trentbarton recently treated 50 people of all ages from Riddings and nearby by providing a free bus and driver to community group Oscari for a day trip to the seaside.

The Sunday trip saw people from Riddings, Somercotes and other villages whisked to Skegness for a day of fun on a notts+derby bus driven by roadside officer Chris Plummer, who volunteered his services.

Around half of the day trippers were children, many of whom don’t usually get the chance to visit the seaside.

On the bus were Amanda Marriott and her eight-year-old daughter Dylan who has not been to the seaside since she was a toddler.

Amanda said: “It was brilliant, the whole day was great. We went to the beach and the children went in the water. We enjoyed very good fish and chips and Dylan and her friend went on the ghost train and twice on the waltzers.

“Chris was a lovely driver and we are very grateful to him and to trentbarton.”

The trip was organised with the community group Oscari (Organising Social and Community Activities in Riddings and Ironville) whose project manager Beverley Moss said the day was a huge success. The day trip began and ended at Riddings Church of Christ, where Oscari is based.

Beverley said: “There is a lot of single occupancy housing in Riddings which means there is a lot of loneliness and isolation too. We set up Oscari 18 months ago to give people a chance to get together and make more friends.

“We now have over 6,500 local people a year engaging with our community groups, projects and events. This trip to Skegness was a real treat for everyone on the bus. It was an absolutely fantastic day and Chris was fantastic.”

Jordan Kemp, marketing & communications manager, said: “Beverley got in touch and told us about Oscari and we were moved by some of the stories. “We’re a local company and we love getting involved within the local communities to help out where we can. Everybody loves a coach trip to the seaside, so we’re pleased that we could contribute to making it a memorable day. Thanks go to Chris for driving and to Beverley for organising.”