Delight as Bradbury Centre awarded funding for community bus
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A POPULAR day care centre in Bonar Bridge has received funding to operate its community transport initiative for the next three years.
The Bradbury Centre, run by Creich, Croick and Kincardine District Day Care Association, has been awarded just over £26,000 from the Beatrice Partnership Fund to support its transport arm.
The centre has operated a mini bus service for its elderly clients since 2013 when it was given grant aid from SSE Renewables’ Achany Fund towards the purchase of a vehicle.
Earlier this year the unit purchased a second minibus thanks to a £55,000 donation from the Bradbury Foundation, after which the centre is named.
Managers then decided not to sell the older bus but to make it available to community groups from Lairg to Dornoch at an affordable cost.
The aim is to have more than 20 community drivers by the third year with six already having completed minibus driver awareness training. It is envisaged the service will benefit more than 1000 people each year.
Centre manager Lorraine Askew said: “We were delighted to receive our award from the Beatrice Partnership and look forward to our bus being well used by a variety of local community groups.”
Carol Shaw, manager at the Kyle of Sutherland Hub, where the youth group is based said: “We can’t wait to take our youth club members for a trip in the bus.”
