Wellibus excursions to continue following donation

Jonathan Ekins, the Managing Director of Shire Community Services joined by the Greatwell Homes team and Derek Goodwin from SATCoL

A donation of over £1,000 means that day trips put on by the Wellibus can resume after being put on hold due to lack of funds.

A project run jointly by local housing association, Greatwell Homes, and the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd saw 10 clothing banks being placed across Wellingborough and surrounding areas.

Since the beginning of the project in July, nearly 17 tonnes of clothes, shoes and textiles have been donated. These donations equated to £1,299.40 of funds which has now been donated to the Wellibus.

The Wellibus, run by Shire Community Services, provides door to door transport to shops and local areas, as well as hospital trips for those who cannot drive and has previously included day trips and excursions.

Jonathan Ekins, the Managing Director of Shire Community Services, said: “This donation will go towards re-starting the day trips and excursions again.

“These trips were really popular as it was a chance for people who don’t have much social interaction, or who may not be able to drive themselves, to get out together as a group. We have previously done trips to the beach, Market Harborough and Milton Keynes Shopping Centre but these have had to stop due to lack of funds. We’re excited to be able to get these back up and running again.”

Each year, SATCoL divert over 250 million items to good uses, including over 60,000 tonnes of textiles. The funds that Greatwell Homes receive from the use of the clothing banks will be donated to a local charity on an annual basis.