Have you ever seen the Wealdlink community service buses which can often be seen around Crowborough and surrounding villages – standing out from the crowd with their white, silver and blue livery, ferrying passengers to and fro. Have you ever been on one of their buses or wondered if they can be of help to you?
How much do you know about Wealdlink? Did you know, for example, that it is a charity and part of the Community Transport Association? It was set up to provide community bus services in Wealden linking places that have poor or no transport links to town centre services and shops – particularly for those in who are vulnerable or disadvantaged.
We decided to find out more about the service from Robert Gordon-James, who is the current Chair of Trustees at Wealdlink and also a volunteer driver on the shopping service routes.
He told us:
“Wealdlink is formally known as North Wealden Community Transport Partnership (NWCTP Ltd) and is a registered charity and is the approved provider of Community Transport in the North Wealden area. The NWCTP was formed in 2006 from a meeting of six parish councils and other interested parties, at which it was agreed to form a company to be known as the North Wealden Community Transport Partnership. This became a reality with an appointed board of trustees in November 2007. Charitable status followed in August 2008.
“Throughout 2010 the board of trustees drew up a business plan which qualified NWCTP to apply for relevant grants – enabling it to purchase its own vehicles. In March 2011 it took delivery of the first vehicle, a purpose built 15 seat fully accessible Peugeot Boxer Minibus which meant that it could operate the Wealdlink shopper service at greatly reduced cost.
“A further grant meant we could buy a second preowned vehicle in July 2011 to cover servicing and other contingencies. Operating from a base in Hartfield, we now have a fleet of six wheelchair accessible minibuses. We are partially funded by Wealden District Council and a number of parish councils, which helps to keep fares to an affordable level.”
Wealdlink actually has two strings to its bow. Robert explained:
Door to door service – affordable transport for the vulnerable and disadvantaged
“Our initial aim is to provide accessible, safe and affordable transport for those in who are vulnerable or disadvantaged due to a lack of public transport in the rural areas we serve. We operate a door-to-door shopping service for people in outlying rural areas to come into Crowborough to access services, shopping or just meeting up with friends and family.
“There are also monthly trips to Tunbridge Wells and to either a garden centre or Eastbourne which are always very popular. There is a valuable social aspect to this service, for many of the passengers who use the service meet with friends and socialise with others in a similar situation. For some, the only social interaction is the Wealdlink shopping service where many friendships have been formed.
“We can currently pick up passengers from Forest Row, Hartfield, Groombridge, Maresfield, Nutley, Danehill, Chelwood Gate, Rotherfield and Crowborough. The door-to-door shopping service operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and passengers also have the benefit of a passenger assistant helping to carry shopping onto the bus and then to the door. Wealdlink is currently on target to exceed its current annual target of 2,000 passenger journeys throughout the current financial year – it’s a popular service!”
Standard scheduled bus services – route nos 224, 225, and 226
“We operate these under contract to East Sussex County Council. Under the contract, we provide a minibus public transport service to areas that have poor or no transport links to services and shops in Crowborough. Without these services there would be no direct bus service to Crowborough from areas such as Wadhurst, Mayfield and even Rotherfield and, twice a week, route 225 provides a unique opportunity to travel from Crowborough to Battle via Heathfield.
“These services are available to all members of the public, including concessionary bus pass holders. Route nos 224, 225, and 226 are operated by employed drivers and are quite separate to the community transport door to door shopping service, which is operated by volunteer drivers.
As a charity, Robert said Wealdlink is heavily reliant on volunteers, and is always looking for drivers.
He said: “There is pool of volunteer drivers who generously give their time, and who find it very rewarding to provide such a valuable service to those who need it. As is currently experienced by all community transport operators, it can be challenging to find sufficient numbers of volunteer drivers. So, if you have a clean UK driving licence and some experience of driving a van sized vehicle, you could be driving one of the blue, white and silver minibuses and helping to provide this valuable service to the community. Full training will of course be provided.”
Wealdlink has become an important, popular and much-loved service to Crowborough and surrounding villages. Robert said: “Having retired fairly recently, I have found it extremely rewarding to drive one of the Wealdlink buses. There is a genuine camaraderie amongst our passengers, who look forward to meeting friends on their regular trips to the shops. Without the time given by our fantastic volunteers, many of our passengers would be denied this opportunity”.
If you would like more information about Wealdlink, including details of services, timetables and volunteering opportunities contact the office on 01892 771332 or visit www.wealdlink.co.uk