A SPECIAL reunion evening will take place on Tuesday.

In 1970 a young couple and nine strangers bought a Bristol double decker bus, named it the Sir George White Special after the aviation pioneer and set off on a round-the-world tour, aiming to fund their progress selling British goods along the way.

What happened to them in 22 eventful months will be revealed on the evening of Tuesday, March 14 when five of the surviving crew members reunite for a talk in the John James Lecture Theatre of Aerospace Bristol's Concorde Hangar introduced by the current Sir George White.

Sir George, who lives in South Gloucestershire, helped launch the bus with a bottle of West Country cider and had almost forgotten about it until last December, when a friend sent him a promotional postcard the crew had produced over 50 years ago.

He said: “I had always wondered what happened to these intrepid young men and women and their Bristol bus, but never imagined that their story would be quite so remarkable.”

The crew included Mike Conway of Nailsea, who acted as their chef, and he watched horrified when their epic journey ended in disaster as they tried to float the bus on a raft across a river in Peru.

Mike said: “This was the heart-wrenching moment I realised our incredible adventure was over.”

Another member of the crew, Sally Mears, who lives near Stroud, watched horrified when their epic journey ended.

Sally said: “My heart sank when I saw the bus sink, because I knew it was the end of a journey of a lifetime.

“When I talk about the bus trip I still get itchy feet and want to do more travelling but I also love this country and seeing how other people lived and a lot of them their hardships made me appreciate what we have here.

“I love exploring the footpaths and rambling in the UK and think how lucky I am to live near Stroud and the Cotswolds, which are so beautiful."

Visitors are welcome, arrive from 5.30pm for a meal starting at 6pm followed by the talk beginning at 7.30pm which includes slides and archive film.

Tickets are £10 - go to bit.ly/3KZ37GE