A new minibus which will allow pupils at a special needs school to travel together.

Shaftesbury High School, in Headstone Lane, Hatch End, was presented with the bus by the Variety Club charity after months of fundraising by its parent teacher association.

Mayor of Harrow Councillor Ajay Maru today visited the school for the unveiling of the new bus, which was attended by pupils and governors.

Car maintenance company Mini Spares raised £30,000 for the bus by building a Mini Cooper car entirely out of spare parts in just three days and then raffling it.

Speaking at the unveiling, Year 7 pupil Adam said: “All the pupils at this school would like to thank you for donating this bus.

“It means our classmates can now travel with us on school visits instead of getting a lift in another car. It is life-changing for us all.”

Lisa Michael, a member of the school’s PTA, said: “We started fundraising about 18 months ago and our focus for the whole time has been to get a minibus with a tail lift for wheelchairs.

“This isn’t a luxury item for the school it’s a necessity and now we have the bus it will make a huge difference to all the children.”

Justin Jeffery, director of Mini Spares, said: “We have worked a lot with the Variety Club for some time and we wanted to do something special for the 55th anniversary of the Mini this year.

“We decided to build one from scratch and raffle it off. I think when we first started, we only though we would raise about £5,000.

“When the final total came through, I was shocked and amazed that people were so generous. It all meant we were able to give the amount needed for the bus.”