Portsmouth Bus Project 2017 - COMPLETE

Well, what can we say, other than..... THANK YOU PORTSMOUTH!!

What a whirlwind rollercoaster it has been, even up till the last week, but our Bus is completed, handed over to the Robert Dolling Project and will soon be helping the cities homeless.

It all began at the beginning of the year, Joanne text me some time in January and asked me if we should get a bus, I must admit, I ignored her for a few hours. Jo then text me again a few hours later (she's not impatient, I promise) and said, shall we get a bus or am I mad? Well.... I'm a massive Alice in Wonderland fan and hey 'We're all Mad Here!' Yeah why not, let's see if this is possible....

The Bus arrived on 31st March 2017 and we made the front page of the news (I was away on holiday and missed the grand arrival) and then the Bus has been a flurry of activity ever since!

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/back-the-bus-and-give-homeless-people-in-portsmouth-a-shelter-1-7896799

The News have been a big supporter of ours and if you search their site or plumb in The Bus Project Portsmouth Evening News into google, all the articles will come up - have a peruse!  Check out The Bus Facebook page for progress pictures also. 

The last 8 months Jo and I have worked tirelessly, talked daily, met weekly and spent many many many hours at the Bus. We've ignored our husbands, talked about the Bus to anyone who will listen, stood up our friends and forgotten what our families look like, and we're very sorry - but it's been totally worth it! 

Now, we asked for help in many forms and I'm sad to say at the start we were stood up by all sorts of tradespeople, messed around by carpenters, ignored by plumbers etc etc, but we're proud to say once we'd found our team, they were blooming excellent!

So the run down and big thank you's to -

Gav

GJC Electricals for all our electrics 

Ed for all the plumbing

Geo Heating Ltd

Andy for our washroom

AGS Quality Construction

Sean at for our kitchen

Vivd Homes

Andy for the all decorating

A. Barcroft Painting & Decorating

Lesley at a Furniture Medic for reupholstering all the seats

Darren & Team for the flooring throughout the Bus 

Kelleher Flooring

Colin for all the splash backs, and all the signage inside and outside the Bus

Genie Acrylics

Gosport Men's Shed for our cupboards

Fareham Men's Shed for our insulation fitting

Highbury College Students and their tutors for the bunks 

Highbury College

Kerry & John  for the curtains

Inside Story Interiors

All of these guys have worked for minimal payment, donations, paid using a bartering system or simply worked and or donated materials for free.

And of course not forgetting our main fundraisers -

Gemma at Rich's for so much more than we could ever thank them for!

Alan Priddy for donating mattresses

Team Brittania

Amanda at  for fundraising

Tesco North Harbour

Alice at Waitrose Southsea fundraising with the green token scheme

The Partnership Foundation for their donation

Partnership Foundation

Helen at St Edmunds School fundraising with the children

The News in Portsmouth running a sponsored relay race 

The News

Mercator Cargo Systems for their donation 

Mercator Cargo

The Band - Free from Gravity donating proceeds from a gig

Free From Gravity

This list isn't exhaustive and of course not forgetting every company and individual who sponsored a bed, every single person who donated through crowd funding (your names are all on the Bus!) everyone who gave us a like and or a share and simply believed we could.

(I've tried to link as many people as possible to their Facebook page, go and give them a quick like and or share!)

The last week with the Bus wasn't without a hitch, a late break in (no theft or damage luckily), towing issues, last minute deliveries we weren't sure would arrive - but low and behold the Bus was launched on Sunday 26th November 2017.  Pompey in The Community kindly opened their centre for us and the Bus was proudly on display for all to see!

Please note the 'pink broom' just to show who's in charge - The Girls!!

(Artwork from 2 Sisters, Southsea)

I'm pleased to report all went well, everyone loved the Bus and the articles written have been amazing. Here's a selection so far....

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/double-decker-homeless-bus-unveiled-in-portsmouth-launch-1-8263636

http://www.ladbible.com/community/uk-news-double-decker-bus-transformed-into-12-bed-homeless-shelter-20171127

https://www.boredpanda.com/double-decker-bus-homeless-shelter/?utm_source=bp_art&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=BPFacebook

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/double-decker-bus-homeless-shelter-sammy-barcroft-joanna-vines-rucksack-project-portsmouth-a8082671.html

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/News/Local-News/312407-Homeless-Bus-Shelter-Complete-and-Ready-for-Service

http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/27/double-decker-bus-transformed-into-shelter-for-the-homeless-7111078/

http://thesun.uk/6181DD0Mb

http://m.buildersmerchantsnews.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14914/Covers_supports_homeless_bus_refurb.html

Jo and I have now retired for Christmas; elated, proud, exhausted and joyous, some happy tears have been shed and I'm sure we'll miss 'the old girl'. We're so pleased the community have pulled together, helped us achieve this and she'll go on to do great things.  We'll of course, be back to sink our teeth into the Rucksack Project next year!  

On a personal note, I honestly couldn't ask for a better partner in crime than Joanne, her passion is uncontainable and I'm so proud to call Jo my friend. 

So.... Thank you, once again, to everyone. It's been amazing, it's been emotional and it's been overwhelming - but WE'VE DONE IT!!

TTFN

Sammy xx

Portsmouth Bus Project Launch

INVITATION TO THE  LAUNCH OF THE BUS  - SUNDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 12-2PM - POMPEY IN THE COMMUNITY, ANSON ROAD, PORTSMOUTH

As I'm sure you're aware, Joanne and I were donated a bus by Stagecoach in April this year.  We had a plan to turn the Bus into a 12 bed homeless shelter and donate to a local charity to manage and run.  With the help of public donations, fundraising, volunteers and companies all donating; time, goods and money, we are pleased to announce that this has very nearly been achieved!

 

We would like to invite you to the ONLY public viewing of the completed bus, before it is taken to its new home to be put to excellent use.

 

The Bus will be at Portsmouth Football Club, Pompey in the Community, Anson Road, Portsmouth, on Sunday 26th November from 12pm to 2pm for public viewing. After that the bus will be taken to its new home St Agathas Church with the Robert Dolling Project, where it will be used to help the homeless of Portsmouth.

 

Please come along and have a look around and meet the people and companies who have transformed the bus.

 

Kind Regards

 

Sammy and Joanne

https://m.facebook.com/Rucksackbus/

Thank you all! Rucksack Project 2017

So that's it.... all over for another year!

We don't know what to say... Just thank you 💙 It's so overwhelming.... the support, the help, the donations, the charities, the community spirit, the volunteers, just everyone. Thank you. Truly humbled, truly exhausted, truly elated. Happy tears indeed! What a day.

We estimate around 3,000 rucksacks donated plus extra donations of food, toiletries, sleeping bags as well, around 5,000 kind donations in total. Just wow!

So many companies to thank, those acting as hubs, those with cars doing deliveries, those who gave us food and donations, those whose staff spent the day helping us... Tesco Community Champions, Greggs and Riches bakery to name a few!

So many individuals to thank; my mum Tracey who has been with us every step of the way for the last 4 years (even the year I wasn't around!)  Jo's colleagues from work packing and unpacking food donations all day.  Jools and Rich, who again have been with us for 4 years; Jools the organiser extraordinaire of toiletries and Rich for lifting and shifting and driving donations around. Bee in the dog corner for donations in and out. The Tesco community champions from North Harbour, Fratton & Havant; big mention to Mandi (North Harbour) who has been with us for the last 4 years also, who was there in the morning before me and was one of the last to leave with us.  Friends of mine and Jo's and people who just stayed to help - sorting, lifting, shifting, directing, helping, just so many of you - you were all amazing, thank you all so much!

Volunteers and the centre... Pompey in the Community and the two amazing NCS volunteers - hats off to you all and a massive massive thank you, for the venue, for the help, for the everything!

Everyone who donated from all across Hampshire - you're all simply amazing! Getting your companies and work places involved, acting as drop off hubs, collecting items from others who couldn't make it on the day. Thank you so much, so humbling to see everyone wanting to help, wanting to give, wanting to share, pulling together, real community spirit, thank you all - we certainly couldn't do this without you guys.  You truly are the special people, we are just the middle man facilitating this. You are all just amazing, no political agenda, no racial hatred, no religious prejudice - you all just come together and astound us all.  

The 14+ charities who collected and benefitted from the donations Saturday - a long list of hostels, services, schemes, groups, charities, soup kitchens, churches, all of you! You are the special people who make such a difference to people, running your services and delivering the goods directly to those in need. The work you guys do is just amazing, and so needed.

You know how Jo and I feel from my last post - so just big love to you all!

We may have finished our event for this year, but please do consider donating to your local shelter/hostel/service all year round, I'm sure they'll be happy to take items from you; or if you're able to - give directly to someone you meet. Stop, say hello, ask how someone is and share a smile if nothing else. 
Here's a few pics from the day, Portsmouth, once again - quite simply - You Rock! #itsnicetobenice

Same time next year, yeah?! 

Onto our next event.... see you all on 26/11 for the unveiling of the Bus!!

'''Twas the night before... The Rucksack Project

Well ''twas the night before the Rucksack Project and all through the house, everything was silent, except for the screams of... 'IT WON'T FIT IN THE CAR!'

I'm pleased to report it DID fit in my car, just! (I'm good at Tetris with practise from my day job!) So it's the night before the big event and each year, the run up and the night before is a strange one. I'm never sure how I feel to be honest. Exhausted already? Excited for the start? Anticipating of what's going to happen? Happy that we're enabling people to give and be nice? Overwhelmed with the logistics of the day? Ecstatic I'm part of this?

Jo and I, eat, sleep, breathe and live the Rucksack Project from the minute we launch it. (And this year the Bus also, for the last 10 months!) We speak on the phone, text, email, catch up all the time, if not daily. We give up valuable time, energy and resources, its all we talk about and all we concentrate on (our husbands, families and friends will attest to this!)

Running up to the Project, we're both social media mad, have our faces buried in screens and are very anti social (big apologies to husbands). But the week before, for me at least, the doubt starts tipping in... What if no one turns up? What if everyone's offended because we've said no clothes? What if everyone's bored of the project? What if no one cares any more? What if I've told Jo 'it'll be fine' one too many times and it won't? 

And then it starts... the pictures, the posts, the comments, the offers of help, the community pulling together... and I for one, am once again overwhelmed. What a community, what a city, what kindness.  Portsmouth - you always do us proud! 

Our city, our community, our football team; all pitch in, all get involved and all pull together once again.  All for one reason - to keep our valued hard working, homeless services available for the winter and longer hopefully. To enable life to be a little kinder to those on the streets. Those with low or no incomes. Those who have fallen on hard times. Those who have made tough, difficult and sometimes not very positive life choices.  Those who have had to flee their home for safety.  Those who are supported by our amazing city churches, charities etc; who are empowering homeless men and women, to engage with a range of different services and to enable them to make better life choices and move on from the streets.

The collections at work, the home knitted hats, the one extra tin someone has bought when they could afford it that one week, the rucksacks made by our children, the donations rifled from charity shops, the collections our neighbours have whipped round. AMAZING. Just WOW!

So thank you Portsmouth (and surrounding areas) for once again reducing me to tears, for moving me more than you could ever imagine. Thank you for being non political, non religious, non judgemental and thank you for sharing and just being nice. 

So it's time to roll our sleeves up, stick to our plan of action and have the busiest day ever tomorrow. The charities are on the list with the amounts they've pledged to take - all will be ticked off and monitored in and out. Volunteers ready and running our donation stations. Charities and services around to chat to people, if people want to about what they do and how they help. Tea and coffee donated and ready for everyone to stop and have a drink.  Amazing amounts of donations in and out and then to collapse with a large G&T all round when we're packed up and it's all over for another year.

In short I am so excited to get there, humbled to be part of this, ecstatic that the community is so special and my heart is truly filled with love and kindness.  See you on the other side!

Jo - 'it'll be fine, I promise.'

TTFN, Sammy 💙