Glenda Kenyon has lived in the tight terrace in Barry for 30 years and spoke to us earlier this year about the impact the show still has on her life after she responded to a letter through the door from the production company all those years ago
Glenda Kenyon pictured outside her home in Barry, which has become lovingly known as the Gavin and Stacey house(Image: John Myers)
The owner of the much-loved Gavin and Stacey house in Barry who has welcomed thousands of visitors to her little home over the last 20 years fears the organised tours could soon be history. Many of the 30,000 or so visitors in that time have arrived via the famous Dave’s Coaches minibus, but the tours are seemingly in jeopardy after the vehicle was put up for sale.
Earlier this week we reported the bus was for sale for £200,000. The instantly recognisable 33-seater which has done 450,000km is billed as a once-in-a-lifetime collectable for fans of the series.
Glenda Kenyon, who has previously told us all about how the show and the subsequent tours have completely changed her life, has spoken this week of her feelings about the bus being put up for sale. She said she has genuine worries over it. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
Speaking to the Times on Saturday, Glenda said: “If it’s sold I’m not going to get as many people visiting. I was lonely before. It’s something I don’t want to go through again.”
Glenda Kenyon’s home, which is full of memorabilia, has welcome thousands of visitors and she doesn’t want it to stop (Image: John Myers)
The 72-year-old said there is something special about the maroon bus which is still sporting its Dave’s Coaches livery. Glenda added: “People want Dave’s coach. They don’t want to go on an ordinary coach.”
Glenda has lived in the tight terrace for 30 years and spoke to us earlier this year about the impact the show still has on her life after she responded to a letter through the door from the production company all those years ago.
When we spoke to her in March she already had 168 coaches of 30 fans each coming to her house for that year alone, and many more were to come too.
She said: “I still do it for free and I still love doing it. Before Gavin and Stacey my life was lonely. I had very few friends back then, but since Gavin and Stacey started and the house became famous I have met lots of really nice people who are so enthusiastic. It bounces you back up. That’s why I’ve kept doing it I suppose. People constantly tell me it’s like a bloody museum in here.”
She added that she was proud if she had “put Barry on the map”. “I’ve been told I’ve helped put Barry on the map. I hope that’s true. Barry is certainly heading in the right direction off the back of tourism.
“They’ve got new houses going up. They’ve done the island up. It’s getting busier all the time and more people are living down here now.
“The tourism is crazy. Before Gavin and Stacey Barry was like a dead soul. In the nineties Barry went downhill terribly. Now it’s thriving. This month is busy. And it’s getting even busier as the weather improves. Some days I’ve got two coaches coming.”
The big bus which is instantly recognisable is up for sale(Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The model of the bus itself, seen driven by the man himself, aka Steffan Rhodri, is a 1990 plate Mercedes-Benz Vario 814D and is being sold on Autotrader.
The bus became a key player in the series which aired its final ever episode on Christmas day 2024, as it ferried Stacey and Nessa up to London in episode one back in 2007, took the characters to Billericay and back throughout the series, and came to Smithy’s rescue in the finale to stop Nessa leaving and so he could declare his love, and sometimes disdain, for her.
Erin Baker, editorial director at Autotrader, said: “This listing is one of the most iconic vehicles we’ve seen on the Autotrader platform, and is akin to a historic artefact to members of the British public who are super fans of the series. The coach is in brilliant condition with strong mileage and would certainly be great for family use.”
Dave’s Coaches has also been used off screen to ferry around Gavin & Stacey fans on the locations tour. It’s not clear if the tour will use another vehicle but we have approached the tour operator about this matter.