07 September 1999

A call to move mountains with £9m for community transport

Disadvantage in Wales cannot be addressed without tackling access to transport concludes the National Lottery Charities Board in Wales. Access to amenities such as the post office and the health centre, as well as access to training and jobs are critical issues, particularly in the south Wales Valleys and rural areas. The link between transport and disadvantage is so fundamental to the Charities Board that it has set aside £9m, for a three-year period, to fund new community transport initiatives. This funding package is unique to Wales but its progress will be followed with interest by Charities Board offices in other parts of the UK.

Launching the community transport funding initiative in Llandudno, Tom Jones, Chair of the Charities Board in Wales said, "Quite simply, my message to communities today is: the money is here for the asking, please research your community transport needs, and act now. We cannot stand by and accept lack of access to transport as being a phenomena of our geography and our industrial history. Furthermore, in a modern Wales, we cannot accept the double disadvantage faced by the less able bodied, to whom even short distances prove to be mountains. For the Charities Board, with its aim to help those at greatest disadvantage, lack of access to transport is therefore an obstacle we must address. By setting aside £3m a year for three years, we hope to provide a catalyst to self-help community action.

"From the community transport schemes we have funded to date, we are confident that allocating this amount of funding will have a significant impact in Wales. Ultimately, the impact depends on the imagination, energy and expertise of the voluntary sector. We trust however, that this will be recognised as a landmark opportunity to give a new chance to the young, the disabled, the elderly and indeed all members of disadvantaged communities."

The Charities Board community transport funding was launched at the Llandudno Conference Centre on 7 September 1999. Also speaking were Harri Owen-Jones, Chair of the Community Transport Association Wales Committee, illustrating community transport in action; and Simon Thomas, Manager Jigso, who is well-placed to emphasise the role communities play in shaping their own future.

It is not within the Charities Board’s remit to substitute statutory services and therefore this funding package can only be applied for by the voluntary sector. However, the National Assembly operates the ‘Welsh Rural Transport Grant’ scheme, which is also available to public bodies and commercial operators offering services in rural areas.

Roy Norris, Director of the Charities Board in Wales said, "Community transport stems from the needs identified within each community and therefore could vary from schemes such as car rotas, community minibuses or buses, a scooter pool, cycling schemes to even ‘walking buses’. The latter can involve groups of children being escorted to school by an adult which addresses transport as well as a recognised need to increase daily exercise and fitness in children. We cannot predict what applications we receive but we certainly wish to encourage communities to be creative in solving their access to transport problems. Funding options include implementation, training, volunteers’ expenses, purchase of vehicles or premises, and feasibility studies."

Groups seeking application forms for Charities Board grants or further information should call 0345 273273.

Notes to Editors

1. For media enquiries please call Hanna or Myrddin on 01286 675221.

2. The National Lottery Charities Board is an independent body set up by Parliament to distribute funds to support charitable, benevolent and philanthropic organisations. There are 17 Board members, including the Chair. Decisions on grants are made by the members in grant-making committees for Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole.

3. The Charities Board’s two main grant programmes: Community involvement and Poverty and disadvantage as well as Small grants are assessed by the Wales Committee. Board Members in Wales are Tom Jones (Chair), Elisabeth Watkins and Jeff Carroll.

4. The Board’s main aim is to give grants to help meet the needs of those at greatest disadvantage in society and to improve the quality of life in the community.

5. Since October 1995, the National Lottery Charities Board, under the main grants, has awarded over £74 million to 857 groups in Wales. Over £3 million has been awarded to 1334 groups under the Small grants scheme. This brings the total distributed in Wales, over five years, to over £77 million.

6. Full lists of grants are published on the internet at www.nlcb.org.uk.

Note to Designers

The National Lottery Charities Board logo is the circular logo that appears on this press release. (The "crossed finger" logo is a trade mark for the National Lottery as promoted by Camelot and is therefore not for the Charities Board use.)