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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 />

21

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