World’s first children’s hospice meets specially branded bus

The world’s first children’s hospice has had its imagery and logo emblazoned on an Oxford Bus Company bus.

Helen & Douglas House, based in East Oxford, was named the 2025 runner-up in the Brand the Bus competition run by Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, the seventh edition of the contest.

The hospice has seen its branding applied to one of Oxford Bus Company’s electric double-decker buses following this year’s competition, which attracted a record number of entries and public votes.

Helen & Douglas House is the recipient of an advertising package valued at more than £20,000, including a bus rear advertisement, on-bus advertising package and advertising with county station Get Radio.

David Whittingham, Chief Executive of Helen & Douglas House, said: “We would like to thank Oxford Bus Company and Get Radio for this wonderful prize of free advertising.

“These adverts will help us raise awareness of our charity and our need for donations to help care for local terminally ill children.

“The timing of the launch of these adverts is ideal, as we have just launched our Christmas appeal to help us raise £66,000 to help fund the total cost of care this Christmas, which is often our busiest time of year. We are likely to support at least 71 seriously unwell children over the Christmas period.”

Helen & Douglas House helps families with the challenges of looking after a terminally ill baby or child, providing round the clock care in a comforting environment. One of the children the hospice has supported was Neve Tammam, who features on the bus, and who sadly died in April 2023. Although based in Oxford, the hospice supports families in the surrounding counties.

Luke Marion, Managing Director at Oxford Bus Company, said: “This year, we received a record number of entries for Brand the Bus, and more than 12,000 votes were cast.

“There was a high volume of worthy causes to present powerful submissions, and we’re proud to support one as special as Helen & Douglas House.”

Hamish Law, Commercial Director at Get Radio, added: “Helen & Douglas House was an incredibly worthy winner of the runner-up prize.

“As our local children’s hospice, we hope the support we can give them on-air will further position them as an incredibly worthy cause to support across Oxfordshire.

“It’s been really enjoyable working with Helen & Douglas House on their radio creative, and we’re really looking forward to it coming to air.”

Sobell House, which provides specialist palliative and end of life care to adults in Oxfordshire with a life-limiting illness and support to their family and friends, received the second runner-up prize: an enhanced on-bus digital advertising package worth £5,000.

The overall winner of Brand the Bus was One-Eighty, a charity supporting young people by bridging the gap between mental health and education.