Happy New Year iRaven, but I disagree about the bus in an hour. That would mean personnel on standby etc. In my time at Halton we were used for route lining etc in London and had plenty of notice cos we did a lot of practices before the day. Can or could be done easily from either Cosford or Sleaford Technical Coledge, just means leaving a bit earlier to get there.
Saddest loss for me with the closing of Halton is its historic link to the early days of the RAF and the formation of the apprenticeship system within the RAF. It was a sad day when the apprenticeship scheme finished but the world moves on.
I do agree about your comment regarding the old workshops and hopefully they will servive and be preserved. It would be a very sad loss if some of it did not remain. A link to the many thousands would started time in the RAF.