All aboard as £10k boost saves vital community bus
Community groups will stay mobile thanks to funding that will keep a lifeline transport service on the road.
Paisley’s Tannahill Centre has been awarded £10,000 from Community Transport Glasgow to start a bus service which will be used by organisations and charities throughout the region.
During the Covid- 19 pandemic, Community Transport Glasgow donated the use of a community bus in Ferguslie Park that allowed volunteers to collect donations and deliver food parcels to those who were self-isolating.
Volunteers also went on to use the bus to deliver social isolation bingo in Ferguslie Park and beyond.
Thanks to funding from SPT, the bus will continue to be used in Renfrewshire to pilot the need for a community bus that can be used for a range of groups and organisations, including lunch clubs for older people, after-school care and disability organisations.
Jamie Mallan is business transformation manager at the Tannahill Centre and a member of Renfrewshire Community Transport steering group.
He said: “We are delighted to receive this support from SPT so we can begin to provide a community transport service not just in Ferguslie Park, but across Renfrewshire.
“The pandemic has shown us how important meeting up with friends and being able to access everyday activities is to our own mental health and wellbeing and, thanks to this funding, groups across Renfrewshire will be able to help more people get out of their homes, or make new experiences as they participate in activities for the first time.
He added: “The support for community transport in Renfrewshire has been phenomenal.
“From Community Transport Glasgow locating one of its buses here in Ferguslie, community groups such as KLASS Care through to Renfrewshire Council, Health and Social Care Partnership and Engage Renfrewshire are all coming together to ensure there is a co-ordinated approach to the scheme and that’s fantastic.
“The funding will enable us to continue working with Community Transport Glasgow to employ and train a local driver for our pilot project over the next year.”
The support for community transport in Renfrewshire has been phenomenal