First Essex reveals jubilee bus to hit the county's roads

Youngsters from across the county have helped to design First Essex’s jubilee bus to mark the Queen’s celebrations in style.

Youngsters from schools across Colchester have seen their works of art turned into the design of the stunning new mode of transport.

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.

Community artist Jenny Leonard 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 bus.

Jumping for joy - the bus

Winners of the competition got to see their interpretations of Her Majesty turned into a unique livery design for the new bus, which entered public service on Monday.

The bus had previously visited participating schools, including Montgomery Infants School to give pupils the first chance to spot their artwork on it.

Garry Nicholas, commercial director at First Essex Buses Ltd, said: "It has been such a joy to involve  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 was a real thrill for all of us at First Essex.”

During the school tour, children also had the chance to learn more about the past 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 past seven decades of Her Majesty’s time on the throne.

The bus will now become a striking addition to the First Essex fleet, serving communities across the county.