HEREFORD residents had a chance to see what the county's new Museum on the Move bus will be like when the same type of vehicle made a whistlestop visit to High Town.

The bus, being used by Worcestershire County Council for an exhibition about 1977, the year of the classic film Star Wars, the Queen's Silver Jubilee and the death of Elvis, is the same model as the one Herefordshire Council is to share with their counterparts at Warwickshire County Council.

Herefordshire is due to receive its new state-of-the-art Museum on the Move bus in 2008.

Sarah Skelton, Herefordshire Council's community heritage officer, said: "This was a great one-day opportunity for the public to see the type of bus that will be motoring around the county's lanes next year, even though it will obviously have a different livery before we receive it.

"The new bus is lighter than the old one, making it easier to drive, and the built-in exhibition cupboards are narrower so there will be even more room on board for people who come to see our exhibitions," Sarah added.

"We hope people will enjoy the new-look bus as much as the old one, which is nearly 10 years old and has certainly earned its retirement," she added.

The new bus has been made possible through funding from "Renaissance West Midlands" which channels government money to museums and helps the service engage with schools, community groups and events all over the county.

The 2007 Herefordshire and Shropshire Museum on the Move exhibition "Unfair Trade: Slavery" is still available for booking. To make a booking, call 01432 383599.