00:00It's been a long journey but the 4 Billis bus has finally arrived at 5 Acre Wood.
00:10Built from the body of a retired double-decker new venture bus this
00:15project is looking to provide some mileage in both play and education.
00:21Even though the purpose of the bus is recreational and sensory therapy it also
00:28still has its cab so students can learn how to access public transport.
00:34The 4 Billis bus is it is a curriculum space it's a space where youngsters can
00:37learn to share turn-take they can learn about numbers about colour about cause
00:42and effect so it's planned for very very deliberately as part of the curriculum
00:48experience for our young people. When all buses come to the end of their life they
00:52normally end up with baked bean tins this one run out of steam when its engine
00:57failed a couple of years ago and we had to stop using it as a bus on route around
01:01Maidstone. We had a conversation with 5 Acre Wood School and the bus you see in
01:08front of you today was born. We look forward to coming back in future years
01:12there might be other little touches we can add to the bus as well so we will be
01:16keeping in touch with the school and long may the bus survive it's not going to be
01:22the bus. The ride hasn't been easy as there were some bumps along the way.
01:29It did get delayed but like everything you have to wait for the best things don't you
01:34nothing good happens immediately so yeah really pleased it's now completed and I
01:39can't wait for the children to be able to get on there and start using it.
01:42Back in 2022 the scheme received lots of funding thanks to a free peaks challenge.
01:50I went about trying to get a team of 10 together and so it was a team of friends and family
01:57and in and throughout that process of the fundraising Laura my wife was was you know a massive help to
02:04to raise the funds that we did and also my my daughter Jessica held a sports day at her school
02:11at Coxheath where she raised I think it was nearly a thousand pounds wasn't it Jessica but with your
02:16sports day challenge. With the four billers bus five acre woods latest creation is looking to be
02:23on the road to success. Henry Luck for Kane TV in Maidstone.
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