AWARD-WINNING COMPANY - We're very proud to announce we won the award for Day Excursion Programme of the Year at the 2011 Coach Tourism Awards and that we also made the final shortlist of seven for UK Coach Holiday Programme of the Year. We'd like to thank all our staff for helping us to achieve this great accolade and our customers, without whose loyal support we would be unable to create so many attractive, successful tours.
NEW HOLIDAY & DAY TOUR BROCHURES - are now available from our office and from our travel agent colleagues. We look forward to having you travel with us in 2012, our 90th anniversary year.
Look out for some lovely new holiday destinations and a fantastic choice of day trips. Holiday destinations include our 90th Anniversary Gala Evening in February. the lovely Isles of Scilly in March, an all-inclusive Spanish holiday in April, Lake Garda in May and Royal Deeside & Shetland in June. You can meet the 'High Priestess of Forced Rhubarb', Janet Oldroyd (as seen on TV's Great British Food Revival), on our fun-filled 'Rhubarb & Chips' weekend on Friday 2nd March. Fans of 'Autumnwatch' will be pleased to know that a visit to Slimbridge is included during our Devon Coast-to-Coast Wildlife Weekend in April - and there's an opportunity to visit Islay during our Scottish Islands & Gardens tour next May.
Don't forget that our holidays include FREE travel insurance and that all our holidays offer you full financial protection under our membership of the Confederation of Passenger Transport's Bonded Coach Holiday scheme.
Highlights from our latest, award-winning day tour programme include the spectacular snowdrops at Hodsock Priory on Tuesday 21 February, a chance to look round the BBC TV Centre studios on Wednesday 7 March, see the spring Disney on Ice show ('Princesses & Heroes') at Birmingham's NIA in March, watch the Dancing on Ice Live show at Nottingham in April, visit Chelsea Flower Show in May and take part in our special 'Jubilee Collection' tours (like the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's Jubilee Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in May). Please call 01778 342224 or e-mail enquiries@shawscoaches.co.uk if you would like us to post brochures to you.
LOYALTY BONUS DISCOUNT - Good news for our regular customers - we will be continuing our Loyalty Bonus Discount in appreciation of the support we receive from so many regular travellers - the more you book, the more you save!
JOB VACANCIES. Due to additional work, we are currently recruiting for two full-time drivers and would like to take on at least one member of staff who has touring experience. Applicants must have a PCV licence, good, careful driving techniques, an unfailing commitment to customer care and the ability to work as a team member. We are also looking to hire one or two part-time drivers.
TALK & SLIDE SHOW PRESENTATION. Our tour driver, Les Staniforth, and one of his colleagues would be pleased to present a free, illustrated talk about our holiday and day tour programme to local groups/clubs. Reservations now being taken for January-March 2013.
BOOK NOW FOR - We Will Rock You (15 Feb), Midnight Tango (23 Feb), Aida (1 Mar) and Dancing on Ice in April. Ticket sales for all these tours will close shortly. We also recommend early booking for our Chelsea Flower departures in May (ticket prices are now available: Thursday 24 May £55 pp and Saturday 26 May £75 pp).
MRS. BROWN, ANDRE RIEU, STEPS, DIVERSITY & MICHAEL MCINTYRE - TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW & PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR NEW LONDON SHOWS NOW ON SALE.
DOOR-2-DOOR TOURS COMING SOON
Our 90th Anniversary Gala Break - Sun 12 Feb x 2 days. £159 pp or £139 pp for everyone who has travelled on one of our Door-2-Door holidays during 2011. Great food, great fun, great company - and a few great prizes to be won too!
'Surprise, Surprise' 4 star mystery mini-break - Fri 24 Feb x 3 days. £220 pp. Last few seats.
'Rhubarb & Chips' - a fun weekend finding out about Yorkshire's famous Rhubarb Triangle, as well as enjoying some lovely Dales scenery and a fascinating visit to Longley Old Hall, a privately-owned house listed in Simon Jenkins' '1000 Best Houses in Britain. Friday 2 March x 3 days. £229 pp.
Yorkshire TV & Film Trail - one of our 2 day mini-breaks, which is always much enjoyed and takes in locations used for filming 'Calendar Girls', 'Emmerdale' and the much-missed 'Last of the Summer Wine'. Saturday 10 March x 2 days. £135 pp.
Sun 5 Feb - Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts, a new exhibition at the Bluewater Events Centre, which means you can have a look round the super shops here too - or you can just book a 'fare only' ticket if you just want to spend the day at Kent's leading shopping centre.
Fri 10 Feb - Watch ITV's 'Loose Women' lunchtime show live or see Mamma Mia
Tue 14 Feb - 'Olympic London' a fascinating guided tour of London's Olympic sites, including lunch
Wed 15 Feb - Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall. 3 seats now available due to cancellation.
Sun 19 Feb - Designer Outlet Shopping at Bicester
Tue 21 Feb - Snowdrop Spectacular at Hodsock Priory, including lunch and guided tour
Look out, too, for our outstanding value 'Special Offer' fares, e.g.
Tue 14 February - London 'Museum Special'. Special chlld fare only £20 + book our 'Family Favourite 4 seats for the price of 3' on this half term tour.
Sat 18 February - York (for the National Railway Museum and other top visitor attractions) - only £15 pp for children
Sun 26 February - London's Imperial War Museum - only £17.50 pp for seniors OR London's new Westfield Shopping Mall - only £20 for seniors and children.
Have a look, too, at our fantastic selection of London theatre trips on sale from just £49.50 pp - see below for a full list of our current departures, which are frequently updated.
NEW 'JUBILEE COLLECTION' DAY TOURS NOW ON SALE
Windsor Castle, followed by a private, exclusive evening visit to Frogmore House - Thursday 2 August - £67.50 pp inc. free guidebook and a glass of champagne at the end of the tour. NB Limited numbers.
The Royal Mews & The Queens Gallery (inc. the special Leonardo da Vinci exhibition) - Thursday 9 August - £40 pp
Buckingham Palace State Apartments, Diamond Jubilee Exhibition & guided 'Garden Highlights' tour - Tuesday 14 August - £49.50 pp
Buckingham Palace State Apartments & Diamond Jubilee Exhibition - Sunday 16 September - £42 pp.
MORE NEW TOURS NOW ON SALE
Dancing on Ice at Nottingham Arena on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April - both dates priced at £62 pp.
Olympic London guided sightseeing tour on Thursday 10 May. £45 pp inc. one course lunch.
Westlife at Sheffield Arena on Sunday 13 May - £75 pp. 1 seat only.
Mrs. Brown Rides Again at Sheffield Arena on Tuesday 18 September - £59.50 pp
Andre Rieu at Birmingham's LG Arena on Wednesday 19 December - £125 pp.
Plus see London Theatre dates below for new shows - Top Hat and Sweeney Todd - and new dates for Jersey Boys, War Horse and our popular 'Dreamboat Lunch Cruise'.
Keep up to date with new tours as they go on sale by signing up to our E-newsletter - just send an e-mail with your name and your e-mail address to enquiries@shawscoaches.co.uk, headed 'Subscribe to E-news'.
NEWS FROM OUR ROVING REPORTERS!
Ken escorted our recent tour to Phantom and thought the singing was better than ever. We should have a new date on sale soon - let us know if you would like an e-mail or phone call as soon as it's available to book.
We've been to Holland for a site visit and presentation about 'Floriade'. It looks like it's going to be really impressive! Our May 'Dutch Bulbfields & Floriade' tour is now sold out but we are taking reservations for an August departure, which will include a day at Floriade and a guided tour of Arnhem with our driver and battlefields guide, Derek Frisby). Email sue@shawscoaches.co.uk for further details.
We were guests of Warner's at Nidd Hall country house hotel and enjoyed a superb evening's entertainment. Like the other Warner hotels, Nidd enjoys a beautiful location and has a super spa area and indoor pool. If you enjoy top class entertainment, have a look at one of our Warner holidays next year:
Spring break at Holme Lacy (in the Wye Valley) - 5 days dep. Monday 5 March.
Littlecote House for Jubilee Week - 5 days dep. Monday 4 June.
A Taste of Christmas at Cricket St. Thomas - 5 days dep. Monday 5 November.
Jane saw War Horse recently and was hugely impressed. She found the production spell-binding and the puppetry skills amazing. Due to the huge popularity of this unique production (and the release of Stephen Spielberg's film), tickets are few and far between for 2012 performances. We've managed to secure a new date in October (see below) and recommend you book soon if you don't want to miss this award-winning play. You may also be interested in our 2nd April trip to the special exhibition at the National Army Museum 'War Horse: Fact & Fiction', which aims to bring to life Morpurgo's compelling story, using exclusive material from the author and from the stage production.
SHAWS TOURS IN THE NEWS
Were you were listening to Chris Evans on Radio 2 praising 'Jersey Boys' after his recent trip to see the show? This is also one of Jane's all-time favourites - see below for a new date we've just put on sale.
The TV production of 'Great Expectations' has had rave reviews and we have 'Great Expectations' of our 17th April guided tour 'Dickens London', which includes a visit to the special Dickens exhibition at the Museum of London.
Fare only seats are available on several of our forthcoming London theatre tours if you want to see the stunning Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy. Our 14th February London 'Museum' Special is also ideal if you would like to see the V&A's exhibition of portraits of the Queen by Cecil Beaton. Don't forget that both these exhibitions are ticketed admissions and it may be advisable to pre-book.
If you have tickets to see Olly Murs at Nottingham on Monday 13 February, we have a few 'fare only' seats available to save you the hassle of driving and parking.
Are you watching the BBC2 series 'An Island Parish' all about life on the beautiful island of Barra in the Hebrides? Keep a look out for the Isle of Barra Hotel - said to be the most westerly hotel and pub in Great Britain - overlooking the spectacular Halaman Bay and home, for two nights, to those of you who are booked to travel on our 7 day Hebridean Island Spectacular tour in August. Let's hope Sheila will still be making her ice cream whilst we're there!
The Lake District has been voted the UK's favourite rural break destination by readers of the Sunday Times travel magazine and was also the focus of a recent episode of the ITV1 series 'The Adventurer's Guide to Brtain', hosted by Gethin Jones and Charlotte Uhlenbroek. This beautiful area is featured on several of our scenic holidays this year, namely
Scottish Borders, English Lakes & Northern Pennines - Monday 23 April x 5 days
The Glorious Lake District & Morecambe Bay - Friday 4 May x 4 days
Cruisin' & Coachin' Around the Lake District - Monday 11 June x 5 days
Morecambe Bay & Lakeland Adventure - Monday 20 August x 5 days
Lakes & Lights Weekend - Friday 28 September x 3 days
Autumn Colours Around the Lake District - Monday 15 October x 5 days
The Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on Sunday 3 June looks like being an amazing sight - you still have time to book a room at the 4 star Ramada Hotel in London's Docklands on our London Diamond Jubilee weekend departing on Sunday 3 June (which will be setting off in time for you to be in London for the river pageant).
London Theatre dates now booking
Billy Elliott - Saturday 24 March - £65 pp.
Dreamboats & Petticoats - Thursday 21 June at £70 pp to include a lunch cruise on the Thames before the show.
Jersey Boys - Tuesday 2 October at £59.50 for adults and only £49.50 for seniors. Add a 2 course lunch for just £15.50 pp.
Les Miserables - Wednesday 2 May. £65 pp.
Mamma Mia! - Friday 10 February at £64 pp
Midnight Tango - Thur 23 Feb. £55pp. Vincent & Flavia (from Strictly Come Dancing) perform their breathtaking live show, including their show-stopping Argentine Tango , choreographed by Arlene Phillips. NB Limited run.
Singing in the Rain - Wednesday 11 April or Saturday 9 June. £55 pp. Special offer only £49.50 for seniors!
Sweeney Todd - Wednesday 15 August, starring Michael Ball & Imelda Staunton. £57 pp. NB Limited run.
Top Hat - Thursday 14 June, starring Tom Chambers & Summer Strallen. £59.50 pp. It's time to 'put on your top hat and brush off your tails' and see one of the greatest dance musicals of all time!
War Horse at the New London Theatre - Thursday 4 October, 29 November & 20 December at £69.50 pp. Recently voted 'Best Theatre Production' at the Group Leisure Awards.
We Will Rock You - Wednesday 15 February at £55 pp
Wicked - Saturday 24 March. £65 pp.
AND FINALLY - thank you so much for all your bookings for our new tours - once again, we have been overwhelmed by your enthusiasm for our tours!
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