Your bus

The success of previous years

The competition has been relaunched again following the success of similar schemes since 2018.

In 2018, Transport for Greater Manchester donated a previously decommissioned yellow school bus to Greswell Primary School in Denton. The project proved to be a massive success as the school successfully bid for lottery funding and used it to transform the bus into an outdoor library. The facility is used by both students and the wider community and has had an inspirational impact on many.

Similarly in 2019, six buses were donated to various bidders, including Red Lane Primary School in Bolton. They turned their donated vehicle into a 'Wellbeing Bus’ and currently use it as a dedicated space to provide social and emotional intervention for their pupils.

Most recently in 2021, TfGM donated a further sixteen buses to a variety of community projects schools including, Rochdale AFC Community Trust, Dogs 4 Rescue in Salford, The Pioneer Quay Project in Manchester, and several primary and secondary schools.

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Rochdale AFC Community Trust

The donation to Rochdale AFC Community Trust came after Community Director, Angus Martin, wrote to TfGM asking for the bus on the basis that it would be used for catch-up education and 1:1 intervention programmes aimed at supporting vulnerable and at-risk children and young people in the area.

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Holcombe Brook Primary School’s ‘Mindful Bus’

Meanwhile, Holcombe Brook, another winner from 2021, turned their donated vehicle into a 'Mindful Bus' and currently use it as a dedicated sensory space to provide social and emotional support to their pupils. It has become the perfect space to provide further support particularly for some of their SEN pupils.

Mr Bradshaw, Headteacher of Holcombe Brook Primary School, said

“Children of all ages have been benefitting from the extra space the bus provides - from an educational perspective but also from a mental health perspective too! It has been a great space for the children to use their imaginations and have some much needed sensory stimulation.”

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Transport for Greater Manchester Committee Chair, Councillor Mark Aldred, said:

“Our yellow school buses are a fantastic service that allow children to get to school cheaply, safely and securely but, even when their life as a school service comes to an end, they can still be incredibly useful to communities.

“Greswell School set an inspirational example of what can be done with the buses and we’re looking for people to engage their creative sides and tell us how they can make use of their own donated vehicle.

“I look forward to seeing a variety of creative and community-spirited projects developing in the near future”