FOR HIRE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE

 

WHEELCHAIR VEHICLE PROVIDES TRANSPORT TO HOUSEBOUND

Community First is helping housebound disabled people to get out and about by loaning them a wheelchair accessible vehicle at charitable rates.

The M.P.V. can be driven using an ordinary car licence and it can carry up to four passengers plus one wheelchair which can be wheeled straight into the vehicle.

For further information, please contact Liam Tatton-Bennett at Community First on (01380) 722475 ext. 243 or by e-mail:
ltatton-bennett@communityfirst.org.uk

   
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Updated: 6 April 2009

Melksham villages’ school run passes the test

A community minibus group in Melksham is now running a rural school bus service on a regular basis having trialed the service last year.

The service was developed after parents from Holt and Broughton Gifford villages approached Community First to see whether a community minibus service could be established to transport their children to Corsham School.

The parents involved were struggling to get their children to and from the school every day and were concerned about the number of car journeys they were making.

Subsequently, Community First brokered a close working relationship between the parents and with local community minibus group, Melksham Council of Community Service (MCCS).

Strong support to set up the service was also given by local Holt-based parent Jennifer Riddle who helped to recruit new drivers to do the early morning and afternoon runs to and from the villages and the School.

The service now carries a regular bus load throughout the school term and Mrs Riddle continues to work with the community minibus group to co-ordinate the service.

The service is funded mainly by parents and partly by Wiltshire Council who fund MCCS to take certain children living in the villages on the service to Corsham School.

Community First made the link with Wiltshire Council to provide part funding in this way.

The group will be looking for a new regular driver for the service after the summer holidays. The position will be a paid one. For further details please contact, Mr George Brown, Minibus Manager MCCS on (01225) 700319.

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Safety First for Wheels to Work

Riders on Community First’s Wiltshire Wheels to Work scheme are now safer than ever following a training session recently held by Wiltshire Bike Safe.

Supported by Wiltshire Police; the Wiltshire Bike Safe initiative has been running since 1999 in partnership with the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Units.

Held in March, the training session for Wheels to Work riders was organised by Community First and covered a range of topics including rider attitude, protective equipment, road positioning and hazard perception.

Compelling DVD’s were shown about the effects of poor rider attititude; driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and also about the consequences of road accidents.

Although the Bike Safe initiative provides training to riders of more powerful motorcycles they also regularly provide training to riders of bikes with an engine capacity of 125cc or below.

Colin Reeves of Wiltshire Bike Safe, who ran the training session for Community First commented: “Currently across the UK, as many as 1 in 15 young men aged between 23-28 are killed or seriously injured on scooters. This is why it is so important to get the message across about safe riding to people riding a scooter locally – and not just to young men of course but to everyone riding a smaller motorbike.”

Community First will look to hold similar training sessions in the future for other Wheels to Work riders.

More information about the Bike Safe initiative is available at the following website: www.bikesafe.co.uk

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Transport fund now easier to apply to

Local communities’ charity Community First is making life simpler for small community-based groups to apply to its Community Transport Small Grants Fund.

Supported by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council, the fund supports local community projects which help people without access to transport to get around.

The types of projects that can apply include new initiatives which help isolated people to access local services, facilities or community activities. An example might be a minibus service for young people in rural areas which requires help with the costs involved in getting the service off of the ground.

Recently, lower thresholds have been introduced to encourage new projects to apply to the fund.

Projects up to the value of £250 can now apply for 100% of the cost of a project from the fund, as opposed to 75% as previously. The fact that no ‘match funding’ is needed for smaller projects will help community groups without any start-up funding to establish new transport services for the community.

Other small adjustments have also been made to the fund criteria to make it more straightforward for applicants. For instance driver wages can now be paid if they are integral to a new service being developed.

Existing community transport schemes such as Link schemes and Community Minibuses wanting to reach new passengers are also invited to apply to the fund.

Grants of up to £1,000 are available.

Examples of projects include:

• Minibus equipment
• Community minibus schemes that offer new/improved services
• Training of minibus drivers through accredited schemes.
• Publicity to advertise community transport services
• Development of new transport services which can become self-sustaining
• Costs towards mobile services and/or facilities
• Schemes which bring services closer to people (e.g. internet)
• Research of local transport needs
• Contributory costs of recruiting volunteers/staff

For more information please visit http://www.communityfirst.org.uk/ct-small-grants.html
or for an application form please contact Susanne Pidduck at Community First on (01380) 722475 or e-mail spidduck@communityfirst.org.uk.

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Let us take the strain out of your BSOG claim

For the uninitiated, the Bus Services Operator’s Grant (or BSOG) is a rebate of most of the excise duty paid on fuel used by bus operators across the country.

If you operate a minibus under a Section 19 or a Section 22 Permit, you are eligible to claim BSOG if you carry certain categories of people, including anyone over 60, disabled people and socially isolated people.

Those that already claim BSOG will know that doing so is a relatively time consuming process. To free up more time for you to run your services, Community First can arrange for you to be registered to claim B.S.O.G. if you aren’t claiming the grant already. In addition they can offer the following services to you for a small fee:

Setting up a records system for you
Carrying out your claims for you
Checking your claim before you send it off to the Department for Transport
Helping you claim retrospectively back until May 1st 2002

We have already assisted three community minibus groups claim back BSOG and the estimated combined value of their claims is £15,000.

What’s more, we do not make a charge for your services until you have received all of your BSOG back from the Department for Transport.

Contact Liam Tatton-Bennett on 01380 722475 for further information.

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Chippenham Shopmobility
Based at Thornton’s in the
Borough Parade Shopping Centre, Chippenham.

Free loan of 3 or 4-wheeled electrically powered scooters to people with limited mobility.
Scooters can be used to go shopping anywhere in Chippenham town centre.

To book, please call (01249) 463100. To register to use the service you will need to take along proof of your address to Thornton’s.

Wiltshire and Swindon Community Transport - Wyndhams, St Josephs Place, Devizes SN10 1DD Tel: 01380 722475 email: transport@communityfirst.org.uk