Charlton Manor School appeal after mini-bus stolen

The inner-city state school in Charlton are appealing for help as they try to fundraise enough money to replace the bus.

In an appeal, Charlton Manor described it as a tough blow to take as they just started to recover from the terrible year of Covid-19 which meant that the children hadn't had any chance to travel for over a year now.

Now, the school faces having to cancel educational trips, sporting events and other trips indefinitely, meaning children will miss out on the unique experiences and memories formed during such trips.

Stripped bare

The primary school said they sadly discovered their mini-bus had been stolen from the school site on Thursday, August 5, and the police were involved.

The bus was found only a day later, abandoned and fully stripped out, effectively written off and destroyed.

Charlton Manor said the "school community was in a state of absolute shock and disbelief."

Met Police are investigating

Now the Charlton primary school needs to fundraise the difference between what they will receive from the insurance company and the cost of a replacement bus.

With a fundraising target of £25,000, they school said: "We hope to raise much-needed funds to help our children explore the world again.

"It's our first fundraising appeal, and we'd greatly appreciate any social media share to support our efforts.

The Charlton Manor school bus

"Together, we can work towards replacing the stolen school bus and making sure every child has the opportunity to explore the world around them. This would mean the world to our kids."

The school also says it is exploring options to replace the bus with a greener, more environmentally friendly alternative

So far the fundraiser has raised just over £2,000, and the school's parent club will also be organising events offline to support the fundraiser locally.

The fundraiser can be found here.