After over 60 years of delivering nearly 6,000 coaches to schools and community organisations and supporting over one million children across the UK, Variety is marking a major step forward in its commitment to innovation and sustainability.

The electric Sunshine Coaches represent a significant evolution of the programme. Quieter, safer, more comfortable and more cost-effective, these coaches offer long-lasting benefits for the disabled and disadvantaged children who travel in them.

The presentation took place at Ford’s Dunton Campus, Ford’s largest research and development centre in Europe, and brought together representatives from Beaucroft Foundation College, Reynalds Cross School, Ford, donors DPD and PHVC and Variety.

Electric vehicles play a vital role in meeting the UK’s zero-emission targets. Ford’s Fleet Director, Neil Wilson, commented, “Electric vehicles are a very important part of the future here in the UK for zero emission requirements as we try and meet our net zero targets, and that also now includes minibuses.”

The vehicles were generously donated by long-standing Variety partner, DPD and new partner and supplier of the electric vehicles, PHVC. DPD has partnered with Variety for 30 years and sponsored the first-ever electric Sunshine Coach. This latest electric vehicle marks the 84th Sunshine Coach donated by DPD.

Elaine Kerr, CEO of DPD Group UK Ltd, said, “Variety is really close to our hearts. It means so much that we can make a difference to the local community.”

Teachers shared how access to Sunshine Coaches transforms opportunities for pupils and helps make communities more inclusive.

Sally Norman from Beaucroft Foundation College said, “It’s a huge benefit to our students. Our students need to learn within the community. There’s only so much you can do learning at a desk, so our students go out in that bus, and they learn all their life skills within the community and without that bus, there’s a lot we couldn’t achieve on our curriculum.”

Sunshine Coaches are the best-known aspect of Variety’s work. These fully accessible, adapted minibuses are vital community assets designed for SEND schools and community organisations.

From everyday activities such as visiting parks, cafés and supermarkets to learning essential life-skills, Sunshine Coaches help make education more inclusive for children in specialist settings.

“It’ll change the lives for our pupils. It will enable them to access the wider community. It’ll open up so many more opportunities for our pupils.” – Rebecca Ray, Reynalds Cross School.

The quieter operation of the new electric vehicles offers an additional benefit for children with disabilities, helping to create a calmer and more comfortable travel experience.

Wayne Toms, Sales Director at PHVC said, “The electric vehicle and the impact it has on the children, being able to travel in a bus that’s noise level is a lot less than what it would be in a diesel vehicle, is what matters.”

Schools emphasised the importance of modelling sustainable behaviour too. By using all-electric Sunshine Coaches, schools can help young people understand environmental responsibility as they prepare for the future.

“We want them to go onto a sustainable life in the future, and this is where it starts.” – Rebecca Ray, Reynalds Cross School.

Rebecca Ray from Reynalds Cross School said, “For all children, whether they’re in a mainstream school or a special school setting, sustainable schooling is really important.

“We want them to go onto a sustainable life in the future, and this is where it starts, so being able to model it through our actions by providing a sustainable vehicle for them really helps them understand their responsibility as they move towards their future.”

Susie Larcombe, Head of Juniors at Beaucroft Foundation College commented, “It’s all just future-proofing and trying to teach our children how to manage and sustain. I think it’s important to give them those skills.”

“It’s important to the planet. It’s the right thing to do for the future.” – Elaine Kerr, CEO, DPD Group UK Ltd.

Wayne Toms of PHVC added, “From 2035, it’s got to be fully electric, so this vehicle is really just fitting the bill.”

Find out more about Variety’s Sunshine Coach programme and how to apply for an electric Sunshine Coach here.