There were bright smiles all round this week at Bramingham Primary School in Luton.
The school has received a new Variety Sunshine Coach which was delivered by the Luton-based Stonegate Pub Company.
The keys to the bus, which is specially adapted to accommodate wheelchairs, were handed to Bramingham’s headteacher, Sharon Flowers, by Stonegate Pub Company’s CEO, Toby Smith in a presentation at the school.
Bramingham is a mainstream primary school with resourced provision for children with physical and medical needs.
The school’s 14-year-old bus was reaching the end of its useful life. The new coach, a joint fundraising effort between Variety, Stonegate and the school, will be used to access curriculum trips, residential trips, weekly horse riding for children with physical and medical disabilities and swimming. The coach would also be used to enable equal access to a variety of sporting events.
Mrs Flowers said: “We were getting worried that our old bus was not going to last much longer and we would not have the funds needed to buy a new bus. It’s great that we have been able to find a sponsor to provide us with a Variety Sunshine Coach that will make things so much easier when moving seats on and off the bus to make room for our wheelchairs. The children will be so excited and won’t miss the bumpy, noisy ride they are used to!”
The Variety Sunshine Coach is the first of five coaches to be presented to schools and community groups around the UK as a result of funds raised through Britain’s Biggest Pub Tour (BBPT) for Variety, the Children’s Charity.
Toby Smith, Stonegate Pub Company’s CEO said: “We are delighted to be able to provide a Variety Sunshine Coach to Bramingham Primary School. We are a national pub company, based here in Luton, so we are particularly thrilled to be able to help a school in our hometown.
“Britain’s Biggest Pub Tour has been a phenomenal success, capturing the imagination of our 12,000 employees and their customers along the way. It has brought communities together, created lots of fun and laughter and has involved the young and old. I am hugely proud of their achievements.”