CCP Community Transport
The need for better access to Transport across West Northumberland is widely acknowledged and, as a result, we set up CCP Community Transport to try to ‘fill in the gaps’.
Our Community Transport initiative was born out of discussions we held across the area about the need to enable more people to participate in social opportunities in their communities, attend appointments and access vital public services, and to ‘service’ some of our other initiatives detailed on this website. We are also filling a gap in transport provision where vulnerable and isolated people who had no means of transport because of either a lack of public transport or an inability to use it, needed to get to medical appointments at doctors surgeries or hospitals.* This is especially needed in our deep rural areas.
In more detail, we are very clear we support people using public transport where it is available and they are able to access it, and we are most definitely not in ‘competition’ with private taxi firms. Our criteria is very simply to be available for people who are vulnerable – meaning, for example, people with disabilities or living with Dementia etc, which may be making it impossible for them to access public transport; people who are isolated and who have no other means of transport etc; people who are not able to drive themselves due to accident or illness, etc: so we give lifts to people who are sight impaired, people who have special needs, people who need to get to their local surgery or other medical appointment, people who wish to go to a social occasion designed to reduce social isolation and increase a sense of wellbeing, and make friends and find support, etc.
In practice, the way it works is that we invite doctors surgeries, organisers of activities and events and other community champions/leaders to evaluate whether a person fits our criteria for a lift and, if so, to refer them to us churchandcommunitypartnership@gmail.com Our transport coordinator will then circulate this to our volunteer drivers (who we pay 45p a mile to) to see if anyone can help.
This service is entirely funded by voluntary contributions, so we do welcome and need donations from everyone who takes part or supports us to keep it all going – see donate link at the top of our home page. THANK YOU.
* This does not include those who have life-limiting conditions, as we refer these people to the Tynedale Hospice at Home transport project which they are contracted to provide.
The Community Transport Association says:
Community transport provides flexible and accessible community-led solutions in response to unmet local transport needs and often represents the only means of transport for many vulnerable and isolated people, often older people or people with disabilities.
Community transport has enormous social and economic benefits to communities all across the United Kingdom. Its role in combating loneliness and social isolation, helping people remain independent and access their communities can’t be overstated. Because of community transport, tens of thousands of individuals can access the transport they need, regardless of their circumstances.