An East Sussex bus driver has raised thousands of pounds for UK charities working alongside his colleagues. Gary Haines, who is based at Stagecoach’s Eastbourne depot, has organised this year’s Santa Bus as well as producing a Stagecoach charity calendar.

Thanks to his assistance, the popular Santa Bus is returning to Eastbourne. It has been decked out with Christmas decorations and drivers can be seen in festive costumes handing out activities for children. All of this is in aim of raising money for St Wilfrid’s Hospice through an on-bus collection bucket.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice cares for those with life-limiting illnesses in Eastbourne and the surrounding area, as well as supporting their families and carers. Their carers work across the community; providing support at their Broadwater Way site, conducting home visits, and assisting local care homes.

The Santa Bus began running on December 11 and can be spotted out and about in Eastbourne up until Christmas Eve.

The Stagecoach charity calendar for Sands

Gary’s fundraising efforts don’t stop there, he has also organised a 2025 charity calendar for his colleagues. Out of thousands of photos sent in by Stagecoach employees, Gary chose 14 to make the final calendar, and all profits from its sale are being donated to Sands, a charity chosen by Stagecoach colleagues through a vote.

Sands is the UK’s leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity. It works in partnership with health care professionals and trusts to ensure that bereaved families receive the best possible care. The charity also supports medical research and awareness-raising efforts to make reducing the number of babies dying a national priority.

Through Gary’s efforts, over £3000 has been raised for Sands and hundreds of calendars have been sold. A fellow Stagecoach driver in Exeter, Daniel Smith, also helped with production, printing the calendars at cost price to ensure that as much money as possible went to charity.

Gary said: “I want to thank everyone at Stagecoach for their support with my fundraising. I’d especially like to thank Daniel Smith for printing the calendars and Ali Rahmani, the assistant operations manager at the Eastbourne depot.

Stagecoach South East bus drivers aboard the Santa Bus

“We’ve raised almost £700 on our Santa Buses thanks to our incredible passengers’ generosity and our drivers’ enthusiasm. Remember to keep an eye out for the Santa Bus timetables on X and help to raise even more!”

You can donate to the Santa Bus at the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/stagecoach-eastbourne-1733623214018?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fstagecoach-eastbourne-1733623214018&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Eastbourne bus driver raises thousands for charity