IT WAS the moment hundreds of schools across the south have been waiting for - and the presentation of the Daily Echo minibus didn't disappoint.

Thousands of you took part, gathering together more than 500,000 tokens for your local schools in a bid to win the fabulous Ford minibus.

But there could be only one winner, and dedicated pupils and staff at Cedar Special School in Southampton are the ones celebrating after collecting a staggering 93,000 tokens.

The bus, donated by Ford, will give the special needs youngsters a new lease of life. Their current fleet of three minibuses is waning because of old age, and staff say a new one would mean raising more than £20,000.

The bright red bus rolled straight off the factory line at Ford's Southampton plant and had less than five miles on the clock when it was delivered to the school.

A delighted Brian Hart, head teacher, said he was overwhelmed by the prize and paid tribute to the legions of locals who chipped in to make the dream come true.

"It's been a fantastic effort from everyone in the community," he said. "Every child has strengths, no matter what their abilities. It is our job to find them and nurture them. This bus goes a long way towards helping us achieve that aim.

"We want to be able to offer them a whole range of experiences to help them find their talent, but that can only be done with proper transport.

"In honesty, we had no idea we had won. We knew we had put together a good effort but had no idea how other schools had done, so it was a complete surprise.

"Every school now has to manage their own budget and we could not afford a new bus through ours. We would have had to raise anywhere from £20,000 to £40,000 to get an adapted bus for the kids.

"We are not talking about small amounts, so this will be a real bonus for us. We are all delighted - it's been great fun to take part and the children are delighted. We couldn't ask for more."

Mr Hart was all smiles as he received the keys from Daily Echo editor Ian Murray and Ford commercial vehicle manager Peter Colegate.

The party atmosphere was confirmed by the tune of S-Club 7 blaring across the school grounds at full blast.

Mr Colgate, who didn't so much as wince at handing over £23,000 worth of his product, said: "This is what it's all about.

"These children have worked tirelessly for this, and they deserve to win. They collected an amazing number of tokens and the look on their faces says it all.

"At the end of the day they were motivated. It is even more rewarding because they don't just want it for school trips - these people actually ferry the pupils to and from school every day, and some come from miles away.

"We are delighted to have been involved, and are glad we have been able to go some way towards helping a worthy community."

Daily Echo editor Mr Murray added: "It has been a fabulous competition.

"I have been staggered at the response we received from so many people.

"Cedar School were the outright winners and it goes to show the fantastic support the staff here have from their community.

"I would, of course, like to thank Ford and the Hendy Truck Centre in Eastleigh for their marvellous support and help throughout."

With that, the balloons were untied and the keys were handed over.

It was a fitting end to the biggest giveaway ever run by the newspaper, and pupils are already coming up with lists of places they want to visit...