STAFF and pupils at Chadsgrove School are celebrating after receiving a new wheelchair-accessible minibus by the Lord’s Taverners.
The vehicle – much-needed by the school – was made possible thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Chadsgrove caters for children and young people aged between two and 19 whose special educational needs arise from their physical disability or a complex health need.
It assists pupils living with sensory impairments and mild, moderate, severe or specific learning difficulties in addition to their physical disabilities.
The new 16-seat wheelchair accessible minibus is essential for enabling students access to the local community which is crucial in the development of the pupils’ social skills. The community visits will help pupils learn essential life skills for future independent living and enable them to experience the outside world.
Chadsgrove School headteacher Deb Rattley said: “We are so incredibly grateful to the Lord’s Taverners for our wonderful new minibus.
“At Chadsgrove we are passionate about maximising the independence for all our pupils and having a minibus to enable our children to access the community is vital for this.
“The children have all had the opportunity to go inside the bus which they absolutely loved and they can’t wait for the restrictions to ease so that they can move off the car park.
“We will soon be able to resume our college access programme and other community experiences to enhance the life skills for our pupils and the bus will be much used and in high demand.
“A huge thank you from the Chadsgrove community to the Lord’s Taverners!”
Since 1976, the Lord’s Taverners has placed over 1,200 accessible minibuses to schools across the UK.
The iconic Lord’s Taverners minibuses provide disadvantaged and disabled young people with the chance to engage with their local community by getting more access to the facilities on offer and build important life skills in the process.
This minibus has been made possible thanks to the support of players of the People’s Postcode Lottery (PPL).
Players of PPL play with their postcodes to win cash prizes while raising money for charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally, and their support of the Lord’s Taverners has helped provide the new minibus for Bromsgrove School.
