The Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum has been recognised with one of the UK’s highest honours after its dedicated team of 60 volunteers clocked up more than 15,000 hours of unpaid work each year to keep the popular attraction running.
The museum has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest recognition available to voluntary groups in the UK and regarded as the equivalent of an MBE for individuals.
It is among just 250 charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations across the country to receive the prestigious award this year.
The honour recognises the dedication of volunteers aged between 16 and 85, who help preserve the Isle of Wight’s transport heritage by restoring, repairing and repainting historic buses and coaches.
As well as maintaining the collection, volunteers drive vintage vehicles around the Island, welcome visitors and help keep the attraction financially viable by operating its shop and café.
Over the past 30 years, the museum has grown into a popular tourist attraction, welcoming more than 20,000 visitors annually.
During that time, its volunteers have raised enough money to purchase and renovate their bus depot, built up a collection of 28 vintage buses and coaches, and overcome significant challenges.
Among those challenges was flooding in 2023, which the museum successfully recovered from thanks to the determination of its volunteers.
Some of the historic vehicles now housed at the museum have even been donated by the volunteers themselves.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises outstanding work carried out by volunteer-led organisations that make a difference to their local communities.
Groups are assessed on the benefits they provide and their standing within the communities they serve.
Representatives from the Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum will receive their award later this year from Susie Sheldon, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight.
In a further honour, 2 of the museum’s volunteers will be invited to attend a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2027.
Susie Sheldon, Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, has said:
“I congratulate the Bus and Coach Museum on this fantastic achievement and I thank the volunteers for their commitment and tremendous hard work, which makes such a difference to our community.”
The award marks a major milestone for the museum, recognising 3 decades of voluntary effort to preserve historic vehicles and share the Island’s transport history with thousands of visitors each year.
