New transport help for disabled

There is no charge to use the vehicle, although donations are welcomed

A new service to help wheelchair users get out with their friends and family has been launched in Gwynedd.

Barbara Bus Gwynedd provides a specially-adapted vehicle into which a wheelchair can be secured along with space for three others and a driver.

Co-ordinator David Thomas said the free service was aimed at people unable to transfer from their wheelchair to the vehicle or use taxis and buses.

The service originally began 40 years ago at a hospital in Middlesex.

The Barbara Bus Fund was developed at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore after Barbara Werndly, a life-long patient there with polio, began sharing her own converted vehicle with others in a similar situation.

The charity has grown and now operates eight vehicles. The new service, which is based in Criccieth, is the first to be based outside the Middlesex hospital.

Mr Thomas, who recently retired to live in Criccieth, was inspired to begin the Gwynedd branch because his mother used the Stanmore vehicles.

The people who have used it so far have really enjoyed the freedom it has afforded them David Thomas, Barbara Bus Gwynedd

"I know there is a desperate need for disability transport here after speaking to various agencies," he said.

"The great thing about the Barbara Bus is that you don't need to get a volunteer to drive you anywhere, as long as the user's nominated driver has the right licence and registers with us, families can go out for the day without having to worry about getting back for a certain time.

"There is no charge. All we ask is that they bring it back with a full tank of fuel.

"We also encourage donations because that is what we rely on."

Mr Thomas said he was hoping to expand the charity in the future with more vehicles.

He said the charity was also looking for volunteer drivers to help with local trips, all-day outings and even weekends away in case the user could not find an available driver.

So far the vehicle has been used by a few family groups on days out and Mr Thomas is hoping the launch at Mynydd Ednyfed Country Hotel, Criccieth, will encourage more people to use it.

"The people who have used it so far have really enjoyed the freedom it has afforded them," said Mr Thomas.