Children In Need help Dennis the Playbus settle into Ipswich

It has now been five months since Maggie, the iconic Ipswich playbus, clocked off for the final time, with her duties replaced by Dennis, a former London bus.

For 21 years, Maggie had been trundling up and down the streets of Ipswich, welcoming little ones on board for arts and crafts, stories, interactive learning and fun.

While he certainly had big wheels to fill, Dennis the new Ipswich playbus has been welcomed into the community with open arms, said playbus coordinator, Mandy Potter.

“Dennis has been really capturing everyone’s attention – he’s been doing fantastically well!” she said.

Families who knew and loved Maggie have been back, as well as several new families too. (Image: Charlotte Bond) Dennis pictured recently during his travels around Ipswich. (Image: Mandy Potter) Regular families have continued to visit Dennis, while several new faces have been welcomed on board too.

Over the summer holidays, older children who remember Maggie from their pre-school days were able to come along and meet Dennis for the first time. 

There will be a further chance for people in the community to meet Dennis, when he comes to the Ipswich Transport Museum on Sunday, December 8 from 11am to 4pm.

Funding from the BBC’s Children in Need has ensured that Dennis will be able to serve the people of Ipswich for at least the next three years.

In March, we revealed that Maggie had scooped £98,000 of funding, enabling her to come out of retirement until renovation works on Dennis had been completed.

This funding will fund 50% of the six weekly sessions until 2027.

Mandy said that Dennis has had a fantastic first few months, and she is sure his journey will continue from strength to strength.

“Dennis is really coming into his own and pushing onwards into the future,” she said.