Santa comes early with £29,000 minibus

TAKING delivery of the new bus are pupils (from left) Sebastian Sharples, Abbie Evans-Scott, Daniel Riggall, Joshua Levene, Sohail Khan and (back from left) Marj Doyer (chairman of the North West Variety Club), Joe Kissane (Character Options and the Fence Club) and head teacher Anne Redmond

PUPILS at Kingfisher School have received an early Christmas present — a £29,000 minibus.

The new set of wheels was provided for the special school in Foxdenton Lane, Chadderton, by the Variety Club and the Fence Club, a national charity linked to the toy industry.

The link with the Fence Club was established through charity secretary Joe Kissane who is managing director of local toy firm Character Options.

School business manager Michael Unsworth said that the bus will be used for school trips and in work with other primary schools. He added: “It is a lifeline for us. Our other bus was 17 years old, it was literally falling apart.

“We couldn’t really use it because it just wasn’t up to the job.”