Christmas 2010
All good wishes for a Happy Christmas and a happy & healthy New Year from the
staff and Trustees of the Barbara Bus Fund
So many of our customers say lovely things about the service we offer here at the Barbara Bus Fund and we would like to share some of those with you – you will find some quotes dotted about the newsletter.
As usual they have been amazing this year taking passengers all over the place – we have taken people as far as Devon and Norfolk for holidays, to airports and docks to begin their holidays, days out to the coast and the countryside, to funerals, weddings and to parties, to concerts and shows in the West End and other locations and most recently to Carol Concerts and trips to see the Christmas lights. This year drivers also rallied round to assist one of our regular passengers whose wife had an extended spell in hospital – we arranged for him to visit her as often as we could find a driver. As usual in January the Trustees will be hosting a Drivers Meal which gives us the opportunity to thank all our volunteers for their support. The cost of a trip with a volunteer driver is still a very economical 30p per mile but we fear this may have to go up in the New Year to meet the rising costs of diesel. To help the drivers with calculating the cost of trips, we have now provided a handy ‘Ready Reckoner’ in each of the vehicles.
“So lovely to be able to get out into the ‘real’ world”
Farewell This year we have said ‘goodbye’ to a long standing Trustee, Ron Symons. Ron has been involved with the Fund for many years and has been the Treasurer for more than ten years. He resigned for personal reasons and we are all very grateful to Ron for his hard work over the years. He will always be remembered by name as one of the vehicles used in the Welsh operation has been named after him. Many thanks to Ron and all his family for their support of the Fund.
• Drivers are responsible for ensuring that the vehicles are parked safely and legally
• Any penalty charges are the responsibility of the driver
• Each vehicle has a copy of ‘The Blue Badge Scheme: rights and responsibilities in England’ and a copy of ‘The Blue Badge Guide to parking in London’ – all drivers should familiarise themselves with the contents of these books
• Specifically the Blue Badge is to be used for the benefit of the disabled person only – the driver may not use it for his own convenience
• Please read carefully any notices displayed in car parks or by the roadside to make sure that you are obeying the instructions
• Private Car Parks do not always have concessions for Blue Badge holders – beware.
• If in doubt – park somewhere else
“Many thanks to the very kind, innovative & thoughtful Barbara Werndly”
Passenger Safety As we now have quite a wide range of vehicles with different fixings, it is important that drivers and carers are familiar with the safest way to secure passengers – so please do not hesitate to ask us for a familiarisation/revision session – just give us a call or pop into the office and we will be happy to help.
“Thank you for being there when we needed you”
Welcome also to ‘Sue’
“Thank you so much for arranging a driver and vehicle to get Mum to her grandaughter’s wedding – she has been
talking ever since about the wonderful day she had”
London Marathon Again This year we were fortunate to have someone running for us in the London Marathon – Steve Kendell who has looked after the maintenance of the Barbara Bus vehicles, initially with his father, for as long as anyone can remember. This was his second attempt, as last year he was unable to run after succumbing to pneumonia. He completed it in a time of 4h22mins, and raised over £600 for the Fund. Many thanks Steve!
Barbara Bus Gwynedd After the launch in Criccieth last summer the vehicles have quickly become an important part of the community in North Wales, and David Thomas, our ‘man in Wales’ secured a sizeable grant to assist the Fund with expansion by siting another vehicle in Aberdovey – a vehicle is on order and should be available early in the New Year.
“We took our residents to Southend and had a wonderful time”
Fundraising We acknowledge that we live in financially difficult times and therefore are even more appreciative of the kind donations made by many of the people who use the vehicles, and their friends and families. We try to keep our costs down to a minimum, but with the price of fuel ever increasing and the forthcoming rise in the VAT rate your contributions are valuable to us. Remember that if you are a UK taxpayer you can increase the value of any donation you make to the Fund by way of Gift Aid – please ask us for a form.
Contact us with any queries or booking requests:
Tel:020 8416 0733 e mail: office@barbarabus.com Web: www.barbarabus.com