New minibus gets Firpark Primary pupils back on the road

The 13-seater wheelchair compatible Variety Sunshine Coach will give pupils a chance to boost their communication skills during daily trips to the library, supermarkets and parks.

It will also be used to attend various sporting events throughout the year, where pupils can be included in healthy competition with their peers and experience successes which can directly impact their self-esteem.

Alan Connell, manager of DPD depot at Eurocentral presented the keys to head teacher Marie Clare Webster.

Firpark Primary contributed to the cost of the vehicle with the support of parents and the wider community who raised funds through fun activities such as bingo night and sponsored bounce.

Mrs Webster said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a new coach, it will have a huge impact on the experiences we are able to offer our pupils.

“All at Firpark Primary wish to send a huge thank you to everyone involved in the donation of the bus to our school.”

Dwain McDonald, CEO of DPD, said: “DPD has worked with Variety now for over 25 years and it is a charity that is very close to our hearts.

“We know what a huge difference each and every coach can make and it gives us great pleasure to handover the keys to such a deserving cause.

“I’m sure they will have big plans for the coach and loads of very special memories as a result.” 

The school’s new Variety Sunshine Coach will replace its 11 year old minibus, which is no longer safe and reliable.

Tom Porteous, Variety’s member of the Scottish Committee, said: “We are extremely grateful to DPD for helping to fund Firpark Primary’s new Variety Sunshine Coach.

“These coaches, often regarded as mobile classrooms, give pupils with additional needs, the opportunity to experience active learning and develop life skills, outside the school environment.”

Guests at the coach presentation included former Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan, who is now the assistant manager of the Northern Ireland under-19 squad.