READING Buses has announced that it has raised a record-breaking total for its charity of the year following its annual open day last month.
This year the operator was raising money for Berkshire Youth, a charity which provides support to young people in the county.
Reading Buses raised a total of £12,868 across the year, beating last year’s total, which also surpassed £12,000.
The open day, which takes place at the depot on Great Knollys Street, was opened by the The Mayor of Reading, Cllr Alice Mpofu-Coles, who attended to cut the ribbon at the start of the day, and was joined by a number of councillors.
The event featured the staple attractions including bus tours, a selection of vintage buses, activities such as skittles and coconut shy, as well as a barbecue and stalls including merch and mocktails.
Sponsorships from key suppliers to the bus company helped to ensure that all the money raised could do directly to charity.
British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis were title sponsor for the whole event, Bus & Coach World sponsored the barbecue, Dawson Group sponsored the volunteer raffle, Michelin provided a raffle prize, Power Fleet sponsored the face painting, Ticketer contributed towards the cakes, and Velociti contributed towards the tea and coffee.
Robert Williams, Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer, said: “We were absolutely delighted to beat last year’s record total.
“The hot weather meant that people possibly didn’t stay as long as normal, but the engagement with our stalls, food and games was incredible.
“It was an amazing day with our volunteers working tirelessly in the heat to provide a great family day out for people. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their efforts. We made sure all our volunteers had access to plenty of water and sun cream, or even a mocktail.”
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More information about Berkshire Youth is available via: berkshireyouth.co.uk
