MARTIN Detheridge and his 1966 London Routemaster bus have just returned to South Wales from two weeks with the Uruguay football team chasing that elusive Olympic Gold medal.

When the Uruguayan government got in touch with Martin and his business, London Bus 4 Hire, based in Llancayo, Usk, they wanted an iconic London bus to follow the Olympic football team, transport them to training and sponsorship events and to advertise for their sponsors, INAC, the Uruguayan Meat Institute.

With one of the few Routemasters capable of doing more than 55mph, Martin's red double-decker bus, "Bulgy", lovingly restored by Martin to its original condition, was the ideal choice to travel from London to Manchester to London to Cardiff and back to London with the team.

Martin, 51, and his conductors, Andy Maslin and Matt Detheridge, spent a week in Manchester with the team following them around training venues and taking them for nights out in the city.

Their first match at Old Trafford against UAE gave them a win and hopes for an Olympic medal. Arriving in London for their match at Wembley vs Senegal was an experience taking on the traffic chaos of the city and unhelpful LOCOG officials. "Bulgy", with INAC President Alfredo Fratti and other Uruguayan delegates on board, was back on the streets of London for the first time in many years since coming out of service on Route 12 in 2004 with more than two million miles on the clock. Unfortunately a disappointing match against Senegal took that Olympic dream further away from the team.

Arriving in Cardiff for their match with Team GB, the Uruguayans were hopeful for a win and the bus generated an enormous amount of PR for their sponsors. Even the Team GB footballers came over for a look at a London bus so far from home! Victory for Team GB meant disappointment for the Uruguay team and their chances of a medal were over.

Looking back, Martin commented, "It's been an exhausting two weeks but an 1800-mile journey I will never forget. Having superstars such as Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Sebastian Coates on board was a total change from our normal weddings, proms and private hire work. It's a shame that Uruguay didn't make it through to the next stage but it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and to be just a small part of the 2012 Olympics was unforgettable."

For further details of the bus, contact Martin Detheridge, London Bus 4 Hire on 07534 904650, or email [email protected]">[email protected].