‘I just want to help the community’: Owner of bus to support the homeless explains why it was left in Eastbourne social club car park

Christopher Bedford refurbished the double decker bus into a safe place for rough sleepers.

Last week he was criticised on social media for leaving the bus in the car park of The Fishermen’s Club on Royal Parade on March 9.

A post on Facebook from the social club said, “We have all the necessary CCTV images of how the bus was deposited against our outer wall including registration plates of the bus and the vehicle used to tow the bus in, plus images of people involved.

“Move it now or all CCTV video will be passed to Sussex Police.”

Christopher said he spoke to someone from the club in the car park who told him he would be able to keep the bus there temporarily.

However, after dropping the bus off Christopher said he got a call from the club.

Christopher said, “Next thing you know I got a call from the manager saying it wasn’t allowed. I just wanted to find a productive way of moving forward.”

This comes after the bus had to move from its previous location due to anti-social behaviour. Christopher said he’d return to the bus ‘smashed up’.

He said, “When we got the bus in November 2018, the original location fell through at the last minute so we’ve gone from hand to mouth with locations ever since, it’s been a nightmare.”

Christopher said the bus had been on the site of a mechanic business, but due to Covid shutting that business down the land had to be sold so the bus had to go.

He said, “I was running around everywhere finding somewhere for it. It’s soul destroying. You put everything into it and I just want to help the community.”

Now Christopher is working with Neighbourhood First to find somewhere for the bus to go and it will be moved from the car park in the next seven days.