Busfest Charity Auction
Located at the Dance Stage Area (main street) Saturday 14:00
The Busfest community is passionate about helping others and using our time and resources to promote and donate to charities whenever and wherever we can. Every year at Busfest we support several charities very close to our hearts, both through our charity auction and having several stands at our event dedicated to them.
If you are attending our event either as a trader or day/weekend visitor we encourage you to attend the Charity Auction held at 2pm on Main Street by the Dance Stage Area (near to information) and help in whatever small way to give to those less fortunate. Card machines will be available for those who have already spent their cash at the trade stalls.
Our chosen charity for the suction this year is Vans Without Borders. Guide Dogs will also be in attendance at the event with the visually impaired morris dancers group SoXsighted.
How do I get involved?
If you are a trader attending the event we would be so grateful if you would kindly donate any item/s you wish to the charity auction to be auctioned off on Saturday.
If you are a camping/day visitor we would love for you to attend the auction and either participate or just donate whatever you wish to our chosen charity. We also welcome donations to the charity auction from anyone attending so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Who are Vans Without Borders?
Vans Without Borders is a charity focused on sending relief and supplies to those affected in Ukraine. They are putting their lives on the line each day to bring much needed food, water, clothing and so much more to those in need and we are proud to support them. Vans Without Borders is run the amazing Jack Ross who has been making Humanitarian Aid trips to Ukraine since the very beginning to help the people still caught up in the conflict and need as much support as they can get to be able to continue doing this.
At Busfest 2023 we raised just under £3300 for Vans Without Borders
“So far we at Vans Without Borders (powered by your generosity) have helped thousands of desperate and vulnerable Ukrainians who have become impoverished due to Russian aggression.
Alongside directly supporting those in areas devastated by Russia we have also teamed up with a variety of organisations that support individuals ranging from children in hospices to groups that support children with Down syndrome, and also retirement homes who have been left without assistance as a result of the conflict.
We have orchestrated several major operations across Ukraine, with our teams supplying vulnerable refugees and civilians in every major city of Ukraine – from Donetsk Oblast to Zhaporesia and Kherson. We ensure that no Ukrainians are forgotten or left behind. We also help areas such as Chernihiv, a remote town 20km from the Belarussian border that was totally flattened by Russia and has been largely ignored by international aid organisations.”
Will Guide Dogs be at Busfest again this year?
Of course! The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association have been regular attendees at Busfest for a number of years and we’re very pleased to say we have raised enough money for not one, not two, but THREE guide dogs as of 2025- Buster & Malvern. Our third guide dog is currently awaiting a name.
Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has a significant impact on their daily lives. By 2050, there could be nearly four million. When someone loses their sight – Guide Dogs is here to make sure they don’t lose their freedom as well.
SoXsighted will be with us again this year performing outside the Information Centre 11:00 – 12:00 on Saturday along with some Guide Dogs. SoXsignted are a morris dancer group comprised of people who are visually impaired and they put on a wonderful performance, we encourage you all to watch them perform and if you have some spare change for their buckets we’ll get even closer to funding a third guide dog. They will also have a trade stand at the event where they will have various items such as calendars for sale so if you miss their performance please feel free to pay them a visit.
We rely on donations from the public to keep our life-changing services running.
In 2016, less than 1% of our income came from government funding.
What money can buy
• £5 could support a working guide dog for a day
• £25 could buy a white guide dog harness
• £140 could buy a Starter Kit for a new guide dog owner
Guide Dogs is a working name of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
Registered Office: Hillfields, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire RG7 3YG. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (291646) and a charity registered in England and Wales (209617) and Scotland (SC038979) for the Blind Association.