FORTY vintage vehicles will make Poole Quay their destination for the 100th anniversary of the area’s bus company.

They will take over Poole Quay on Sunday, July 10, to mark the centenary of Hants & Dorset.

The family event will include memorabilia stands, refreshments and entertainment.

Morebus, the 21st century descendant of Hants & Dorset, has arranged the event in support of Dorset children’s hospice Julia’s House.

Morebus managing director Andrew Wickham said he expected the event to attract a significant crowd.

He said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating our centenary alongside all those who have worked with us and travelled on our buses over the years.

“This promises to be a fantastic celebration of Hants & Dorset’s incredible history in this town. People will even be able to take to the roads in a variety of magnificent vintage buses – with routes operating around Poole and the surrounding areas, including Sandbanks and Bournemouth Pier.

“I’m very much looking forward to welcoming guests to our party.”

Hants & Dorset Motor Services Limited is the forerunner of what is now largely the Morebus network.

The operator was officially founded on March 17, 1916, when Bournemouth & District Motor Services was registered as a private company by William Wells Graham. Its fleet originally consisted of four charabancs.

In the early days, it was not allowed to run a service in Bournemouth as the council did not want competition with its trams.

Bus services operated by the company increased after the end of the First World War and, in July 1920, the firm’s title was changed to the more geographically-accurate Hants & Dorset Motor Services.

In the 1980s, as the industry prepared for privatisation, the Hants & Dorset name gave way to that of its Wiltshire-based neighbour Wilts & Dorset. That name too has been phased out in recent years in favour of Morebus under its owner Go Ahead.

The centenary event on July 10 takes place between 10am and 4pm.