Set up in 1993, the Forest Bus is a registered Charitable Company with a board of directors made up of local people who give up their time to oversee the legal and financial responsibility of the organisation.
The Forest Bus is a mobile community development project. We employ a team of qualified youth, community and play workers, who work with children, young people and their families. We provide after school groups and youth work for children and young people living in ‘hard to reach’ rural and urban communities. We also provide parent and toddler groups and family groups for communities where there are no places to meet.
Because we are a mobile project we are able to deliver work in isolated areas of urban and rural disadvantage by taking our vehicles - " mobile community centres on wheels " - onto the doorstep of the community.
All our play and youth activities are planned and delivered by our team of staff and volunteers. We liaise with service users to ensure we include their suggestions for our future work plans.We work closely with other agencies who have a vested interest in the work of the Charity – eg the New Forest District Council, HCC Social Services, Hampshire children’s fund and the Hampshire Youth and Early Years services. In addition, we are regsitered with OFFSTED. Currently, we have 3 full time and 12 part time staff, plus sessional workers and volunteers. We initiate new groups to form by stimulating community participation and development and continue to give support until the community can manage without us.We continue to loan equipment, help with funding applications, provide staff and resources until they are completley self sufficient. We also offer information, training and advice to other groups.We work with socially excluded groups such as Gypsies and Travellers, both in housing and on sites and with children on school inclusion projects. We also work in partnership with other agencies in the delivery of services - such as working in schools on prevention work with children who face exclusion.


Over the last few years we have gained experience in working with people in isolated communities. and have undertaken three major pieces of research into the health and social needs of Gypsies and Travellers in Hampshire. Copies of these reports are available upon request from the Forest Bus office.