Life is Tweet for Grimsby competition winner Sylvia

The season of love saw 81-year old Sylvia Barker from Grimsby share her passion for bus journeys through a tender verse of poetry.  She was crowned the winner of the Stagecoach East Midlands Twitter competition #Lovethebus.

Stagecoach East Midlands launched the Valentines competition to encourage passengers to share how taking the bus benefits their lives.

They were inundated with positive responses on Twitter, however the winner came from a surprising entrance - 81 year old Sylvia Barker who detailed her love for the bus service by writing a poem and describing her journeys as “worth more than gold”.

Despite having access to a personal car, Sylvia chooses to take the bus into town each week, which she describes to be “clean and tidy”. Being very active she also enjoys longer journeys with her friends, sometimes twice a week, through to Louth, Lincoln or Hull.

Sylvia said: “The bus is a massive help to me as I am still very active for my age and it enables me to get into town each week without having to rely on family or driving.

“I find it so easy to get around and the drivers are always very helpful, friendly and polite, even making me laugh from time to time which really brightens up my day. I wanted to show my appreciation for the bus through my poem and I am over the moon that it was selected as the winning entry.”

Matt Cranwell, Managing Director, Stagecoach East Midlands said: “ We were delighted to receive such a fantastic response to our competition. But for us, the time and effort Sylvia took to construct her poem made her the clear winner. “

Sylvia will enjoy a £100 restaurant voucher of her choosing, a nice meal at Relish in Grimsby.

The winning poem from Sylvia:

I love the bus because I am old, to me it’s worth much more than gold.

I travel far and see new places, talk to strangers and see new faces.

Twice a week and sometimes more, I travel to places not seen before.

I say thanks as I alight, always pays to be polite.