A Christian youth centre based on a second-hand bus is soon to become a regular sight around the streets of Scarborough and the east coast.
The double-decker owned by The Bus Stop charity was commissioned on Sunday in the grounds of Wydale Hall by The Venerable Sarah Bullock, Archdeacon of York, in front of more than 60 well-wishers.
The bus is the second bought by the charity, set up in York three years ago, to team up and equip local churches to work with teenagers in areas that lack facilities and resources for young people.
So successful has been the charity’s work that it has attracted a lot of interest in Scarborough and along the Yorkshire coast, said bus driver and youth worker Rosie Brabbs.
Rosie explained: ‘In the three years since the charity started, so many people asked about the bus that we realised there was a huge need on the east coast and it would warrant us buying a second bus.
‘The response to this bus has been incredible. We’re not fully on the road yet and we’re already fully booked.’
The Bus Stop’s trained youth workers will join alongside volunteers from local churches and in local schools to run youth sessions.
‘We want to build a relationship between young people and their local church,’ said Rosie.
‘Our aim is for young people, who really need support in their day-to-day lives, to look to their local church as the first place to get it.’
The Bus Stop has started work in Flamborough, and will soon team up with Holy Nativity Church, Eastfield, St John’s Church, Filey and Burniston Methodist Church, to hold regular sessions where young people can go and hang out in a safe environment.
After Sunday’s commissioning, well-wishers were welcomed on board and shown around the bus with its cafĂ© and kitchen, games and crafts on the lower deck and Smart TV, X-box and chill-out area upstairs.