Hello and welcome to the March 2000 newsletter!

I’m going to kick off with some good news....we’ve got our grant from Mid Suffolk District Council again this year and a grant of £1,000 for diesel. This sounds like a lot of money, but we will actually spend nearly £4,000 this year on diesel!

Which leads me onto the next point - fundraising. The committee are talking about the possibility of an Auction of Promises later in the year and Stoke Ash are planning a sponsored event. Next month Palgrave are holding their 4th sponsored Easter Bonnet Parade on Saturday April 8th. All are welcome to join Palgrave playbus users and collect sponsors (forms on the bus). They will set off at 10 a.m. to walk down the Lows footpath from Rainbow supermarket car park in Diss to the playbus in Palgrave. There will be coffee and hot cross buns/cake stall/raffle etc. and the playbus afterwards at Palgrave Community Centre and all children walking will get a Cadburys creme egg.

We have been donated a lawnmower by Atco Qualcast which we will be putting into a Fathers Day raffle to be drawn in June, watch out for tickets on the bus, please sell as many as you can!

Please support these events, more importantly we need every village to hold a fundraiser. So, get your thinking caps on and give me a ring if there’s anything I can do to help. We also have a collecting tin by the register now, if you feel you can spare any loose change please pop it in as every little helps.

Dates for the Easter break
The bus will be off the road from Friday 21st April until Wednesday 26th, back on Thursday 27th for Bardwell and Pakenham. Don’t forget that villages which the bus visits twice a month will have a three week gap when we have the 5th Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this month. (This does not affect weekly stops.)

Christmas Party
The Christmas Party was a great success, over a hundred children came and Father Christmas was very busy giving out presents. We had a photo in the Diss Express, have a look on the bus if you missed it.

Evaluation
Thank you to everyone for filling in the evaluation survey forms which were on the bus during February. The outcome of these is very useful for applying for grants and finding out what you want from the playbus service.

Fees
After taking into consideration the results of the Evaluation, we have decided in the following increase in fees. Despite the grants we receive, the fees are very important to the running of the bus contributing approximately one third of our annual income. From 1st May fees will be: Single child £2.00 Family rate £3.50 Child left with playleader £3.50

Craft shop
The prices have also been reviewed, most prices are unchanged but there are a few small increases. Everything is still sold at the cost price and if there is something you can’t see we can probably order it for you.

Suggestions box
You may have noticed the Suggestions box on the bus, please use it to make any comments/suggestions about any aspect of the bus or summer playscheme. Some of you indicated on the evaluation forms that you might be interested in joining the committee, please put your name and number in the suggestion box and I will give you a ring for a chat . There is no obligation to join the committee, you can come along to a few meetings and then see how you feel about it. The A.G.M. this year will be at the end of June and all are welcome to attend, the date and venue will be posted on the bus nearer the time.

School Holidays
The playbus normally provides for pre-school age children but during the school holidays regular bus users may bring school-age siblings up to the age of 8.

Tidying up
In order to give Gill time to get to the next village and have a break, please help with tidying up and washing and drying the cups, especially now the weather is improving and there is the outdoor equipment as well. Please use the dustbuster if younger children have had a snack upstairs during story time and made some crumbs.

Safety
Although the weather is now improving the heating is still on some of the time. Please make sure that there are no shoes/toys etc. blocking the duct and obstructing the flow of warm air.

Fire Procedure
Just a reminder about the fire escape route on the bus. If you are upstairs and there is a fire or fire drill please use the stairs if you are near to them. Otherwise lift the floor cushion in the Soft Play room marked FIRE EXIT and use the fire escape ladder to go downstairs at the back of the bus. Exit through the rear door, move away from the bus and wait until the register has been checked and the all clear given.

Outdoor play area
Now the better weather is here, please use the entrance/exits marked on the fence panels, and ensure that are secured to avoid runaways when we have outdoor play

Website
Further to our e-mail address which we started using in December, we now have a website. It has been designed by Blade Technology free of charge as their young son, Oliver, has started using the Playbus recently. You can find it at www.pyramidsplaybus.org.uk So, pop down to the local library, or log on at home if you have internet access and have a look.

Reminder
The Playbus is available for hire for parties etc. If you are looking for a setting for a birthday party without the hassle of transporting your child's guests to an indoor play centre/swimming pool then why not consider the Playbus. You get one or two playleaders for 2 hours, themed craft activities and play on the bus for up to 18 children with no mess in your house! Price depends on the distance from Thorndon where the bus is based and start at £95.

Apology
Due to a road accident on the A140 the bus couldn’t get through to Tostock and Felsham earlier this month. Sorry about that but the police weren’t quite sure how to get the bus turned around in the road at first, never mind an alternative route to get to you!

Nursery Grants
Now is the time to start thinking about free places on the Playbus for next term. All children are entitled to 5 free sessions of pre-school education the term after they are 4 and some 3 year olds are eligible starting in April. You can share your five sessions between different providers as long as they are each registered to accept this funding, the playbus is one such provision. Please let Gill know if you have a child who is 4, or nearly four and you would like a free, guaranteed place on the bus.

Free Sports Stuff
We have got a collection box on the bus for Tetley tea tokens. Please bring your tokens to the bus, there is a whole catalogue of items to choose from including Little Tykes equipment.

Big Bus Bash
The National Playbus Association are planning a big event to mark the millennium. The Big Bus Bash will start with a convoy into Bristol of over 100 playbuses/mobile projects on July 6th, free entry for the public is on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July. So if you fancy a weekend away in the Bristol area come and take a look, we’ll be there!

Dates for your Diary
April 8th
Easter Bonnet Parade, Palgrave 10.30-12 noon
24th June
Strawberry Fayre, Red Gables, Stowmarket. 2-4pm
July 6th-9th
Big Bus Bash, Hengrove Park, Bristol.
July 16th
Needham Lake, all day event.