MORE than 60 jobs have been saved as one of Yorkshire’s oldest travel firms is rescued by an investor.

The future of Wetherby-based Eddie Brown Tours was questioned earlier this month when bosses approached KPMG’s Restructuring Services team for help in assessing the options for the business.

After receiving the instructions on February 14, the KPMG team, based in Leeds, has attracted substantial investment from an unnamed investor.

The deal has secured the future of the business, which was established in 1949 when Eddie and the late Gwen Brown began their “Quality Coach Operation” in the Blacksmiths Shop in Helperby.

The company is now run by the second generation of the Browns, their daughter Deirdre and co-director Philip, employing more than 60 staff and housing a fleet of 50 vehicles at its base at Thorp Arch.

The investment deal, which was led by KPMG director Gareth Harris and supported by Glyn Baddeley and Richard Starkey, has safeguarded more than 1,500 booked excursions and travel partnerships for a number of schools in North Yorkshire.

Deirdre Brown said: “KPMG played an integral role in identifying an investor which has helped secure the future of our family business.

“We look forward now to further developing the business and to continue providing top-quality travel services to our thousands of customers from across the north.” Eddie Brown also runs a number of services on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, including routes between Boroughbridge and York, Wetherby and York and in Ripon city centre.

Mr Harris said: “Eddie Brown coaches have been an instantly recognisable element of the Yorkshire travel industry for more than half a century.

“After experiencing some financial and operational challenges over the difficult winter period, we are very pleased to have identified a suitable investor to provide significant funds for investment and help move the business forward.”