Gosport Variety Club on Daily school run

A school charity for children with additional needs in Gosport has taken delivery of an Iveco Daily minibus donated by the Variety Club.

Gosport Opportunity Group is a school which caters for approximately 50 children aged up to five during term time and children aged from three to under 13 years during the holidays. This comprises both children who do not attend mainstream schools and those from disadvantaged families, with the Daily minibus being used to provide transport to and from the group’s centre and for outings that would otherwise have been impossible.

The 14-seater Daily 35S12 is built on a 3,300 mm wheelbase and has been supplied by Iveco dealer Stormont Truck & Van. It will be used to give children the chance to explore places of interest across the region, including trips for education, leisure, sports and fun – a lifeline to a brighter future.

Jenny Hardman, Gosport Opportunity Group Manager, says: “We are absolutely thrilled with our Iveco Daily as it will change and transform the lives of the children who use it every day.

“One of the biggest changes is that the interior of the Daily is more spacious and versatile than our previous vehicle and gives children more room to move around inside, coupled with much improved comfort on the road.

“Children who use the minibus have gained greater independence and mobility as they can get on and off the Daily using the steps, whereas our previous vehicle required a large wooden block to be lugged around by the driver and dropped into position at each stop, for use as a make-shift step!”

The charitable donation follows the continued delivery of Iveco Daily minibuses to the Variety Club; with approaching 1,000 Daily’s now in operation across the charity’s high-profile Sunshine Coaches fleet. Over the past six years, Iveco Daily minibuses have been individually given to schools with special needs pupils, children’s hospitals and hospices, as well as to organisations striving to improve the quality of life for young people generally.

The Iveco Daily minibus is on the road five days-a-week, covering around 15,000 miles a year.

Jenny adds: “The Daily’s economical diesel engine has also meant we can use the vehicle more often but without any increase in our running costs, in comparison to the thirsty petrol engine in our older vehicle. This is a huge added benefit for a charitable organisation such as ours, and we have been using the minibus to travel to activity centres and places of local interest as part of our curriculum.”

The new vehicle is powered by a 2.3 litre HPI engine delivering up to 116 hp and built using Iveco’s expertise as the world’s largest manufacturer of diesel engines over 70 hp. The characteristics of this engine ensures the Daily minibus is both flexible in traffic and ideal for longer journeys.