An Oxford charity that organises day trips for disadvantaged families has been left £2,000 out of pocket after a coach company went bust.

Oxfordshire-based Heyfordian Travel ceased trading suddenly on Tuesday (August 1) citing rising costs and driver shortages.

Barton Community Association had planned a trip to the seaside with the coach company on August 2 but were forced to cancel it at the last minute, leaving families devastated.

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Secretary Sue Holden said: “We had no idea about Heyfordian Travel going bust until someone alerted us by text on Tuesday afternoon (August 1).

“I sent them an email with some questions but had no response. Therefore, we didn’t know what would happen with the trip to the trip to Brighton.

“The bus didn’t turn up and I have had 61 very distressed and upset passengers.”

Ms Holden explained that the company had taken payments for other day trips organised for later in the year, totalling around £2,000.

She said that the charity still didn’t know what would happen to the money and they would have to find the funds to reimburse the people signed up for the Brighton trip yesterday (August 2).

The mission of Barton Community Association is to improve the quality of life for all residents in Barton.

Alongside day trips, they provide support in relation to a number of topics such as finding work or setting up your own business.

Community Development Manager, Tanya Field added: “The trips to the seaside are one of the highlights of the year.

Oxford Mail: Heyfordian Travel cease trading

“Barton Community Association subsidises them and in an area of deprivation this often is the only opportunity for families to get out of Oxfordshire in the summer holidays.

“They make a big difference to the families in the area.”

Heyfordian Travel has been operating in Oxfordshire for over 75 years.

It was founded in the Bicester area in 1947 and specialises in group travel across the UK.

The coach company also had offices in High Wycombe and Aylesbury and operated 75 coaches.

They were also due to operate 13 school transport contracts for Oxfordshire County Council from September.

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In a statement released on their website on Tuesday (August 1), they said they had ceased trading with the ‘utmost regret.’

It said: "We are so sorry after 76 years of trading that unfortunately it has come to this.

 "We just faced too many headwinds with inflation, rising costs, driver shortages and having massive interest charges on our bounce back loans that it has become impossible to continue."

Heyfordian Travel has been contacted for comment.