Lex Autolease has donated a new minibus to Stockport Academy as part of a three year Business in the Community (BITC) partnership.

The Vauxhall Movano minibus will be used to transport pupils to and from various events and activities linked to broadening their experiences.  It has been provided with a full service and maintenance package and has been liveried in the Academy’s colours. 

The BITC Business Class partnership is a Government-backed initiative which develops partnerships between schools and local businesses.  It aims to create a framework for businesses to support young people by forming long term partnerships with the schools they attend. 

David Robinson, chair of Governors at Stockport Academy, said: “The new minibus will be invaluable in helping our students to access a broader range of activities off site.  It will also enable the Academy to invest some of the funds we had set aside for transport into other projects.  We are grateful to Lex Autolease for this donation and their wider support on the Business Class programme.”

As part of a wider partnership, and playing its part in delivering Lloyds Banking Group's Helping Britain Prosper Plan, Lex Autolease will also run employability courses for students in years 10 to 12 and arrange for Academy students to visit the company’s Cheadle offices. 

Tim Porter, managing director at Lex Autolease, said: “Initiatives like the Business Class partnership are an excellent way for us to become more involved with the local community.  The students of today are our prospective employees of the future and we want to help encourage them to be better prepared for life in the outside world when it comes to thinking about a future career.”