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Scout bus is star of country wedding
By Mike Barden
Sunrise on 10th June 2006 saw the start of a perfect day for an English country wedding in The Lee and Ballinger.
Marika Barden, born and raised in South Heath, came home from Derbyshire to marry Byron Stevens at St John the Baptist Church in a service conducted by the Revd David Burgess.
Guest parking was on Ballinger Cricket Field and the 1st Lee Common Scout bus – after a spit and polish the like of which it had never seen before – shuttled the 85 guests to The Lee and back amid much amusement. Manoeuvring the bus up The Lee Green was a problem so the guests were dropped off at the War Memorial. To Byron’s father’s consternation the first batch of 35 headed straight into the Cock & Rabbit as there was half an hour to kill!
Chris Nevill, scout leader and bus driver for the day, gunned the vintage 1952 bus to stick to a 15-minute round trip shuttle to suit the programme.
The bus, recently touring the First World War battlefields, was bedecked with white ribbons and bows and every seat had a special linen cover to protect the delicate dresses – but the Scouts have a fund-raising scheme to re-cover the seats ready for the next 50 years.
After the church photos, bride and groom also boarded the ‘last bus’ back to Ballinger Hall, which was bedecked with 200 metres of country bunting made by the bride’s mother and friends. The ‘death by chocolate’ wedding cake was cut with Marika’s great-grandfather’s officer’s sword (when he won a DSC in the First World War). One tier of the cake was taken back to the hospital in Derby where Marika works as a senior physiotherapist.