First Bus celebrates more than 20 years of support for St Luke’s Hospice

The company has been providing the free service for Festival of Light and other St Luke’s events for more than 20 years.

This year the first bus will start from the Abbeydale Road Tesco car park at approximately 3.45pm and the last bus will leave the hospice at 7.20pm.

The St Luke’s Little Common Lane gardens officially open to the public at 4pm, with the Festival of Light official switch-on ceremony, hosted by BBC Radio Sheffield presenter Paulette Edwards, scheduled to begin at 6pm.

“Our relationship with First Bus is an important one for St Luke’s and one that we have valued for more than 20 years now,” said St Luke’s senior fundraising manager Matthew Sheridan.

“This is an essential service that is provided completely free of charge by First Bus and their drivers volunteer their time to support us.

“We look forwards to working with First Bus again in 2024, when we will be announcing some new developments in our very special partnership.”

Andy Metcalfe, fleet manager of First Bus in South Yorkshire, said: “ It has been a pleasure to continue a tradition started in the last Millennium by now retired managers, to run the Park and Ride service for St Luke’s Hospice.

“Several of my colleagues and I have happily volunteered our time to support a cause close to so many Sheffield hearts.

“Working for a large company in Sheffield, it is unsurprising how many friends and colleagues past and present have had family, friends or neighbours whose lives have been touched by the care offered by St Luke’s, and I speak for those past and present in saying that offering our service is just a small contribution and payback for the excellent work that they do to support people and provide them with first rate care and support at the most difficult of times.”