FOREST BUS - the charity which takes play activities to rural communities - is in desperate need of a new parking spot.

Vandals have attacked the play bus, causing damage to windows and paintwork - even though it was secured in a lock-up compound near Gang Warily, Fawley.

It is not the first time the bus - which deals with 250 children a week - has been attacked, and Forest Bus organisers are now urgently appealing for a new home based in the central New Forest area where their vehicles can be safe.

Project manager Jane Peacock said: "We are expecting our new Countryside Agency-sponsored bus in July, and we don't want to take any risks.

"We are very grateful to Fawley parish council who have lent us temporary office space, but they don't have room nearby for our vehicles - we will have three by the summer.

"We never had any problem with vandals at our old site in Rushington business Park, but sadly we can't go back there.

"There must be a business or organisation somewhere which can find some space for us? We are prepared to pay a reasonable rent," said Jane.

The charity - set up in 1993 - works at a variety of schemes from Fordingbridge to Calshot.

They have seven staff and need to raise £6,700 a month to keep the bus on the road.

Forest Bus hit the jackpot in February this year when an appeal to the Countryside Agency resulted in a grant of £135,000 to buy and run a new vehicle.

A flatbed lorry is currently undergoing conversion to turn it into a brightly-coloured fun bus, adapted to provide space for play and storage for equipment.

"We are really victims of our own success. We will have this lovely new vehicle 12 feet high and 25 feet long, painted with our logo. It will look fantastic and we want to make sure it stays that way," said Jane.

To offer a new home to Forest Bus or find out about their play schemes ring 023 8024 3888.