Colchester SOS Bus

14/10/2026

A huge congratulations to Welfare & Volunteer Manager, Stacey Banner and Welfare and Volunteer Senior, Nicky Best both from our Open Road Colchester team, who were jointly Highly Commended as City Heroes at the Colchester Business Awards 2026 last week.

The award recognises people who go above and beyond for Colchester, and Stacey and Nicky do exactly that along with an army of incredible volunteers. Every week the SOS bus provides a unique frontline service to that delivers care and compassion with warmth, patience and determination. 🚍 🚑 👨‍⚕️

Thank you for celebrating everyone recognised on the night. See all the City Heroes here: https://colchesterbusinessawards.co.uk/winners-and-finalists.

13/03/2026

🚨 Drug Alert: Harmful substances found in seized v**es 🚨

Recent testing of v**es taken from a Wiltshire school found THC, Spice, and synthetic cannabinoids; substances that can cause dizziness, vomiting, anxiety, breathing issues, and even medical emergencies.

Harm‑reduction advice:
✔️ Stick to legal, labelled ni****ne v**es from reputable retailers
✔️ Avoid v**es of unknown origin — contents may not match the packaging
✔️ Don’t share devices
✔️ Know that synthetic drugs like Spice can’t always be detected by smell, taste, or appearance

If you need one-to-one support for THC v**e use or any other drugs or alcohol, please get in touch! 📲

13/03/2026

There are still a few tickets available for our event with John Robins at tonight with support from . It will be an unforgettable evening as John talks about his new book, 'Thirst' and his journey to recovery from alcohol addiction. It's been a real coup to get John to Colchester in advance of his nationwide book tour in May. You can hear John talk about the show this afternoon on . Snap those tickets up via this link: https://colchesterartscentre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173664751/events/428715368?_gl=1*1r6sisw*_ga*MTkxOTUwMDE1NC4xNzU3OTIwOTkw*_ga_Y4V7HBYV3K*czE3NzMzOTg5OTQkbzE0JGcxJHQxNzczMzk5MDUyJGoyJGwwJGgw

13/03/2026

We, at Open Road, were delighted to attend the High Sheriff of Essex's Awards recently. We received £10,435 which is going towards both SOS Buses' volunteers, including uniforms, first aid and self-defence training.
‘The support we have received through the High Sheriff of Essex Awards is incredibly meaningful to us. This funding enables us to strengthen our SOS Bus provision by equipping our volunteers with vital first aid and self-defence training, alongside providing appropriate uniforms and essential equipment to keep both volunteers and those we support safe. Across Essex, our SOS Bus is often a first point of contact for vulnerable individuals in the night-time economy, and this investment will enhance our ability to respond effectively, professionally, and compassionately. It ensures our volunteers feel confident and supported in their roles, ultimately allowing us to reach more people, reduce harm and continue building safer communities.’ – Nicky Best, Welfare and Volunteer Senior.
We are very grateful to for the award.

22/12/2025