Thanks to generous support from the St. James’s Place Foundation, September has been a great start to the new school year for not one but four schools who received a Variety Sunshine Coach sponsored by them.

The big give started in Newcastle when Hadrian School was presented with a 17 seater coach with a tail-lift to allow easy access for wheelchair users.

The Hadrian School, based in Newcastle Upon-Tyne, caters to the needs of 170 children aged between 2 to 11 years old, who are diagnosed with severe and complex learning disabilities. The new Variety Sunshine Coach will offer the children the opportunity to experience the outside world in a safe and secure way through a number of trips and activities. The coach will be used on school days and for afterschool and holiday clubs.

Next to receive a coach was Childs Hill Primary in North London

Childs Hill Primary is a mainstream school which provides education for a number of pupils who have severe autism spectrum disorders. The school is unique in its specialist teaching which caters for the needs of autistic children within the mainstream setting. The new Variety Sunshine Coach will offer these pupils the opportunity to experience the outside world in a safe and secure way through a number of trips and activities.

This was followed by a 17 seater coach with a tail lift being presented to Oakwood Academy in Eccles, Manchester.

Oakwood Academy is a school entirely dedicated to the needs of its pupils aged between 9 and 18 years, all of whom are diagnosed with a range of moderate to complex learning difficulties. This first coach for Oakwood Adademy will enable pupils to access a wide range of sports facilities as well as trips and outings. The coach will be used on school days and for afterschool and holiday clubs, truly benefiting pupils at Oakwood Academy.

And to complete the quartet a 17 seater coach has been presented to The Edith Borthwick School in Braintree, Essex

The Edith Borthwick School is dedicated to the individual needs and development of its 200 pupils, all of whom are diagnosed with severe and complex learning difficulties. The new Variety Sunshine Coach will make a huge impact upon the pupils, providing them with the opportunity to join in on a variety of activities, enriching their lives enormously.

St. James’s Place Foundation (SJPF) has pledged £340,000 over the next three years to part-fund up to 20 more life-changing coaches across the UK. The Foundation has always been incredibly generous in their support of the Sunshine Coaches; between 2002 and 2005 SJPF donated an incredible 17 sunshine coaches to schools nationwide.