Hookways Meet the Team

   

Alastair Gray is the Manager of Hookways. Alastair has been with Greenslades all his working life and knows the operation inside out. He is quite simply Mr Greenslades and there isn't much Alastair doesn't know about coaching operations. His father was a coach driver at Greenslades too. Alastair has a team who look after the busy depot attending to vehicle and driver allocation, quoting for private charter work, ensuring that the fleet are kept on the road and selling excursions and tours. Exeter depot has the largest allocation of vehicles and its proximity to the M5 motorway keeps it busy on all manner of work Alastair also maintains his PSV licence, and also holds an HGV licence to enable him to drive our recovery vehicle if ever the needs arises.
 
Meeth Depot
 
Martin Hookway is our Engineering Director
   

Sue Stone is our Credit Controller. You wouldn't believe it to see her as she is one of the smallest members of our team ! She can certainly pack a punch when necessary if she comes across an awkward customer, but most of the time she's a little gem and you'll often hear her voice on the end of the phone when you ring Hookways. She is also responsible for booking in all our commercial school customers on services Hookways operate directly rather than via the county councils. She likes animals (and fish!), which means she is very at home working with our garage staff!
   
Lesley Evans is one of the longest serving members of the Hookways team. She joined the original company in the early 1980's and there isn't much Lesley doesn't know about the functions of the business. She supports the Meeth and Bude Operations functions raising quotations, entering charter details in the work diaries and produces work tickets. She also generates invoices for the whole business and checks and cross checks every detail. She also looks after fleet documentation and is a mine of information on all manner of things, knowing as much if not more about the tours and excursions as the drivers themselves. She has first hand knowledge of the driving side since she is married to our longest serving driver.
   

Sue McBain (or "Big Bird" as she likes to be known) works in our Tours Office at Meeth. She's responsible for putting together the tour driver's information packs, routing plans and itinerary files. She makes arrangements for the tour feeders, processes the travel tickets, organises rooming lists and in between takes bookings ! Oh and the most important job of all - she  keeps Meeth Village Post Office in business by delivering our post there each day!
   

Barry Coates has a wealth of experience of the operating and engineering side of the industry and there isn't much Barry can't tell you about the coach roads of Britain and Europe - and he will tell you if you give him half a chance! He too comes from a coaching family as his father was a Western National man and a senior Royal Blue coach driver. Barry gained his PSV licence while serving with Her Majesty's armed forces and has travelled all over the world. He is therefore a font of knowledge when it comes to creating itineraries and advising our drivers, especially when undertaking the considerable amount of military work in which we are involved. Barry joined Hookways in the 1970's as a driver and after a period away from the company returned as Traffic Manager co-incidental with the acquisition of the Jennings business in 1998.
   

Julie Hookway is married to our Engineering Director Martin Hookway. She works part time on a couple of days at Meeth, but has a very important job to ensure that our payroll operation functions correctly for all our depots. She is therefore one of the most popular members of the team on pay day !! An equally important part of her job is looking after her two daughters, Emily and Katie, who's names are both carried on our breakdown recovery vehicle.
   
Kym Hookway works part time in our Tour Department at Meeth. Another of the family team and the daughter of Charlie Hookway, she will often be the voice you hear when contacting us by telephone. She ensures that coach tour holiday bookings are confirmed and entered on our computerised charting system and assists the Tour Office team generally on two or three days a week.
 
Emma Cutler  works part time in our Accounts department at our Head Office in Meeth.
   

Ken Buckingham's domain is our extensive main workshop stores at Meeth. Lord of all he surveys, Ken knows where to find every nut and bolt we need for our fleet of vehicles. Woe betide anyone he finds in his domain who fails to keep things neat and tidy ! Ken has just entered the world of computers and is currently finding his way around the modern technology.
   
Exeter Depot  
   

Sam Kidby is Alastair's Operations Assistant at Exeter.
   

Benny Benstead is responsible for the "fabric" of Exeter depot ! He also makes arrangements to undertake bodywork repairs and modifications on our vehicles. This includes interior work on the seating and so Benny is seen here in familiar surroundings!
 

Linda Hobbs oversees the smooth running of the Exeter office and keeps the drivers in order.

   
Paignton Depot  
 

Linn & Robyn oversee the day to day running of the very busy booking office.

   
Bude Depot  
   

Allan Prout   Traffic Manager.

 
   

Terry Hockin - Engineering support at our Hookways Jennings base in Bude is Terry's responsibility. He is in the ideal position to ensure everything at Bude is OK as he lives across the road from the garage! Terry also holds a PSV licence and will assist behind the wheel at busy times. He is also your man if you need to know anything about the buzzing nightlife on the North Cornwall coast. That's one reason why he's asked us not to provide a picture of him - as he's wanted in most of these places too!