Southampton pupils visit Parliament

Pupils travel to London aboard the Mayflower bus as our Transport Subsidy Scheme marks more than 6,000 young people supported

Since Mayflower launched their new Transport Subsidy Scheme in partnership with Xelabus in January 2025, over 6,000 students have been able to experience live theatre, many for the first time. To mark this moment, local MPs, Darren Paffey and Satvir Kaur invited students from Mayflower partner schools, St Patricks Catholic Primary School, Weston Secondary School and Woodlands Community College to visit Parliament to reinforce the importance of the scheme. Darren welcomed the students in Westminster Hall.

The Transport Subsidy Scheme supports schools as well as community groups funding their transport to both Mayflower venues. In 2023, UK Theatre’s Theatre for Every Child campaign was introduced to amplify national voice about the importance of theatre visits for schools and the subsidy scheme is just one way in which Mayflower supports this national campaign.

Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive of Mayflower, said: “We are immensely proud that we have reached over 6,000 students in the past two years and enabled them to enjoy the transformative power of live theatre at our venues. The partnership with Xelabus helps us remove one of the biggest barriers for schools – the cost of travel.”