MORE THAN JUST A BUS
The Daisy Ring Bus
by Jean G-Owen with June Ring
with a foreword by Nigel Hartley MBE, IW High Sheriff
Click here to PRE-ORDER your copy
proceeds from sales will support the Daisy Ring Bus
Councillor Chris Jarman JP, writes:
There are many people who have been involved over the years in the development of the concept, execution and sustaining of the Daisy Bus. Of these, and without doubt, June Ring stands out as fundamentally important to its success. Her drive, energy, determination and, at times, stubbornness were essential characteristics in bringing forward this critical lifeline for Isle of Wight patients needing to obtain life-saving treatment in mainland hospitals. Quite simply, without June there would have been no Daisy Bus. Thousands of Islanders who have benefited from it and all of us who have been part of its journey, owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude.
Social History & Cultural Heritage
‘It’s a bus that no one really wants to be on,
but it takes away all of my worries…’
A stretch of sea, a journey that must be made and a little bus that has become an Island institution. For twenty-five years, the Daisy Ring Bus has been narrowing the Solent for Isle of Wight cancer patients travelling to mainland hospitals. But its story is anything but an ordinary tale of getting from A to B. Behind the wheels are decades of campaigning, unlikely friendships, laughter, fierce loyalties and an Island community that refuses to leave its own stranded.
From June Ring’s pioneering work in cancer support and the earliest volunteer drivers to the creation of the Daisy Bus and its dramatic rescue from closure in 2025 as the Daisy Ring Bus, this is a history of remarkable characters, unexpected challenges and hard-won victories. Drawing on photographs, newspaper archives, personal recollections and moving testimonies, Jean G-Owen celebrates the people who built the service, the battles fought to protect it and the passengers whose journeys reveal its true significance.
At once a celebration of community endeavour and a revealing account of the difficulties facing Island cancer patients, More Than Just A Bus is written proof that the shortest distance between two places is a community pulling together.
MORE THAN JUST A BUS is raising money for the DAISY RING BUS
For more information about the charity visit the website here.
