WATERSIDE schoolchildren are back on the road after Fawley power station gave them a new mini-bus.

The Year 6 pupils at Blackfield Primary School are celebrating after generous staff at the plant heard they needed a replacement for their ageing mini-bus.

It started after the school wrote to local Hampshire businesses with a plan involving raffles and fundraising events in order to replace the old bus. The letter struck a chord with the power station's financial controller Keith Legg who was a pupil at the school in the 1970s.

Keith forwarded the letter to managers resulting in a new liveried mini- bus for the school.

Keith said: "There was certainly an emotional tug for me.

"It was a courageous step for Blackfield to announce it was aiming to raise enough money for a mini-bus and we knew it would take an inordinate amount of time."

The power station donated £5,000 with its parent company npower donating a further £5,000 towards the replacement.