Our appeal aimed to raise £10,000 for the full refurbishment of the interior of this coach. We achieved a fantastic £8,805, which whilst short of our target was a great achievement, and thank you to each and every one of you who donated. The Trust supplied the additional funding to complete the work and the coach is now in regular use.

Once refurbished it will allow up to 48 passengers to be seated in a comfortable and luxurious environment enjoying a range of hot and cold drinks, together with cakes and sandwiches all served in comfort to passengers seated at their tables.

Our volunteers have spent a great deal of time since this coach arrived at Midsomer Norton. Both the outside and the inside have been thoroughly cleaned and the outside is now painted maroon.  Inside the coach, all the seats have been removed and are currently away at a specialist company to be reupholstered. In the meantime, the linoleum has all been removed and new lino will be installed at the end of October.

Currently, the small work party is sanding down all the interior woodwork, painting, and varnishing these components.

Our plan - subject to sufficient funding - is to have all the work completed by early November and thus make the coach a really nice and inviting place in which to sit and enjoy the delicious refreshments on offer. 

Some of the seats have also been damaged due to a roof leak which although now fixed means the seats have had to be refurbished. We would also like to install some better equipment behind the counter to assist with the preparation and storage of food and drink. 

To enable us to do these things, we have launched an appeal to raise £10,000 to complete all this work. Please make a donation - no matter how small - and assist us with realising this dream.