Children sheltered from storms

"Some days it’s been pretty wet with the good old Manawatu westerlies – and it’s at the beginning of the day. It’s not the best going to school in the wet." Richard Tankersley, project leader for bus shelters built in Ashhurst.

Brow-beaten Ashhurst pupils forced to wait for their school bus in the rain now have shelter from the frequent storms.

The Ashhurst Pohangina Lions Club and the Palmerston North City Council have installed bus shelters on Guildford St.

Until they went up this month, schoolchildren often faced a damp wait for their transport.

One of the project’s leaders, Richard Tankersley, said Ashhurst residents had been vocal on social media about the need for the shelters. ‘‘I guess the challenge for any small community or group is funding these things.’’

The Lions club stepped up to the plate and put forward $21,275 needed for two of the bus stops, with the council funding the third. ‘‘Lions said if we put two in can you put one in and they said yes,’’ Tankersley said.

The Lions were involved in many fundraisers in the region and thought this was a worthwhile one.

Tankersley said his children went to high school from Ashhurst and he’d dropped them off at the Guilford St site many times.

‘‘Some days it’s been pretty wet with the good old Manawatu westerlies – and it’s at the beginning of the day. It’s not the best going to school in the wet.’’