\n \u2018Gandy\u2019s Tours\u2019 reached the end of the line, with the Grappenhall 78-year-old finally retiring from around 50 years of organising long-weekend breaks to the Challenge Cup Final.\n<\/p>\n
\n Warrington Wolves\u2019 three-times Challenge Cup winner \u2018Moz\u2019 sought out Tony in the stands before kick-off to Saturday\u2019s showpiece between Wigan and Hull KR to gift him a match ball, signed by both finalists, on behalf of the Rugby Football League.\n<\/p>\n
\n For decades, the former Warrington Lions president and sleigh-ride Santa has taken three coach-loads of supporters to the capital for the sport\u2019s big weekend, arranging everything from the coach travel, hotel accommodation and match transfer to a stopover on the way home on the Sunday for a roast dinner and cabaret entertainment \u2013 with no profits or administration fees taken.\n<\/p>\n
\n Moments captured during the weekend’s Wembley trip, the last organised by Tony Gandy (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Moments captured during the weekend’s Wembley trip, the last organised by Tony Gandy (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Former Warrington centre Ian Duane enjoying the company during the weekend’s Wembley trip, the last organised by Tony Gandy (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n The annual pilgrimage has become legendary, with most on board being repeat guests \u2013 some for as long as the trips have been running, while ex-professional players on the trips over the years have included Ian Duane, Richie Eyres, Stuart Wright and Clive Jones.\n<\/p>\n
\n Pete Astley from the Warrington Wolves Foundation has just enjoyed his 14th successive trip with \u2018Gandy\u2019s Tours\u2019 and he wrote to the RFL asking if Tony\u2019s contribution could be recognised.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cHe has given so much to the community, with everything he has done and does for worthy causes and this trip he organises every year for 160 people \u2013 it\u2019s not an easy thing to do to make such a trip happen and run smoothly,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m so pleased that The Rugby Football League have recognised such efforts at a community level.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Moments captured during the weekend’s Wembley trip, the last organised by Tony Gandy (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Moments captured during the weekend’s Wembley trip, the last organised by Tony Gandy (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Another regular on the two men\u2019s coaches, Andy Sinclair, pointed out that for many years Tony provided all the ale for the coach trips, too.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe guy\u2019s a legend. He\u2019s such a brilliant organiser and everything is done for us,\u201d said Andy.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cFor a long time the price was under \u00a3200, but even now with the price of everything being what it is with the cost of living, this weekend\u2019s trip was \u00a3270.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cHe just has the knack of being able to secure great prices.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIf you ask me the highlight, it\u2019s when we get back to Thelwall Viaduct on the Sunday night and all three coaches are absolutely bouncing. Great memories.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey are the best and fastest weekends of the year \u2013 they fly by.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Andy Sinclair and Tony Gandy during the Coventry leg of the weekend’s Wembley trip (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Pam Queeney racked up a 17th trip on the mixed coach at the weekend.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said Tony is always focused on making sure everybody is alright and having a good time, so much so that one year he realised he had forgotten something upon arriving in London.\n<\/p>\n
\n Pam said: \u201cHe said \u2018Come on, you\u2019re going to have to come to Marks & Spencer with me\u2019. We said \u2018What for?\u2019 He said \u2018I\u2019ve left my case at home, I\u2019ve got no clothes\u2019.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe memories everybody\u2019s got are amazing. He\u2019s a character and there\u2019s never been a dull moment with him.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cHe needs time for himself now to dedicate to his family.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Great memories for all from trips of the past, with this picture from the 2012 Challenge Cup Final contributed by Wayne Haughton (Image: Mike Boden)\n<\/p>\n
\n Enjoying a trip on ‘Gandy’s Tours’ from years gone by (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Thanks to Pam, her friend Lynn Moores and Dave Coyne, the trips will continue to be organised.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tony, who continued to organise this year\u2019s weekender despite ill health, said he got involved in running the trips because \u2018companies were ripping people off\u2019.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe highlight of the trips is seeing everyone enjoying themselves and the Sunday afternoon with the lunch, cabaret and cheaper ale prices at a club in Coventry,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe crowning moment was at Wembley on Saturday, being presented with a match ball signed by both finalists. They could not have selected a better person than Adrian Morley to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2018Gandy\u2019s Tours\u2019 reached the end of the line, with the Grappenhall 78-year-old finally retiring from around 50 years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-618484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}