Charity's bus is given a makeover

Staff from Marks and Spencer Worthing refurbished the kitchen on the bus for the company’s Make it Matter Day.

Jan Sheward, founder of the Angmering-based charity, said: “This bus was launched at Goodwood in February at a racetrack day organised by Saywell International, when we were the chosen charity.

“The bus was given to us in January 2015 and soon after, it was vandalised, so it has taken us this long and a great deal of local business support to get it back on the road with a beautiful new image.”

Make it Matter is part of the recently-launched Spend it Well campaign, which is about inspiring store staff and customers to make every moment special by focusing on the experiences, people and things that really matter in life.

Cancer United supports patients who have just been diagnosed with cancer, are going through their treatment or who have come through it and need help getting some focus back in their lives. It uses the bus to take patients on trips, for fun activities, support groups and community events.

Employees at the Worthing store helped by installing a new kitchen on the bus, giving it a deep clean, fitting a new floor and putting in some home touches, including curtains at the windows.

Ten store colleagues also carried out an 11-mile sponsored walk from Worthing Pier to Brighton Pier, raising more than £1,000 for Cancer United.

Peter Powell, store manager, said: “Volunteering can make a profound difference to the communities in which we live, work and play. We believe that lots of the small actions from lots of people, can collectively have a huge impact.

“That’s why supporting Cancer United was a privilege for me and my team and we really hope the bus refurbishment brings a sparkle of happiness to the charity and the inspiring people they support.”