Sixty children miss dream trip to Europe after coach crashed into school gates

Dozens of schoolchildren dreaming of playing football in the Netherlands were left heartbroken after their coach crashed moments before setting off.

Pupils at Patcham High School in Brighton had spent months fundraising for the trip could only watch on as their bus reversed into railings as it came to pick them up.

What started as shock among the children turned to despair as they were told a replacement coach could not be found.

Parents and the school are now hoping for a ‘miracle’, trying to find a new experience to cheer up the heartbroken kids after Monday’s mishap.

The Year 8 and Year 9 five-day trip, organised by Halsbury Travel, to the Netherlands was all part of the school’s Enrichment Week.

It promised training sessions with top level football clubs and matches against local teams.

Louisa Fitzgerald’s daughter Emily, 13, had been offering glitter tattoos at parties to raise money for the visit after hearing all about how amazing it was from her older brother.

However as the group waited to get on board the Halsbury Travel coach backed up into railings and tore off the luggage handle.

The mum-of-three, 49, told Metro: ‘There were sixty 13- and 14-year-olds who are just devastated.

‘The rest of Emily’s friends are on a trip to Paris trip – that hurts. They are all sorely disappointed, upset and heartbroken.’

The drama teacher put an appeal on Facebook that evening, asking the local area to ‘bring a smile’ to the faces of the sixty kids stuck in school during the enrichment week.

‘We are trying to find something which can still make this week special,’ Louisa added.

Corinne Card’s son Harry, 14, loved the football tour last year and was excited to go back this week.

The mum-of-three told Metro: ‘He had never forgotten about it, this company is amazing.

‘The kids were so excited because they knew how good it was going to be.’

Harry, a mega fan of Brighton and Hove Albion, and his schoolmates were left disappointed as they missed out on the trip of their dreams.

Corinne, 44, is now ‘hoping a miracle can happen’ so that all sixty kids can have a bright end to the week.

Louisa’s Facebook appeal has already had some success – the school have been flooded with offers of free pizza and football sessions.

Halsbury Travel have even pledged to take the group to Chelsea Football Club training ground to train with Chelsea staff to make up for the disappointment.

The company’s director Jonathan Icke told Metro: ‘Halsbury Travel is all about building positive memories and experiences for pupils on our amazing trips and visits. 

‘Yesterday, we had the very difficult task of cancelling a trip when their coach was involved in a minor collision with some railings as it arrived at school and, despite our very best efforts to find a replacement coach for the 5-day tour, it was simply not possible at such short notice during a peak week for school trips.

‘Since, we have been working with the school to find the best solution possible to help address this disappointing situation. 

‘Naturally, we have already refunded the school in full for the whole trip.  We have also agreed with the school to take the whole group to the Chelsea Football Club training ground to train with Chelsea staff without any charge.

‘We are also currently rescheduling dates with the school for the sports tour to Holland in the new school year, hopefully ensuring no one misses out on this amazing opportunity.

‘We fully recognise this will not relieve the disappointment of this week for which we are very sorry, but we do hope this demonstrates our commitment to making the best of a very unfortunate situation for all and ensuring positive memories can still be made.’

Patcham High School’s assistant head said the school were proud of how their pupils responded to the mishap, saying they showed ‘maturity, resilience, and positivity’ they showed throughout the day.

They are promising to hold a ‘football extravaganza’ at the school to keep the spirit of the trip alive.

Ruth Astley added: ‘While we may not be able to bring every idea to life this week, given the tight turnaround, we are deeply grateful for the support and hope this moment sparks lasting partnerships with local organisations or enrichment experiences for our students next year.

‘Patcham High School remains fully committed to providing inspiring experiences both inside and outside the classroom.’

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