Pupils 'upset' after bus damage cancels football tour

Parents at a Brighton school say their children were left upset after their football tour was cancelled at the last minute due to a damaged coach.

Pupils at Patcham High School arrived on Monday morning to set off to the Netherlands for a school trip, but plans were halted after their travel company's coach hit school railings, damaging it and leaving it unusable.

Parents of the affected children are now appealing to the community to help arrange alternative plans to make up for the cancelled trip.

The school's tour company apologised to children and parents and offered a full refund, while the school added that the company was looking to reschedule the trip for the autumn term.

Louisa Fitzgerald, whose daughter was due to go on the trip, told Radio Sussex: "We had 60 very upset students who were desperate to go.

"We want to bring some joy to them and prove to them that people have their back."

Louisa said the trip was due to take the students to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, including playing against local football teams during their time away.

Following the incident, the travel company told parents in a letter seen by the BBC that it had attempted to book alternative travel including Eurostar trains and flights but could not find anything for a group of that size at short notice.

A spokesperson for the school said the tour was "set to be a real highlight for many of our young people".

Ruth Astley, assistant headteacher at the school, said she was "incredibly proud" of the attitude shown by students despite the disappointment, and said the school was organising an alternative football event with the help of local organisations.