Royal artists from schools in Colchester have seen their works of art turned into the design of a stunning new Jubilee Bus.
First Essex officially launched its Jubilee Bus with the help of the Essex schoolchildren who helped design it, including a Facebook Live stream from Montgomery Infant School in Colchester.
More than 300 pupils from Essex schools shared images of the Queen with First Essex as part of a drawing competition organised by the bus operator. Winners of the competition got to see their interpretations of the Queen turned into a unique livery design for the new Jubilee Bus, which will enter public service from Monday, 31st May.
As part of First Essex’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Jubilee Bus visited participating schools on a tour of Essex giving pupils the first chance to spot their artwork on the bus before it’s official launch.
During the school tour, children also had the chance to learn more about the last 70 years of the Queen’s reign. Historic re-enactor, Jim Williams, engaged pupils with stories and facts about how the UK has changed over the last seven decades of the Queen’s time on the throne.
To find inspiration for this historic Jubilee Bus, First Essex engaged with the next generation of bus passengers by delivering a virtual art workshop in local schools led by professional community artist Jenny Leonard. Jenny helped hundreds of schoolchildren through a step-by-step process of creating a portrait image and more than 200 of these pieces of art now take pride of place on the Jubilee Bus.
The Jubilee Bus will now become a striking addition to the First Essex fleet, serving communities across the county while also seeing these beautiful images of The Queen brought to life and enjoyed across Essex.
Garry Nicholass, Commercial Director at First Essex Buses Ltd, commented: “It has been such a joy to involve local schoolchildren in the launch of our fabulous new Jubilee Bus. We wanted to share our celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the communities that our buses serve and this was a great opportunity to do exactly that.
“We are so proud to have children’s artwork as part of the livery of the new Jubilee Bus, and to see the delight of the children when they saw their artwork brought to life on the side of the Jubilee Bus was a real thrill for all of us at First Essex.”
