Stagecoach East Midlands staff raise over £2K for local Hospice by baring all on the bus

Staff at the Mansfield depot have raised £2,250 for the John Eastwood Hospice by stripping down for a charity calendar.

Inspired by the 2003 film ‘The Calendar Girls’, over 20 drivers, engineers and office staff from the bus firm’s Mansfield branch joined forces to take part in the fun project, which was organised by one of the depot’s bus drivers, Claire Cunningham.

The John Eastwood Hospice was selected as the calendar’s charity due its numerous personal ties with several of the Stagecoach drivers and employees in Mansfield, many of whom have had friends, relatives and passengers cared for at the hospice.

Pete Randell, a regular Stagecoach East Midlands bus user and volunteer at the John Eastwood Hospice, was also cared for and sadly passed away at the hospice in April last year. Before his death, Pete frequently travelled on the number 53 bus driven by Claire, which runs between Mansfield and Sheffield. He was known fondly by Claire and many of her colleagues at the Mansfield depot and his memory played a major part in selecting the hospice as the recipient of the calendar’s funds.

The calendar went on sale in December 2018 and was a huge hit with local shoppers, raising a total of £2,250 for the John Eastwood Hospice from the sales.

Claire Cunningham, the Stagecoach East Midlands driver at the Mansfield depot who came up with the idea, said: “I suggested doing a charity calendar because I thought it was a really fun, unique and light-hearted way to get all the team involved and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone for a great cause. It was a unanimous decision to raise money for the John Eastwood Hospice as this charity is very close to all our hearts. They do a wonderful job of providing palliative care for terminally ill patients and bringing a ray of sunshine to people’s darkest days. My colleagues and I have known many people who have been cared for at the hospice and we wanted to do something uplifting and fun to celebrate and support the work they do there.”

Diane Humphreys, Hospice Trust Manager at the John Eastwood Hospice, said: “The Stagecoach team certainly put the fun into fundraising with the production of their great calendar! £2,250 is a terrific boost to our funds and we are not only grateful for that, but also sincerely thankful to everyone involved for helping us to raise the hospice’s profile.”