A VITAL community group in Alderholt has a new bus - thanks to the funds raised during an 18 month campaign.

Coach in the Community was launched three years after an old bus was converted to give young people a social lifeline.

The 20-year-old bus was costly to maintain and run and so volunteers banded together in search of a newer model.

And now the new bus, donated by Stagecoach bus company, has been kitted out with a kitchen, a games consol and a flatscreen television and boasts solar panels, allowing the projects to run in rural areas.

Weekly youth clubs in Alderholt and Cranborne are run from the bus and a session in Potterne Skatepark in Verwood is held every Friday evening.

The coach is also used for holiday clubs and the Alderholt Arts Festival and succeeds thanks to the dedication of 50 volunteers and 10 volunteer drivers.

The aim of the projects is to give a place for young people to meet or access advice and guidance The projects also aim to tackle anti-social behaviour and supports vulnerable adults.

A spokesman from Coach in the Community said: "The project has become a key part of the local communities over the years, particularly as youth services have reduced.

"Although it is a small charity, reliant solely upon donations, the work has become widely recognised by statutory services including East Dorset Council, Dorset Police and also local and national businesses, as playing a key part in community activities."

A party was held at St James Church in Alderholt to celebrate the new bus attended by 100 guests including the Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Revd Karen Gorham, who blessed the bus.