About 15 years ago, a six-year-old boy from Britain wrote a letter to his local newspaper about the dilapidated bus shelter he waited in every morning before his school bus picked him up, never imagining what some honest words from a kindergartner could do.
Bobby Macauly, now 21, started a chain of events that has led to a local tourist attraction. After writing the letter, the town council on the isle of Unst decided to install a brand-new shelter. Soon, things started popping up in the shelter — wicker chairs, a microwave, a carpet, and a telephone — but no one admitted to the donations. So began a tradition that has lasted more than a decade.
“Bobby’s Bus Shelter,” as it has become known as, has gone through a number of different theme changes, including a yellow theme, a jungle theme in honor of Bobby’s move to Africa and once even hosted the royal “crown jewels.” The shelter now even has its own Web site, which has become very popular in the United Kingdom and won a Yahoo! award in 2003.
It’s interesting to see what happens when a community comes together to support its youth.
