A bright yellow American school bus once used to ferry children to school across the U.S. is finding a new lease of life—this time as a mobile sanctuary for mental health. In a unique partnership for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, leading real estate investment and development advisor Delancey has teamed up with wellness organisation The Zen Project to fund and bring the Zen Bus to neighbourhoods across the UK.

With free drop-in guided meditations, resilience workshops, practical wellness sessions and sound baths, the initiative is designed to make wellbeing resources and experiences accessible to communities that often go without. For many people boarding the bus it may well be the first time they’ve paused all week, and in a world in which we are sadly still seeing a trend for a general decline in mental health, the bus and its sessions are needed more than ever.

image001.jpg

Mental Health: A Pressing Public Issue

The Zen Project’s work is grounded in stark statistics. According to the Office for National Statistics, over 67% of UK residents report ongoing concern about the impacts of COVID-19. Meanwhile, more than 76% of people say they have personal experience of mental health struggles—whether directly or through someone close to them. Anxiety, in particular, has surged since the pandemic, with over 65% of British workers expressing concern about returning to office life. Mental ill health is also now said to be the most common cause of work-limiting conditions among those aged 44 years and younger.

“These numbers tell us something important,” says Kaye Smith, co-founder of The Zen Project. “People are not just stressed—they’re overwhelmed. And many don’t know where to turn. That’s why we bring support straight to the street, to workplaces, to schools. The Zen Project is about showing people that wellbeing tools can be simple, practical, and part of everyday life.”

For Delancey Real Estate, the partnership reflects a broader mission to invest in communities—not just through bricks and mortar, but through meaningful social impact.

Jamie Ritblat, Founder and Executive Chairman of Delancey, explains why supporting this road trip is so important: “Supporting mental health is part of our commitment to the long-term success of the neighbourhoods where we operate. The Zen Bus will be visiting locations where we’re actively involved—places like Elephant & Castle and Earls Court—because we want to support people in these communities. This partnership is a reminder that property isn’t just about buildings — it’s also about helping build healthier, more connected societies.”

Over the course of the week, the Zen Bus will visit a number of other sites including Earls Court, Elephant & Castle Town Centre, Here East, Stratford, Christ Church, Southwark, Jean Stokes Community Centre in Islington, and Royal Priors Shopping Centre, Leamington Spa. As well as a number of dedicated sessions for local schools and NHS key workers.

image002.jpg

From School Run to Mindful Retreat

The Zen Bus’s transformation is as remarkable as its mission. Once a working school bus in the United States—making over 100,000 school runs—it now features a warm, wood-panelled interior, created using 140 pieces of reclaimed timber and countless hours of volunteer labour. The bus took 49 days to ship from New York to the UK and required the removal of 34 original seats to make way for calm zones and community seating areas.

In the lead-up to the tour, volunteers reportedly consumed over 1,000 cups of Yogi Tea—and clocked up thousands of hours in meditation to ensure the experience reflects the grounding principles of mindfulness and stillness.

In cities that never slow down, the Zen Project offers a rare opportunity: to stop, breathe, and take a moment. And sometimes, that’s exactly what people need most.