Canterbury’s Lord Mayor unveils Christmas bus

Canterbury’s annual ‘Christmas Bus’ has been unveiled by the Lord Mayor. This year the bus features the Lord Mayor in full regalia on the rear design, promoting the Christmas Eve Carol Concert organised by the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Gift Fund.

The Lord Mayor, Jean Butcher, was joined by Stagecoach South East’s Commercial Director, Matthew Arnold to officially launch the bus for the festive season.

The bus heralds the second in-person ‘Open Air Carols’ since 2019 after last year’s triumphant return after being cancelled in 2021 and 2020 due to Covid restrictions.

As one of Kent’s largest community carol singing events, this annual family occasion is a traditional part of Christmas in Canterbury and has been organised each year since 1952 by the local charity, The Lord Mayor of Canterbury’s Christmas Gift Fund.

With the help of volunteers, the charity delivers 500 festive parcels to elderly, disabled and lonely people as well as families and young people who need help at this special time of year.

The Lord Mayor said “I wish to thank Stagecoach for their impressive advertising seeing myself as Lord Mayor on the rear of a bus was surreal. It is an honour to be part of this tradition which goes back 71 years, the Lord Mayor’s Charity gift fund is needed now as much as it was in 1952.”

“The vouchers Canterbury residents receive are so welcome to the residents who are struggling at this time of year. Long May it continue.”

This year’s Open Air Carols will be sung in Canterbury’s Rose Square (outside Primark) on Christmas Eve from 6.15pm.

The Christmas bus can be seen on local Canterbury city bus routes until the end of the year.

Photo: The Lord Mayor of Canterbury, with Stagecoach commercial director Matthew Arnold unveiling this year’s Christmas bus.