As a result of the hard work and dedication of a team of local people, and generous donations from members of the public, Haddenham now has its own community vehicle. The new vehicle, which has been specially adapted to accommodate a wheelchair, will be used to make life easier for people living in and around Haddenham who have transport difficulties because of walking disabilities.
"After experiencing problems while taking a friend for a physiotherapy session, I realised that Haddenham desperately needed a vehicle, owned by the community and accessible to all, that could transport a wheelchair and its occupant easily, conveniently and comfortably," said retired general practitioner, Dr Hugh Stradling. "I mentioned this to some friends from the village who all agreed it was a great idea. As a result, we set up the Haddenham Community Vehicle Project with the aim of purchasing and operating such a vehicle."
After months of fundraising and many hours of work by the members of the project committee, the vehicle, a VW Caddy, has now been purchased and will take to the road on in October 2015. It will service an area roughly the same as that served by Haddenham Medical Centre, and will be driven by volunteer drivers.
A small charge will be made for transport provided by the vehicle, but it is hoped that most of the running costs will be covered by sponsorship, grants and charitable donations.
Anyone who would like to be considered for transport by the new Haddenham Community Vehicle should contact the co-ordinator, Mrs Sue Brigham, on 07495 366779.
Typical journeys are expected to include visits to hospital, other medical services and to social events. The team operating the vehicle will consider all requests carefully and will prioritise them to meet the needs of as many people as possible while making best use of the vehicle.
As well as Dr Hugh Stradling, the committee behind the Haddenham Community Vehicle project initially included Peter Quilleash, David Hammond, Neil Dury, Keith Linger, Jean Watson, Sarah Warren and Jacky Keates. Throughout the project, the committee has received invaluable assistance, support and advice from CIB (Community Impact Bucks).
