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 40 | Page 23

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 23
Nev Jones runs Aycliffe firm
J&C Coaches with his sister
Debbie from their Groat
Drive premises on Aycliffe
Business Park.
LIFE COACH
Aycliffe Today editor Martin Walker meets the Aycliffe
coach firm that has lasted more than a generation…
N
ewton Aycliffe’s only surviving coach
hire firm are looking to the future
after investing £100,000 in their fleet
of vehicles.
J&C Coaches, who are due to celebrate
their 45th anniversary in 2020, are committed
to maintaining a modern range of coaches
which stand up to the demands of a highly-
regulated modern transport industry.
The family-run firm, headed up by well-
known Aycliffe resident Nev Jones and his
sister Debbie, employ 12 people and operate
15 coaches from their Groat Drive depot on
Aycliffe Business Park.
And Nev says their latest investment is
testament to their commitment to Aycliffe –
and ensuring his father’s legacy lives on.
His Dad, John Jones, first formed the
business in 1975 with a mini coach.
“This company absolutely is his and my
Mam’s legacy,” insists Nev.
“He just loved it, he was so passionate
about coaches. We used to go off on
unplanned trips just to look at coaches for
sale. Sometimes we’d come back with one
and my Mam would hit the roof!”
John, also a well-known local Rotarian and
charity fundraiser, was a shoe repairer by
trade – “a load of old Cobblers” jokes Nev
– and held a number of jobs to support his
young family in 1970s Newton Aycliffe.
“Nobody worked as hard for their kids as
my Mam ‘n Dad did,” Nev says proudly.
After redundancy from the fire service,
John and his friend Cliff (hence the name
J&C) started running J&C Mini Buses from
the old Boys’ Club car park, where the
Magistrates’ Court is now.
John then bought out his friend and after
buying his first “big” coach, a 29-seater, he
changed the name to J&C Coaches in 1980.
Running from Syd Wood’s old coalyard,
where the former Bargain Buys store is
today, John then bought J&C’s current
premises on Groat Drive, near to Fracks
Transport and Beaumont Grounds
Maintenance, behind Gestamp Tallent.
John and his wife, Freda, then successfully
tendered for a Durham County Special school
contract which led to further investment.
Nev started working for the family firm
after leaving school and, the day after his
21st birthday in 1986, he had his first trip
abroad, driving a coach-load of people from
Aycliffe Hospital to Spain.
J&C soon started investing in modern
coaches and by 1996 they’d expanded to
Darlington, opening up a transport and
holiday shop, which lasted four years before
they decided to re-focus on their bread-and-
butter.
Today, J&C operates 15 vehicles, from
12 seats up to a 70-seater coach, and has
recently spent £100,000 on new 16 and
33-seaters.
“You’ve got to keep on top of the job and
J&C Coaches founder John Jones with
one of his early vehicles in 1981.
keep re-investing into the company,” says
Nev.
“We’re not in the preservation business,
we have to run modern-day coaches, and that
costs a lot of money.
“We’re in a highly-competitive
marketplace, but we’re striving to keep
up with the needs of a modern transport
company, particularly with regards to new
compliance laws and emission zones.”
John sadly passed away in 2014. But these
days J&C still enjoys a strong customer
base – 12 of their coaches are out on daily
school contract runs and the firm also does
well from school trips – while they also offer
private hire services for trips all over the UK
and Europe.
Nev smiles: “We’ve seen a lot of changes
over the years, but my old man will be
pleased to see we’re still around and going
strong.”
For coach bookings, call J&C Coaches on 01325 312705 or go to jandccoachesltd.co.uk