Bus drivers and staff based at the Stagecoach depot in Portsmouth received an unexpected boost at the end of their 15 month fundraising campaign for the Portsmouth and Chichester branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The Stagecoach against Multiple Sclerosis (SAMS) fundraising campaign started when a former driver’s wife from Portsmouth was diagnosed with MS.   Mick Crockford, a driver and the deputy chairman of SAMS, wrote to Stagecoach’s founder and Chief Executive Brian Souter, explaining how they had raised in excess of £10,000 through events including a bus pull, dressing down days across the depots, auctions, social evenings and street collections. 

A reply containing a letter of congratulations was received with a cheque of £5000. “The generous donation was completely unexpected,” said Mick Crockford. “We were delighted with our original total raised thanks to the support of Stagecoach staff and customers in the region but this is the icing on the cake.”