New minibus for Villa Real School secured through County Durham Pound

Pupils and staff at Villa Real School, near Consett, were delighted to be presented with the bus, generously sponsored by County Durham contractor Esh Construction.

The donation, to match the school's own fundraising efforts, came about through the 'County Durham Pound' project. Our staff who work on that initiative became aware of the school's challenge to raise the remaining funds for a much needed  minibus to take pupils to swimming and other activities.

The County Durham Pound involves a number of County Durham based organisations committed to working together to maximise social, economic and environmental value throughout the county. This could be via procurement decisions and the way their suppliers are selected; how they operate as responsible and ethical employers; or, how their grant funding is allocated.

Cllr Ted Henderson, our Cabinet member for children and young people's services, said: "The County Durham Pound is all about us as a council and other organisations here striving to ensure maximum local benefit from the decisions we make.

"So when our procurement team learnt of Villa Real School's desperate need for a new minibus, they approached another county organisation in Esh Construction and asked if they could help.

"Esh was only too happy to provide sponsorship and we are delighted that between us, we have been able to give the school this bus which will benefit the children at Villa Real by enabling them to get out and about in their community."

Villa Real is a mixed day school for pupils aged from 2 to 19 years who have severe, profound, medical and complex learning difficulties, some of whom also have Autism Spectrum Disorder, or Cerebral Palsy. 

Esh and us arranged for the bus to undergo modifications completed by Vic Young (South Shields) Ltd in order to meet the school's accessibility requirements.

Villa Real school bus - video transcript (PDF, 133 KB)

Headteacher Jill Bowe said: "This bus is so very important to us as it is vital to get our pupils out into the community, especially since Covid.

"Our pupils go out to do sporting activities, work experience, volunteering and a whole raft of educational trips.

"Durham County Council and Esh Construction have supported us wholeheartedly and a huge thank you from everyone at Villa Real.

"The children are absolutely delighted, it is going to make such a world of difference to the pupils."

Kate Marshall-Nixon, social value manager at Bowburn-based Esh Construction, said: "Social value is incredibly important to Esh. Throughout our construction projects we like to give back to the communities that we work in, be that through work experience,  volunteering or providing funding to name just a few.

"For Esh, this project in particular is really special. We knew that there was a priority need for this school to have a minibus that would allow them to get out and about in their own local community and access worthwhile activities to aid student development.

"In terms of a message to the children, I hope you really enjoy all the opportunities that this bus provides to you."

The County Durham Pound won national recognition just last month when it was named Best Public Sector Project at the 2023 Social Value Conference.