A County Durham community transport charity is set to get even more people on the road to employment after securing a four-figure grant from the Banks Community Fund.
Wheels2Work County Durham offers personal transport to people across the county who find it difficult to get to, or sustain, employment, volunteering or further education opportunities because of a lack of available transport options.
Since 2017, the charity has helped over 500 people into or to retain employment, volunteering or education by making 125cc scooters available to rent at a low monthly cost for a six month period, which can be extended to 12 months.
The Chester-le-Street-headquartered organisation had been looking at its options for increasing its fleet of scooters up to 50 in order to meet more of the constant demand for support from people right across the county.
And now, a £3,200 grant from North East employer the Banks Group has enabled the charity to take advantage of a bulk purchase opportunity offered through its local supplier, Ace Motorcycle Training in Belmont, meaning that it has been able to buy more scooters for less money than it was previously set to spend.
Eleven new scooters have already been delivered, with another six to follow in the coming weeks.
Renters sign a contract at the start of their rental period, setting out their responsibilities for using and looking after their scooter, and also undertake training with Ace Motorcycle Training to confirm they’re able to ride it competently and safely.
Alongside its fleet of scooters, Wheels2Work County Durham also runs an equivalent bicycle scheme which has provided more than 180 people with a bicycle and the equipment they need to go with it in order to meet their individual transport needs.
Liam Weatherill, project manager at Wheels2Work County Durham, says: “Transport issues can prove a real barrier to employment for people who might be working on an early or late shift, or who live in communities outside our bigger towns and cities.
“If you can’t get to work on time, or can’t get home when your working day is done, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to keep a job, no matter how much you want to.
“Wheels2Work County Durham evolved out of a desire to address this issue for people living across County Durham and it has been a real success from the start, with demand for our support always outstripping supply.
“Being able to take on and keep a job can make a huge difference to the life chances of our renters and we get some much great feedback from them about how our support has enabled them to start building positive futures for themselves.
“This is a really important part of the year for us, with lots of employers looking at their recruitment needs for the run-up to Christmas and lots of young people coming into the labour market for the first time, and increasing our fleet of scooters means that more people will be able to take up job offers that might otherwise have proved out of reach.
“The Banks Group’s generous support has enabled us to bring in more scooters than would otherwise have been possible and to still have money in the bank to cover other project costs, which is a real win/win for us and our riders.”
Lucy Hinds, executive assistant at the Banks Group, adds: “Wheels2Work County Durham provides a simple solution to a big problem for many people living across our home county.
“The effectiveness of their approach is clear to see and we’re very pleased to be helping them make even more of a positive impact for local people who want to get into work.”
Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should first contact the fund manager via fundmanager@bankscommunityfund.org.uk or on 0191 378 6342 before applying for a grant to check if their group or project is eligible.