Hove woman who bought two American school buses reaches awards final

When Kate Packham, from Hove, saw a 2001 International Bluebird junior school bus from Iowa up for sale during lockdown, she took the plunge and bought it.

The bus came with a fully fitted commercial kitchen, having previously been used for catering.

Kate, who has worked in the catering industry for 25 years, started selling sourdough toasties from the bus in Hove Park as lockdown restrictions began to ease.

After the pandemic, she began taking the bus, which she christened “Bella”, to festivals and weddings.

She has now bought a second bus, a Wolfington International pre-school bus from Pennsylvania, known as “Wolfie”, which she is converting into a luxury bar and cocktail lounge.

The bus is popular with non-traditional weddings and couples with American connections (Image: Amy Faith) Kate said: “It’s quite unlikely for a girl who grew up in Hove and went to Blatchington Mill School.

"The buses turn a lot of heads. When people see a 5ft 3in blonde lady getting out of the passenger seat to fill up with petrol, they do a double take.

The buses have become popular with couples looking for a "non traditional" weddings or those who grew up in the USA and Canada.

Kate’s business, Old Skool Bus Events, has reached the finals for The Quirky Weddings Awards in the Most Unique Catering category.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony on November 21 in Birmingham.