 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Congresbury Community Transport |
|||||||||||||||
|
Registered Charity No: 1094856 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Links |
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
||
|
Last updated 3 December 2006 |
||
|
Needs Identification The Parish Council’s Annual Open Meeting in May1998 discussed the transport problems of many sections of the village and the feasibility of setting up a “minibus project”. This discussion was based on local transport needs identified in the 1998 summary of the 1996 “Village Appraisal” questionnaires. An informal group agreed to investigate the likely users of such a scheme and how it could be financed. Following this initial study, a Board of Trustees was established in January 1999 and a constitution adopted based on a model provided by the Charity Commission for “Unincorporated Associations”.
In 2001 the Parish Council circulated a “Village Facilities Questionnaire” to all homes and businesses in the village. North Somerset Council then agreed to analyse the data and published a full report. This supported the provision of a community minibus for a wide range of users and purposes, and in particular for the mobility impaired, the elderly and socially isolated, and the need for a door-to-door service.
During the first year of the new Board of Trustees of CCT (2001/2002), 17 Charitable Groups and 18 Social Groups made use of the minibus and a wide range of visits for charitable purposes were organised by Congresbury Community Transport.
Empirical surveys with both these user groups and potential users of the minibus during 2001/2002 had made it clear that not only was CCT a viable project, but that the existing minibus facilities were inadequate to fully meet user and potential user needs. These unmet transport needs required an increase in seating capacity, an increase in the number of passengers in wheelchairs that could be carried, much better disabled access, and more secure stowage for wheelchairs when on board.
It was also found that the majority of charitable groups were unable to provide their own drivers, needing drivers to be provided from CCT’s pool of volunteers. In 2003 the Board of Trustees decided that, in the interest of safety, and to comply with expected legislation, all drivers should be trained to at least the MIDAS level. Two consequences followed from this decision: CCT would need to provide the trained driver from its team of volunteers for all who hired Bluey; funds would be needed to pay for the MIDAS training of the team.
Following the purchase and putting into service of Bluey II in December 2003, the Board of Trustees continued to monitor closely the actual number and types of use of the new minibus and its enhanced facilities. During 2004 it became clear that CCT should consider purchasing additional transport equipment to meet these developing needs.
The September 2004 meeting of the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed that capital funds should continue to be raised and invested for the eventual replacement of Bluey II. A time scale of 8 years, from the date of delivery was agreed upon, as this would provide a further 7 years for fund raising, by which time Bluey II would still have a good resale value. This same meeting unanimously agreed to continue with 12 of the previous specific targets. |
||