Community bus service keeps villagers moving thanks to donation
A community bus project for north Shropshire has kept their wheels turning, thanks to a donation from the Morgan Foundation.
North Salop Wheelers provides an essential service to residents without their own means of transport for essential journeys.
For some time now there has been little rejoicing by those villagers of North Shropshire who do not drive and whilst there are still significant issues NS Wheelers Community Transport Project has been given a life line to make things better.
North Salop Wheelers were given the very special Christmas present by the Morgan Foundation, which offers support to charities across North Wales, Merseyside, West Cheshire and North Shropshire. The donation was welcomed by the Wheelers who were presented with the cheque at a celebratory lunch for passengers and volunteers following their Friday shopping trip.
The organisers of the community bus project say that funding is essential. As the lions share of village transport has been handed over to the voluntary sector in many places nationwide, it falls to the management of those services to take steps to ensure that transport is developed sustainably. With the disappearance of local authority funding for so many groups, the opportunities to attract charitable funding is becoming more competitive with so many applying for an ever shrinking pot.
Consequently it is the aim of North Salop Wheelers to become self-funding and they now have three years in which to do that, thanks to the help of the Morgan foundation. John Harrison, from North Salop Wheelers, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the project and its users: “We wanted to thank the Trustees of the Morgan foundation for approving our application and Jane Harris, their representative, for presenting the cheque in front of the assembled membership.”
Mr Harrison, warned though they must not be complacent and they still needed help to keep the essential service moving: “North Salop Wheelers cannot do it alone and so we now call upon leaders of town and parish councils as well as community groups and other people interested in transport, to work with us so that we can continue to help those without access to a motor car but who still need to get out of their homes to conduct their daily business. If you find yourself at a loose end and would like to help personally, please get in touch.”
To find out more information visit: northsalopwheelers.co.uk or call 01948 800037.
