
L>R: Mark Sayer, Fleet Engineer, Stephensons
Mark Brenlan, Ipswich Homeless Shelter
Luke Deal, BBC Radio Suffolk Reporter & Bus Collection Driver
“It’s unbelievable how a whole community can come together to get something moving.”
Those were the words of Gareth Brenland, of Holbrook, as he reflected on what has been achieved in the month since he announced his plans to buy a bus and convert it into a night shelter for rough sleepers in Ipswich.
Mr Brenland travelled to Haverhill to collect an out-of-service double decker that was donated by Stephensons of Essex.
After hearing Mr Brenland’s vision for the bus, the firm offered it to him free of charge.
“I was speechless, I didn’t know what to say,” Mr Brenland said.
All the money donated by members of the public through Mr Brenland’s online appeal – which sits at more than £3,000 – will now be spent on turning the bus into a functioning shelter. Next month Mr Brenland will open a charity shop in Upper Orwell Street, Ipswich, that will sell the bags of clothes that he has received from kind-hearted supporters since launching the project.
Money made at the shop will be used on the day-to-day running of the bus hostel, and Mr Brenland said the store would double up as a drop-in centre for homeless people one day a week to get a change of clothes.
If all goes to plan, the bus will be up and running at the end of March, ready for when the Ipswich Winter Night Shelter closes.
Mr Brenland, who has embarked on the venture with wife Sarah Jane and daughter Tiffany, said he never expected to receive such a warm response from the public. It really has been more than overwhelming,” he added. “I don’t think there’s a word to describe it.
“It’s unbelievable how a whole community can come together to get something moving.”
The bus will be named Tiffers in tribute to Mr Brenland’s 15-year-old daughter.