A single-decker bus which spent many years and more than half a million miles in Dorset has come to Swindon for conversion into a life-saver for Ukraine.
The 44-seat ADL Dart with 865,000km or about 540,000 miles on the clock - but still mechanically sound - is being kitted out as a mobile hospital unit to be driven from Swindon to war-torn Ukraine and handed over to a local aid organisation.
It is the latest project of Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership, which joined forces with former senior Transport for London team member Heidi Alexander and Swindon's Bus company.
Following enquiries by Ms Alexander a suitable bus was sourced from a Dorset sister firm of Swindon's bus company.
Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership is now hoping local firms will help with the £1000-worth of diesel needed to reach Ukraine.
Chair Mike Bowden said: "We have high confidence that it will drive safely to Ukraine.
"There are hospital beds and there will be crash trolleys, heart monitors, a chemical toilet and clean water.
"It will transform lives. It's not our job to determine what it's used for, but this may save the life of a guy who's blown to bits in a trench; it might allow a mother to give birth safely and with dignity to a child. Remember, the Russian missiles are aiming at maternity hospitals and mothers are dying while giving birth in car parks. That's the reality.
"The bus might be useful in paediatrics, it might be used for anything. Later on, we're going to do dozens of these and we may be asked to fit them out as dentists', opticians', cafeterias, toilet blocks, shower blocks, whatever they want.
"They decide, we do."
Appealing to local firms for donations of fuel - or money for fuel - for the journey, Mike added: "Would they be so kind as to consider a donation to a small but mighty organisation in Swindon and sponsor some diesel to get these much-needed hospital units from Swindon to Ukraine?"
Heidi Alexander, who is Labour's Parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, said: "The Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership had an inspired idea a couple of months ago, which was to get hold of a bus which has come to the end of its useful life in the UK and convert it into a field hospital to send to Ukraine.
"There's a real need in Ukraine for vehicles to take people away from areas of conflict, so Mike Bowden from SHAP got in touch with me because I used to work at Transport for London, and asked me whether I knew anyone who could get hold of a bus for him.
"I called up someone who I used to work with and a couple of weeks later a bus that had been donated, essentially by Swindon's Bus Company which is part of the Go-Ahead Group - it's from one of their sister companies - was sent here.
"It's all through Swindon's Bus Company. A couple of days ago Mike went down and got the hospital beds from Southampton Hospital.
"There's been the whole process of ripping the seats out, there's still more work to be done on the bus before it's ready to go, and the idea is that it will be equipped and sent out to Ukraine.
"It's an inspired idea but it also shows what can be achieved when you've got a small group of people who've got vision and determination.
"I think SHAP - the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership - have got that in spades, and so when Mike asked me whether I could help, of course I said, 'Yes, no problem,' and I'm delighted to see the progress that has been made in such a short space of time."
Paul Coyne, Operations Manager Swindon's Bus Company said: "We were approached to provide a vehicle. We considered the request, and it became very, very clear to us very, very quickly that it was a really good cause to donate a bus to.
"We sourced a bus and the rest is history. We provided it and that's basically it. We decided it was very much something we wanted to be a part of and we acted accordingly."
A Somerset-based firm, Mobile Solar Chargers, agreed to send expert Mike Parker to examine the bus and determine whether solar panels could be installed on the roof and used for purposes ranging from powering medical equipment to charging vital batteries.
It is the latest project of Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership, which joined forces with former senior Transport for London team member Heidi Alexander and Swindon's Bus company.
Following enquiries by Ms Alexander a suitable bus was sourced from a Dorset sister firm of Swindon's bus company.
Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership is now hoping local firms will help with the £1000-worth of diesel needed to reach Ukraine.
Chair Mike Bowden said: "We have high confidence that it will drive safely to Ukraine.
"There are hospital beds and there will be crash trolleys, heart monitors, a chemical toilet and clean water.
"It will transform lives. It's not our job to determine what it's used for, but this may save the life of a guy who's blown to bits in a trench; it might allow a mother to give birth safely and with dignity to a child. Remember, the Russian missiles are aiming at maternity hospitals and mothers are dying while giving birth in car parks. That's the reality.
"The bus might be useful in paediatrics, it might be used for anything. Later on, we're going to do dozens of these and we may be asked to fit them out as dentists', opticians', cafeterias, toilet blocks, shower blocks, whatever they want.
"They decide, we do."
Appealing to local firms for donations of fuel - or money for fuel - for the journey, Mike added: "Would they be so kind as to consider a donation to a small but mighty organisation in Swindon and sponsor some diesel to get these much-needed hospital units from Swindon to Ukraine?"
Heidi Alexander, who is Labour's Parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, said: "The Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership had an inspired idea a couple of months ago, which was to get hold of a bus which has come to the end of its useful life in the UK and convert it into a field hospital to send to Ukraine.
"There's a real need in Ukraine for vehicles to take people away from areas of conflict, so Mike Bowden from SHAP got in touch with me because I used to work at Transport for London, and asked me whether I knew anyone who could get hold of a bus for him.
"I called up someone who I used to work with and a couple of weeks later a bus that had been donated, essentially by Swindon's Bus Company which is part of the Go-Ahead Group - it's from one of their sister companies - was sent here.
"It's all through Swindon's Bus Company. A couple of days ago Mike went down and got the hospital beds from Southampton Hospital.
"There's been the whole process of ripping the seats out, there's still more work to be done on the bus before it's ready to go, and the idea is that it will be equipped and sent out to Ukraine.
"It's an inspired idea but it also shows what can be achieved when you've got a small group of people who've got vision and determination.
"I think SHAP - the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership - have got that in spades, and so when Mike asked me whether I could help, of course I said, 'Yes, no problem,' and I'm delighted to see the progress that has been made in such a short space of time."
Paul Coyne, Operations Manager Swindon's Bus Company said: "We were approached to provide a vehicle. We considered the request, and it became very, very clear to us very, very quickly that it was a really good cause to donate a bus to.
"We sourced a bus and the rest is history. We provided it and that's basically it. We decided it was very much something we wanted to be a part of and we acted accordingly."
A Somerset-based firm, Mobile Solar Chargers, agreed to send expert Mike Parker to examine the bus and determine whether solar panels could be installed on the roof and used for purposes ranging from powering medical equipment to charging vital batteries.
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