Huw jumps aboard for maiden voyage of new Shopping Bus for Heathfield
Heathfield MP, Huw Merriman, joined volunteers and passengers on Heathfield & District Age Concern’s brand new Shopping Bus as it set out on its first trip on Thursday 9th March.
The new bus was the result of a successful bid to the Department for Transport Community Minibus Fund, a £25m initiative designed to support small, not for profit, charities and other organisations throughout Britain to enable them to maintain and expand transport services for disadvantaged and socially isolated residents in rural areas.
The new bus joins two similar buses which are used for a variety of journeys taking passengers to lunch clubs, local Day Centres and the ever popular weekly shopping trips for Horam and Heathfield residents when it collects them (and their shopping trollies) from their homes and delivers them to wherever they wish to go in Heathfield High Street, before returning them home again after they have completed their shopping.
Groups are also taken on longer trips covering anything from a pub lunch to a theatre trip, a bowls match, an afternoon at the races, a trip to a local amenity or an afternoon drive just to see the countryside. In fact anything that the local older residents want to do to improve their well-being and to help them feel part of the community.
The vehicles are fully accessible 14 seater minibuses for those who find it difficult to access public transport or do not have the use of a car. Manual and electric wheelchairs can be loaded via a tail lift to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from the trips.
In addition to their buses the charity which is run entirely by volunteers who now nearly number some 40 people, operates a car service to transport local residents to hospitals, surgeries and clinics throughout the region. This service is so popular that up to one hundred journeys are completed each month.
Huw said “I was delighted to be able to join volunteers and passengers for the first trip of the new Age Concern Shopping Bus. I joined the bus for a day last summer and, from talking to passengers, I know what a vital service this provides to local residents who are less mobile or cannot drive. Not only does the Shopping Bus provide an accessible means of transport into Heathfield for shopping, it is also a great social event and a chance to chat and socialise with fellow passengers. I should like to thank Bill Philps, Chairman of Age Concern Heathfield and District for inviting me along to the maiden voyage of this wonderful new bus which will greatly benefit the local community.”
Bill Philps said “We are extremely grateful to the Department for Transport Community Minibus Fund for providing us with this magnificent new bus and we were particularly delighted to have Huw with us on its inaugural run. Having this new minibus will enable us to secure our future and provide more services. We also hope that it will help us to attract more volunteers to join us in providing these valuable services.”