The lives of members of a Northamptonshire community club are being transformed after a well-known UK fleet personality led a fund-raising drive resulting in the delivery of two new minibuses.

Mike Smith, joint managing director of Fleet Assist, is a volunteer minibus driver for the Nene Valley, Northamptonshire, branch of PHAB.

Smith had been leading the fund-raising drive to replace two minibuses at the Club. That had included raising around £2,500 with fleet industry colleagues in a European 24-hour kart race at Le Mans in 2015.

However, subsequently Smith heard about the Department for Transport’s Community Transport Minibus Fund, which provides new minibuses for community transport providers across the UK.

An application was successfully made and two new minibuses were delivered as a “Christmas present” to the branch with members already putting them to good use for local trips in 2017.

The sign written minibuses, which display the branch’s name and are equipped with wheelchair lifts, removable seats and seat belt mounting points for both seated and wheelchair-bound passengers will be used to take Club members on day trips and holidays.

PHAB is a national charity dedicated to the integration of people with disabilities and the non-disabled in the community. It aims to promote and encourage people of all abilities to come together on equal terms.

Smith said: “The minibuses are a lifeline for members and transport people, many of whom are wheelchair-bound, from their homes to weekly meetings as well as to national events, residential breaks and other activities.

“One of the Club’s old minibuses was no longer roadworthy and the condition of the other meant it was close to turning its wheels for the final time thus restricting the length of journeys made.”

He continued: “The branch did not have enough funds available to replace the vehicles, which is why we had started to fund raise. I then heard about the Community Transport Minibus Fund and our successful application and the arrival of the two minibuses is already making a big difference to the lives of the many people who without the vehicles would have a very limited life.”

Each 12-seat minibus has the configuration flexibility to transport both able-bodied and wheelchair-bound passengers.

Fleet Assist will manage the vehicles free of charge on behalf of the charity.

The cash previously raised by the Club to fund the new minibuses will be used to pay for on-going operating costs.

The branch is also making the minibuses available for use by other community transport groups in the area.

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