Two mothers from Oxford put the wheels in motion for a year of fundraising and are looking forward to the arrival of a new £20,000 minibus for their children's school.

Pauline Chantler and Emma Muir set themselves the challenge of raising enough money to replace an old vehicle at St Swithun's Primary School, in Kennington.

The idea of the Bus 4 Us appeal came to the two friends during a session at the White Horse leisure centre gym in Abingdon.

Mrs Chantler, whose nine-year-old daughter Sophie goes to the school, in Grundy Crescent, said: "We weren't losing any pounds, so we thought we would try to make some instead.

"We knew it was such a big project so that's why we said we would do it for a year but never again.

Mrs Chantler, of Old Nursery View, Kennington, added: "It was so much work but so rewarding."

Miss Muir, of Upper Road, said the pair used to hold 'board meetings' on the treadmill.

The mother of two, whose daughters Molly, nine, and Emily, five, also go to St Swithun's, said: "It was hard work, but we had set ourselves a goal, so we had to do it."

The pair started their mission in December 2004.

Since then, they have manned bouncy castles in pub gardens and taken the proceeds from ticket sales, organised a summer ball, held treasure hunts, quiz nights and created a tea-towel with the schoolchildren's self portraits.

Donations from villagers, Kennington Parish Council, the Vale of the White Horse District Council and the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council, as well as businesses, also flooded in.

One of the reasons they wanted to replace the bus was after making a promise to the old school caretaker and unofficial bus driver Malcolm Purves, who died in 2004.

Miss Muir said: "It was his determination and care which kept the old bus going for so long.

"We had joked to him we would get him a new one and we wanted to carry on with the challenge in his memory."

Their campaign received a £1,500 boost from Kennington Amateur Dramatics (Kads), which donated the proceeds from the first night of their production of Peter Pan in January.

Mrs Chantler said the gesture was particularly poignant as it had been approved by Mr Purves's wife, Jo.

As well as being a popular figure at the school, Mr Purves was actively involved with Kads and was keen to see the Bus 4 Us appeal get off the ground.

The women are now planning to put a memorial to him in the new vehicle, which is expected to arrive on Thursday.

The bus will be available for the community to use.