Special school bus bought thanks to ultramarathons

Head teacher Jenni Wright said the school might have to arrange a trip to the seaside now

A special school has bought a new accessible minibus thanks to an ultramarathon effort.

Head teacher Jenni Wright said pupils who used wheelchairs at Bennerley Fields School in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, had been missing out on school trips.

So her husband Steve stepped forward to carry out five ultramarathons in five days in 2023, running between Bennerley Fields and its sister schools across Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

With his sponsored running and fundraising by pupils to raise the £50,000 needed, the school has now collected the minibus.

Mrs Wright said: “Being fully inclusive and being able to include our wheelchair users on all our off-site activities is vital.

“We have a really good out-and-about curriculum; we go to the local community into supermarkets, libraries, shops, parks, swimming, we also go further afield to museums and zoos and adventure parks.

“Putting their learning into lots of different contexts is really important for our children.

“It’s going to get so much use. We might have to arrange a trip to the seaside now.”

Steve Wright ran five ultramarathons to help buy the minibus he got to drive on Friday

The minibus has a range of adaptations inside, and all seats can be removed if needed to accommodate up to six wheelchairs inside.

Mr Wright, who drove the new bus on to the school’s Stratford Street site on Friday, said: “After speaking to the children, I thought I can’t let these guys down, and that’s what drove me through it really.

“I just had to commit to it; it took me a year to get the training in.

“For me, it’s like the icing on the cake to see that the children really want it; to see it on their faces is really special.”