Fundraiser set up for Peterborough school's stolen £2,000 solar panel powering Book Bus

A fundraiser has been created to raise money to replace a £2,000 solar panel powering a Peterborough school’s book bus, which was stolen earlier this week.

Children and staff at St Augustine’s CE Voluntary Aided Junior School, in Woodston, returned to school after the bank holiday weekend on Tuesday (May 6) to see that thieves had cut the wires and stolen the solar panel powering the eco-friendly Book Bus library.

The school had saved £12,000 to convert an old bus into a library, a process which featured on Channel 4’s Tool Club in September last year.

A GoFundMe donations page has now been set up to replace the school’s stolen solar panel.

“My daughter is autistic and absolutely loves the Book Bus library,” Nicola Saunders, a parent of a child who attends St Augustine’s CE (VA) Junior School, and the person responsible for creating the donations page, said.

“Like all the other [children] in the school love going to the bus - now they can’t use it as they have no lights and heating due to the solar panel being stolen.

"The bus provides good wellness for outside and inside education for all the children and teachers they love having story time on the bus outside seating area.”

The GoFundMe page, which was set up yesterday (May 5), has already raised £260 towards its £2,000 target.