‘Spirit of Eddie’ guides Sons into New ‘Passionate’ Venture
The memory and spirit of their recently deceased father has inspired two Tyneside businessmen to launch a new tourism service in the region.

And it’s a tourism service in the shadow of that famous Newcastle icon, the Byker Wall

David and Eddie Brown inherited the established Byker-based ERB Services Coach Hire business from their father Eddie Brown when he died after an illness last year.

His sudden death came as a shock to the brothers who then decided to honour his memory in the best way possible – by realising his dream to develop ERB Services into a high quality tour and excursion company reflecting the growth in the region’s tourism economy over recent years.

Now David and Eddie junior will unveil their new especially liveried coach – Spirit of Eddie – at the place on Tyneside where Eddie senior was born and spent most of his childhood. The coach carries Eddie’s private number plate too.

They’ve arranged a photo call at where Spirit of Eddie, a 49 seat Executive Setra coach, will be unveiled – along with their brand new tour and excursion programme. This takes place at Gateshead Quays [near the Baltic] on Tuesday 8 April at 11.00 am. David and Eddie will be there too.   

Photographers and Reporters are invited to attend the event and to meet David and Eddie junior  

* See attached picture of Eddie Brown in his heyday

  Eddie was one of ten children born to Thomas Robson Brown and Sarah Washbourne in Town Street, Hawkes Cottages, Gateshead on 9th February 1935. He spent his childhood playing along the Tyne riverbanks, just across from the Ouseburn, often hailing the ferryboat men to bring the ferry over and running away as it approached. 

During WWII he was evacuated to Aysgarth in North Yorkshire where he spent a very happy childhood in the village before returning to his family in Gateshead.  After completing his National Service, based in Egypt during the Suez Crisis, Eddie took a job with local company Domestos in Albion Row, Byker where he met his wife of 50 years, Norma. 

In 1957, he started working for Newcastle Corporation Transport which later became the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive as a bus driver where he stayed until 1975 when he became an Inspector and graduated to Senior Inspector, a job he held until he took voluntary redundancy in 1986.  
Following de-regulation of public transport, like many redundant and retired coach and bus employees, Eddie bought a minibus and set up business on his own doing private hires from home.   Work quickly built up, and premises were secured on the current site of the business in Hannington Place, Byker on the edge of the Ouseburn - where Eddie had spent much of his early years.

On 20th June 2007, Eddie died, following a short illness, having built up his family-run business into a fleet of 19 vehicles, still doing private hires and contracts, but he had recently established a day-excursion programme and dreamed of developing this into a coach tour business. His two sons, Eddie and David are now working hard to realise Eddie's dream

David Brown is one of the two directors of the fledgling tour business:

‘When dad died we were both stunned and felt like most people feel when they lose someone very close to them – after all, the business we worked in for all of those years was his and even took his name by initials taking the ‘R’ from his wife, Norma Robson to make up ERB.’ 

‘But now we’ve used our energies in a positive way and because dad was always proud to be a North-easterner, we decided to follow his unfulfilled dream and become involved in the rapidly growing tourism industry within our region,’ says David

‘And just like the great advertising slogan for the region, Eddie Brown was passionate about our part of the world and we are too!’

For further information contact David Brown on [0191] 224 0002 or Steve Reed on 0786 7788 754