ERMYSTED'S Grammar School is the proud owner of a new minibus thanks to parents and Skipton Building Society.

The Skipton school needed a new vehicle to take students to sports fixtures and on other visits, and was able to buy a second-hand one thanks to £15,000 from the parents' association and £2,000 from Skipton Building Society. The rest of the money came from the school.

“Following the sad demise of our previous school minibus, we were faced with a problem," said headmaster Graham Hamilton.

"Careful research showed the best option was to purchase a vehicle outright, but the school simply didn’t have enough capital."

“We had an immediate and costly problem in that transport for all team trips and outings now had to be outsourced. So we approached our Parents' Association, who were able to commit £15,000 to the project, and the Skipton Building Society, who donated another £2,000, with school funds making up the rest.

"We sourced our pre-owned Ford Transit 17-seater from Peter Watson in Skipton, and we are delighted with it."

He added: “My thanks go to members of the Parents' Association and Skipton Building Society for their generosity.

"We are extremely fortunate to have such a committed and enthusiastic Parents' Association which has provided the majority of the funding to help purchase the bus - and my thanks to the many parents and friends of the school who attended fund raising events.

"The bus will allow us to continue our outstanding provision for students in sport, educational visits and enrichment opportunities.”