A New Era For The Bus Shelter MK

As we move into our fourth year of operation at The Bus Shelter MK I'm excited to be sharing with you our plans for the future. Throughout 2020 we've been working tirelessly to create a new long term base for the charity and I'm delighted to confirm we'll be moving to a new site early in the New Year.

When we opened the bus doors to guests in 2018, we always knew that because of the short-term lease for the Colgrain Street site that we would need to move to a new location within a year or two. The search for the new home has been a long one and we explored several options before finally being offered a site that is not only viable but offers a long term solution. Many thanks to Milton Keynes Development Partnership and Milton Keynes Council for letting us stay in our first home for so long and to the Council for helping in our search for a new home.

With Covid-19 the need to move to the new base has been sharper than ever. After needing to transfer away from the bus because of the pandemic, the new base will enable us to host guests again in our own socially distanced compliant environment, which of course is a more cost effective long term proposition.

Juggling and problem solving

Our new home is a former Milton Keynes Council Landscaping Depot and to give us the room to operate we've supplemented the space with a small tract of land kindly leased by The Parks Trust. Given its former use it's needed considerable renovation and refurbishment to create sleeping accommodation for 9 guests, occasional dogs, a communal living area, kitchen, shower and laundry facilities.

"By the end of the decade we expect 350 people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets of Milton Keynes will have found a temporary home, friendship and support at the new site."

The refurbishment has been monumental challenge and as with any building project of this scale we had many obstacles to overcome. Our team have turned their hands to anything, juggling the work around their normal day jobs and becoming overnight experts in anything from drains to guttering; water mains to electrical supplies; and ballast to windows and doors. Whatever has been thrown at us, we've risen to the challenge and found a solution.

You'll see from the picture above of the building housing the communal living area, things are still work in progress. As we move into the final few weeks of the project we are working hard and new challenges are emerging for us to overcome. It has been a massive team effort and I'd like to offer a huge thanks to our staff and contractors who really have pulled out all the stops to get the site ready in record time. We are also grateful to the suppliers have offered special pricing and others who have offered their services for free.

Our investment in the new site has been substantial and the majority of the budget has been covered through grants and generous donations. It has been a tough year for such a mammoth undertaking and with our fundraising income down 86% this year due to Covid-19 we've really needed to scrutinise everything to keep costs under control and ensure the works are completed within budget. I know so many families have seen reduced incomes this year, so for many there isn't any money other than for the essentials. If you are able to make a donation, however small, we really would be most grateful. If you use our Virgin Money Giving page to donate please remember to tick the Gift Aid box.

We are looking forward to launching our new long term home in the New Year and we'll share our celebration with you. In the meantime, I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Pam Williams
Chair, The Bus Shelter MK