On Tuesday, 24th July, the Midsomer Norton branch of the Britannia Building Society carried out a sponsored static bike ride for the duration of the day, through which they raised £128.01 for the Dial a Ride community transport charity Christmas Dinner event. The cheque was presented to Dial a Ride last Wednesday, 1st August.

The Christmas Dinner is an annual opportunity for all members of the service to socialise with each other, as well as to touch base with the Dial a Ride trustees and co-ordinators. Promoting social inclusion is a large objective for our service and, therefore, the chance for our clients to meet new people is paramount.

The Christmas Dinner also acts as an excellent opportunity for our organisation to personally thank all the volunteers and users for supporting the service and therefore is a very valuable event indeed.

We would like to thank Britannia Building Society, the Midsomer Norton branch staff and the contributing members of the community for their hard work and generosity.

Our organisation aims to enable freedom of travel, social inclusion and the possibility of an independent lifestyle for those disadvantaged or unable to access public transport within the Bath and North East Somerset area, by providing an easily accessible, door-to-door, community transport link.

The service currently has in excess of 700 active users, with an average of 1,250 journeys undertaken each month. We provide transport within the B&NES area and offer a 50% fare concession to all B&NES Diamond Travelcard holders.

The Dial a Ride has a broad range of beneficiaries and our service is available to anyone who cannot access regular public transport. Our users include: the elderly, young parents, wheelchair and mobility scooter users, those suffering from disabilities or who have special needs and people of all ages living in rural areas.

For more information on the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Dial A Ride, contact: 01761 417504.

– Tom Marsh, Midsomer Norton and Radstock Dial a Ride