Following Gloucestershire Nightstop's partnership with Stagecoach West, the two organisations have been shortlisted for the Bus and the Community Award, sponsored by Heathrow, at the UK Bus Awards 2023.

Elaine Pearson-Scott, executive director of Gloucestershire Nightstop, said: "At Gloucestershire Nightstop, we aim to provide more than a bed for the night, with wrap-around support services that provide young people who are, or are at risk of, homelessness a strong foundation on which they can build a stable and successful life.

"Over 20 years, we've helped thousands of young people prepare for and gain their independence. A huge part of this is making sure they can still get around. If our young people can travel, they might be able to continue in education, maintain employment, and keep their relationships from breaking down. All of this makes a recovery from homelessness quicker and improves their chances of long-term success. We'd like to thank Stagecoach West for their enthusiasm and commitment, and we look forward to seeing where our partnership goes next."

The partnership was formed with Stagecoach West to help prevent and end homelessness for 16 to 25-year-olds in Gloucestershire., which includes free county-wide bus travel for all of Nightstop's young people.

Karen Coventry, commercial and marketing director, Stagecoach West says: "Establishing this close working relationship with Nightstop will enable us to continually look for more ways we can work with them so that our support isn't superficial, but multi-layered, providing alternative sources of value.

"Being shortlisted at the National Bus Awards is wonderful news and pays testament to the great work Gloucestershire Nightstop does in helping vulnerable young people across the county".

Since then, Karen has joined the charity's Board of Trustees.

Jacob Bradfield, vice-chair of the Board of Gloucestershire Nightstop said: "We're already seeing the enormous benefits of this partnership with Stagecoach. Not only are our young people benefiting right now, but we're noticing a tangible impact in awareness in the public sphere about youth homelessness and ourselves as an organisation.

"I'd like to thank Stagecoach West for their support, which is helping us embed the amazing progress we've made in recovering from the pandemic. Partnerships across our community are essential to achieving long-term results in the fight to end youth homelessness for good, something that we continue to focus efforts on through our ongoing collaborative research and partnerships programme."

Gloucestershire Nightstop provides emergency accommodation for homeless 16- to 25-year-olds in the spare rooms of volunteer hosts, alongside a range of holistic support and advice services.

The awards will be presented at Troxy in London on Tuesday 28th November 2023.