Transport woes force volunteers into the breach

WITHOUT access to a car and with 'ever-worsening' public transport, even getting to a GP appointment can be a 'real struggle' for some older people, the Rural England report warns.
The Little White Bus  in  Upper Wensleydale to Hawes.The Little White Bus  in  Upper Wensleydale to Hawes.
The Little White Bus in Upper Wensleydale to Hawes.

But in some areas of rural North Yorkshire, community-run transport is providing a lifeline to those who need it most, including 87-year-old Pat Daykin.

She relies on the Little White Bus, which runs shuttle buses and bespoke services across Upper Wensleydale, Swaledale and Richmondshire.

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Mrs Daykin has lived in an extra care facility in Bainbridge since April last year, and while there is still a public bus service in the area, her diminished mobility means it would be impossible to make her regular doctors’ appointments and even trips to the bank in Hawes or Aysgarth without the help of the Little White Bus.

She said: “I can arrange for transport to get to the hospital but there is nothing like that to get to the doctor or my chiropody appointments. The Little White Bus comes right to the door and the drivers are so helpful.”

The report cites research by Healthwatch North Yorkshire which found that for some patients in Craven, the only option to attend hospital or GP appointments was by taxi or even have an overnight stay. Over two thirds of electoral wards in the region have no public transport to a GP surgery outside of office hours.

Richmondshire councillor John Blackie, founder of the Little White Bus, said: “We have a number of elderly people that we take to the doctors - if it wasn’t for the bus, I don’t know how they would get there. Luckily one of the joys of living in a deeply rural area is the willingness of family, friends and volunteers to step into the breach.”

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