Drivers donate to name bus for generous customer

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 21 December 2020

trentbarton drivers on its skylink Nottingham route are always delighted when regular customer Sandra Mockler gets on board as they know they are in for a treat.

Now the drivers who enjoy Sandra’s daily gifts of tasty snacks have turned the tables on the kind customer from Old Sawley by surprising Sandra with a Christmas present of a bus named after her.

Sandra got a festive surprise on Sunday [December 20] when the drivers arranged for a skylink bus to pick her up from her home and give her a VIP ride to Long Eaton town centre on the skylink named after her.

And the kindness did not stop there, with a whip round by the drivers collecting £100 for the Namesake charity donation plus £80 left over for a Marks & Spencer hamper and flowers for their favourite customer.

Sandra, 77, only thought a driver was dropping round a Christmas card for her and was amazed to see a bus and 13 drivers. She said:

“It was a bit of a shock when I saw them all. I couldn’t believe it. They are such lovely lads.

“I can’t begin to tell you what I think of them. This has been absolutely marvellous, one of the best things to happen to me. The flowers are beautiful and to have my name on a skylink bus is something I have always wanted.

“My grandma brought me up to do nice things to help people. When I’m out I pick up cobs, sausage rolls, sweets and bottles of pop for the drivers. They do so much for us and deserve to be appreciated.

“During lockdown I couldn’t see the drivers and it broke me up. I used to cry when the bus went past because I couldn’t do anything for them. The first time I could get on the bus again I was in tears. The drivers are wonderful.”

skylink Nottingham team leader Mark Carthy said:

“Sandra is a treasure. For years she has travelled with us between Old Sawley and Long Eaton to do her shopping three or four times a week.

“She will always come out with a bag of treats, giving the drivers something from Greggs or Birds Bakery every day. In summer she will come out with cold drinks for the drivers. She told us how much she missed us during lockdown.

“As a driver you are smiling when you see Sandra at the bus stop. You know that’s your lunch sorted! The drivers thought it was about time they did something nice for her and raised £180 to name a bus after Sandra plus present her with a few treats.”

Each £100 donated to name a trentbarton bus goes into its Namesake appeal, which was started in 1991 to raise funds for Derby's breast cancer unit. More than £100,000 was raised and donations now go to trentbarton's chosen charity, which currently is Teenage Cancer Trust.

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