Bourn Primary Academy plans book bus in memory of pupil

A school is raising money to turn a double-decker bus into a library, in memory of one of its pupils.

Five-year-old Lyla Blue Glennen, who was in Year 1 at Bourn Primary Academy in Cambridgeshire, died from a brain haemorrhage in April.

The school plans to transform a donated bus into an "engaging place to relax with a book" in her name.

"We all feel the loss and it's something positive we can do," head teacher Laura Latham said.

"There was absolutely no indication this would happen [to Lyla] so it was a real shock to everybody. It was devastating.

"We thought that working together to create a book bus, dedicated to her memory, would bring us all together and be a positive and creative project to undertake."

The school currently has a small non-fiction area in a corridor, but Year 1 teacher Judith Balls said she had "always been frustrated that there was nowhere to create a library".

She said she first had the idea during the Easter Holidays, but when they returned to school to the news that Lyla had died, they were "completely rocked" so decided to make it happen.

"I thought it would be amazing for the community and for Lyla's family to get involved with," she said.

"It can't bring Lyla back but it's something that they, and we, can work towards."

Ensign Bus Company in Purfleet provided the bus, which had its engine and fuel tank removed, and it was towed to the school during half-term and put in the playground.

A JustGiving page has been created to raise an estimated £10,000 for cleaning the bus, stripping it of fittings, interior design, carpentry and electrical work.

There is "a huge amount of work to do", Ms Latham said, but "so many people want to help".

Ms Balls said it would be a "fitting tribute" to a pupil that she described as being "lovely and full of life" with a "gorgeous smile".

"She loved to dress up," she said. "On superhero day she chose to be a nurse which shows what she was like.

"We plan to have a small area on the bus dedicated to her, with maybe a unicorn on the wall and lots of purple cushions because she loved purple.

"It will be a wonderful place for our children to read books and listen to stories, and remember Lyla."

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