Winners of Brand the Bus 2024

• OXFORD HOSPITALS CHARITY SCOOPS BUMPER £40,000 FIRST PRIZE
• BE FREE YOUNG CARERS AND STYLE ACRE CONFIRMED RUNNERS-UP
• MORE THAN 11,000 PUBLIC VOTES RECEIVED

Oxford Bus Company has confirmed Oxford Hospitals Charity as the winner of the hotly contested Brand the Bus! 2024 competition.

The charity supports hospitals across the Oxford University NHS Trust by providing them with the best medical equipment, research and facilities to benefit staff and patients.

It will now have its branding and key messages emblazoned on an Oxford Bus Company double-decker bus, which will be an electric vehicle in a first for the competition. The organisation will also receive a year’s worth of advertising with Greatest Hits Radio.  

Harwell based Be Free Young Carers provide emotional support, recreational and social activities to children with caring responsibilities across Oxfordshire and will receive a new ‘mega rear’ advertisement on the back of a bus.

Style Acre provides supported living, work and skills programmes for people with learning disabilities and autism, with community centres in Didcot, Wallingford and Banbury. It will receive a £1,000 worth of digital on-board advertising to help raise awareness of its activities.

The winner and runners up were selected by a judging panel from a shortlist of ten good causes who achieved the highest public votes. A record-breaking number of people voted for good causes this year, with more than 11,000 taking part.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, said: “Congratulations to Oxford Hospitals Charity, the runners-up and to all the good causes who entered.

“It was a challenging task selecting the overall winner from so many worthy good causes and well-considered submissions. Oxford Hospitals Charity won the panel’s vote as it produced a compelling submission in which the team identified how they share similar values to Oxford Bus Company.

“We’re looking forward to working with them on their design for our first branded electric bus and will also look at how we can support the highly commended finalists.  

“The response to the competition has been overwhelming, as ever, with so many entries and votes that we have decided to make it an annual contest to give more good causes the opportunity to raise their profile.”

Sarah Vaccari, Head of Communications at of Oxford Hospitals Charity said: “We are utterly thrilled to learn that Oxford Hospitals Charity has won the Brand the Bus competition.

“So many wonderful local charities entered this very special contest, so we are incredibly grateful to all those who took the time to vote for our cause.

“Oxford Hospitals Charity funds specialist medical equipment that’s at the forefront of technology and creates more welcoming and positive hospital environments for patients, young and old.

“Branding the bus will take our charity message out of the hospitals and into the high street – allowing us to inspire more people, raise more funds and quite literally go the extra mile for the local hospitals that care for us all.

A huge thank you to the Oxford Bus Company and Bauer Media for such an exciting opportunity.”

The finalists were: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, Sobell House Hospice Charity, Helen and Douglas House, Oxford Hospitals Charity, Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, Style Acre, SSNAP, Yellow Submarine, Oxfordshire Youth and Be Free Young Carers.