29 November 2013 -Margaret Pannell began working as a bus driver in Newcastle in 1997 and got to know most of her regular passengers quite well. The majority were elderly people who had lost their loved ones or had no family and were therefore truly not looking forward to Christmas.
The same year, a week before Christmas she decided to put some Christmas carols on a cassette tape and play them on the bus to cheer up her passengers and make them feel some of the holiday’s joy. It was a big hit. The following year she added more decorations to the bus she used every day. Each year, as its popularity grew, so did the extent of the decorating.
"The first year was just a roll of tinsel and a cassette player playing Christmas carols on the dashboard of the bus. Every year, I just added more", writes Mrs Pannel on her Christmas Bus blog.
Now Mrs Pannell's famous Christmas bus is adorned with flashing lights on its wheels, yuletide-themed seat covers, beaming pictures of Santa, Christmas decorations and plenty of tinsel.
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