Upper Coquetdale Community Transport receive £200,000 from the National Lottery Fund to buy new bus
A rural Northumberland group which connects isolated residents has received more than £200,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Upper Coquetdale Community Transport (UCCT) has received £209,000 to invest in a new minibus, through money raised by National Lottery players.
Established in 2004, UCCT is the only community transport organisation working in Upper Coquetdale, providing essential public transport services to the rurally isolated community.
Transport manager Lesley Leeson said: “The community transport hub is so important to the people who use its services, as a rural community other transport options often aren’t available, especially for people with mobility issues.
“So, as a start we make sure people can still get out of their homes, whether that’s to medical appointments or getting their weekly shop.
“But what we do is much more than that – we care for all our users and look out for their wellbeing.
“Our volunteer drivers in particular do an amazing job – they know all our service users, sometimes they are the only people they see all week.
"It makes the social element of our service just as important as getting people from A to B.”
Local resident and regular service user Barbara Denison said: "As well as companionship, I get to go out regularly to places I would not be able to get to on my own – I live at the top of a steep hill and would be unable to leave the house without these trips - UCCT is a real lifeline."
In 2020, The National Lottery Community Fund also awarded £61,000 to fund an all-terrain electric vehicle so UCCT can reach people in more isolated areas and transport smaller groups, alongside the minibus which is also used for community events and excursions.
Duncan Nicholson, head of funding for the North East and Cumbria at The National Lottery Community Fund said, “We know that almost half of the local population in Upper Coquetdale are over 60, compared to 24% nationally so services like UCCT provide a vital lifeline.
“Thanks to National Lottery players we’ve awarded almost £6.8 million to 138 projects in the North East and Cumbria in the past three months, supporting communities to come together and make a difference to people who need it most across our region.”