Go North East donates double-decker play bus to Lingey House Primary School

Children at Lingey House Primary School in Gateshead were in for a big surprise on Monday when they welcomed a very special new addition to their playground – a double-decker bus donated by Go North East.

Although pupils had been eagerly anticipating the bus’s arrival, the final delivery date was kept tightly under wraps. Children remained indoors with blinds drawn while our engineering team sneakily dropped off the bus.

The bus will provide a calming space for children who find the busy playground overwhelming, as well as a sheltered area that allows play to continue whatever the weather.

Michaela Flowdy, Assistant Head Teacher at Lingey House Primary School, said: “We’re so grateful to Go North East – not just for donating the bus, but for bringing the children’s vision to life.

“Originally, a lot of the children wanted slides and swimming pools onboard but with a bit of guidance they’ve come up with some lovely ideas to make the bus a brilliant space for the whole school to enjoy! It will create many opportunities and further enhance our current play offer."

Our engineers have worked hard to modify the bus based on designs created by the children themselves – who chose everything from the bus colours to the internal layout, which now features hammocks, bean bags, and a board games area.

Charlie Newman, a second-year coachbuilding apprentice at Go North East, has played a key role in transforming the bus. He said: “Working on this project has been such a rewarding experience – the children’s ideas were fantastic, and we’ve done our best to make them a reality. 

“It was brilliant to see their reaction to the finished bus. It’s great that Go North East can give something back to the community.”

Lingey House Primary is committed to providing exciting, high-quality play for its pupils. The school was recognised with a Platinum Outdoor Play and Learning Award (OPAL) in 2023. 

Go North East would like to say a huge thank you to the organisations below for their generous support with this project:
Alpha Recovery provided a vehicle and recovery team to move the bus to Lingey House. 
Michlin Tyres donated brand new tyres for the bus.
Screen Services for providing the vinyl stickers to make sure the bus exterior matched the children's designs.