A Cup of Coffee

Once again, it was the Bewbush Playbus which caused an excited stir.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like a bus story. So, I wasn’t surprised when a friend asked me if I had heard about the bus that was parked in the local town of Horsham.

The bus was being used as a coffee shop stop. It was parked in the car park of a pub called ‘The Malt Shovel’. I decided I needed to find time to visit and to find out more. The bus would be departing on the 15^th of March.   

It was an invitation to have a cup of coffee with a friend that nudged me into action.

A date was set, and on a rainy afternoon, we found the bus.

'The Moving Mug'

‘The Moving Mug’ is a mobile coffee shop. The lilac-coloured double-decker bus is clearly named, ‘The Moving Mug’. 

Downstairs, the kitchen area prepares the coffee to either drink in or take away.

Upstairs, there are tables and chairs as well as a bar and stools along one side. The area is light and airy and decorated with lilac flowers along the ceiling. 

We found a table at the back of the bus to sit and drink our coffee. A young family was sharing a drink nearby, and they were playing a card game.

Bus History

What a lovely, friendly welcome from the young barista. He brought us our drinks and then gave us a brief history of the bus.

He told us how his bus was converted especially for him by a friend. He was currently exploring its potential.

I told him a little about my love of buses and my involvement with our Playbus in Crawley. We were once members of the national charity, The National Playbus Association, as well as Working on Wheels. Through this involvement, we met a lot of buses used in a variety of ways. I love seeing a different bus, which was why I had wanted to visit The Moving Mug.

He was interested to hear about the play aspect, and I also told him of Tom Hardy’s bus ‘Molly’. (Molly)

I also told him that I would be at the bus running day in East Grinstead in April. He was interested to hear this as his friend had just sent him a text about the event. How spooky.

I told him a little about my Playbus and our involvement in the Playbus world, and he seemed genuinely interested.

Bewbush Playbus Photographic Book

I thought Luke, the barista, might like a copy of the Playbus book as well as a storybook, too.  I intended to provide copies of both the ‘Bewbush Playbus’ book and 'Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus' for customers to browse.

I had intended to quickly drop off the books before going on to visit ‘Natty Noo’s, in Horsham, where my books are on sale.

As I arrived at the bus, a few visitors were ordering their cups of coffee, and Luke was pleased to see me and excited to see the books, especially the photographic Playbus book. It created a lot of chat and comments about the bus, and looking through the photographs, he wanted to know more.

When Luke’s friend Sam arrived, he too was full of excitement and enthusiasm about the Playbus and looked through the photographs in the book with interest.

I was able to tell them and show them photos of my involvement in the project. As well as the National charity, and my experiences. They both asked a lot of questions, which I was happy to answer. It was great to share my love for the bus and my passion to be appreciated.

Yes, the storybooks are fun, but the original Playbus always captures the heart and imagination of the Playbus project.

Enthusiasm and Interest

I left the bus feeling thrilled to have been able to share my love of the bus. Luke and Sam were enthusiastic, and I felt they both appreciated and understood the concept of the Playbus.

A couple of days later, I was contacted by Luke's friend Sam, who wanted to meet and to find out more.

He met both me and Geoff, my husband, who had been the manager for ‘Working on Wheels’. Geoff knew a few people to contact and could tell Sam about initiatives in Scotland and links to ‘Street Assist’ in Edinburgh.

It was a real pleasure to speak with you both today, and to meet Geoff.

The magic of the bus lives through you both, and I see it continuing long beyond us all.

Thank you for all the information shared. (Sam)

The Bus Wheels keep turning

I posted a few comments and photos of my visit to the bus on social media. An acquaintance saw the post about visiting the bus and commented that she had seen the bus near her, in Stone in Shropshire.’

Yes, Luke said, he lived there!

The bus certainly does get about. The wheels on the bus are indeed turning.

Who would have thought that a cup of coffee could stir up so much?

Bewbush Playbus comments

Over recent months, I’ve received a few reviews about the Bewbush Playbus book, and it is certainly a reminder to me that the project was important and valuable.

Bewbush Playbus

I was fascinated by how you captured not just the history of the Crawley project but also the spirit of community that sustained it. The photographs and stories reflect a time when innovation and goodwill came together to provide joy and opportunity for children. The way you highlight the Playbus as both a pioneering idea and a beloved community service makes this book a valuable piece of social history.

What struck me most was how the Playbus, though temporary, left such a lasting legacy by inspiring other mobile play projects across the country. It’s a reminder of how small acts of creativity and care can ripple outward to make a broader social impact.

Claire

Bewbush Playbus

I recently came across Bewbush Playbus and found it such a touching and inspiring record of local history. The way you captured the heart and purpose of the Playbus project, from its roots in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Fund to its impact on Crawley and beyond, really stood out to me.

Your book doesn’t just showcase photographs; it celebrates the spirit of creativity, community, and care that made the Playbus such a beloved initiative. It’s amazing how a simple mobile project could inspire similar efforts across the country and leave such a lasting legacy of joy.

I’m always drawn to projects that preserve local heritage and social impact.

Jude Jay.

Bewbush Playbus

Bewbush Playbus caught my attention a photographic history of the double-decker bus filled with toys and crafts that pioneered mobile play-work in Crawley, funded by the Queen's Silver Jubilee Fund. It's a social history worth preserving.

Your book documents something important: a charity that survived on goodwill and love, becoming so influential that other mobile projects visited to copy its model. That's grassroots community building that's largely disappeared.

What makes this valuable is its role as historical documentation of a specific era's community-minded innovation. Your background as a teacher and play-work professional gives you unique insight into why the Playbus mattered not just as fun, but as essential community infrastructure. Your transition to writing children's books (all featuring buses), becoming a Patron of Reading, and winning silver at the 2019 Wishing Shelf Book Awards shows your ongoing commitment to literacy and play.

Summerville Women's Book Club.

Bewbush Playbus

I’m with the Summerville Women’s Book Club, we’re the type who still remember when kids built things out of cardboard boxes instead of code. A lot of us are teachers, grandmothers, and serial community do’ers, so reading about a grassroots project that ran on goodwill and glitter glue? It hit something deep.

You didn’t just archive history; you bottled the spirit of what “community” actually meant before screens replaced sandpits. And honestly, the fact that other mobile projects copied the Playbus model? Legendary.

Summerville Women's Book Club

Bewbush Playbus

Reading about Bewbush Playbus honestly made me smile and ache a little. There’s something profoundly touching about how a simple bus became a heartbeat for a community, a place where joy literally drove into people’s lives. You’ve captured more than local history; it’s living proof of what happens when imagination and purpose share the same road.

Victoria Hooke