Winchester couple, and their guests, take the bus to their wedding ceremony, and reduce car usage in the city.

A Winchester couple were so keen to reduce carbon emissions in Winchester, that both insisted that they, and all of their 50 ceremony guests, attended their wedding using public transport.

Stu Mills and Caroline Henshaw are from Highcliffe and Stu works for local climate change charity Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis (WinACC). The pair sought help to get their guests to the wedding ceremony, without using private cars.

Caroline made contact with local bus operator Stagecoach, and after discussing their idea, the bus was soon arranged to provide capacity for the couple and their 50 guests.

Stagecoach showed their support for the couple’s big day, by providing a green 1964 Leyland Titan PD3 open top double-decker bus.

Caroline said: “We were initially planning on taking the normal bus service, number 4, on the day, and were bowled over by the thoughtfulness of the team at Stagecoach. Having our very own wedding bus was an extra special treat".

The couple married at Winchester Registry Office on Saturday 28th May 2022.

Pete Robinson, Stagecoach Operations Manager for Winchester said "We were delighted to be able to support Stu and Caroline’s idea of reducing car usage for guests attending their wedding ceremony and make the day a little bit more special”.

"We take great pride in helping to connect people, and being at the heart of a very special community.” 

“We all wish Stu and Caroline a very happy future together.”

Photo: Stu Mills and Caroline Henshaw, with Colin Ashcroft from Stagecoach, and the vintage open top bus on their wedding day.

Photo by Simon Heron.