Connecting Communities Impact Report
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It’s a crucial point, and one that speaks<br />
volumes about just how vital the <strong>Connecting</strong><br />
<strong>Communities</strong> ser-vice is to its users.<br />
Community transport operators go ‘the extra<br />
mile’ for their passengers. It’s about more<br />
than ferrying from A to B – even if the B is the<br />
COVID-19 vaccination centre Steven spent<br />
months driving vulnerable people to earlier this<br />
year, ensuring they got to their appointments<br />
on time.<br />
And although Mr Wilding is still able to support<br />
his wife, Steven points out that in many cases,<br />
the passengers will not have a partner or<br />
relative they can rely upon. “Some people can<br />
rely on a family member or a neighbour but for<br />
some that’s not an option,” Steven says.<br />
In these situations in particular, the role of the<br />
driver becomes even more important. Drivers<br />
take great care to provide a tailored service<br />
specific to their passengers’ needs, and to<br />
break up the social isola-tion with a friendly face<br />
and some warm conversation.<br />
With public bus provision becoming much<br />
less available, particularly for those living in<br />
rural areas, Steven believes it’s crucial that<br />
community transport organisations can<br />
continue on their mission to support both<br />
people and places that other services are<br />
unable to reach.<br />
Mr and Mrs Wilding at a family wedding in<br />
summer 2021, which they were able to attend<br />
thanks to Hadleigh Community Transport<br />
“I’m always bombarded with questions about<br />
whether our service might be removed, and that<br />
can be quite stressful,” he says. “In some places<br />
public transport provision is nil, in other places<br />
they might get one or two buses per week – but<br />
there are very few services around here for<br />
people now, and often we are their only option.”<br />
I’d just like to say a huge thank you for transporting mum<br />
along with dad to the church for the family wedding. Mum<br />
had a thoroughly enjoyable time and although she has severe<br />
Alzheimer’s she was all smiles during the service and enjoyed<br />
singing along to the hymns. It was wonderful to have her<br />
involved and to be reunited as a family.<br />
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