{"id":2299,"date":"2025-01-01T12:00:55","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T12:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/video-rise-of-the-community-bus-one-year-of-service-and-its-going-strong\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T19:18:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:18:27","slug":"funding-secured-for-the-future-of-the-community-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/funding-secured-for-the-future-of-the-community-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"Funding Secured for the Future of the Community Bus"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>LWCT Secures \u00a3100,000 from The National Lottery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Next Stop: Our Own Minibus<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In December 2024, Llanwrtyd Wells Community Transport (LWCT) were informed that we had been awarded <strong>\u00a3100,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund (Wales)<\/strong> to purchase our own minibus and cover operating costs for 12 months. This represents a major milestone in making the Community Bus a permanent, self-sustaining service for mid-Powys residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new minibus will now be sourced and will need to be fully converted to meet our accessibility and operational needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Project Funding and Budget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Total project cost: <strong>\u00a3187,850<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>National Lottery contribution: <strong>\u00a3100,000<\/strong> over one year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Securing this level of investment underscores the service\u2019s proven impact and the confidence funders have in our long-term vision. We will use the \u00a3100,000 grant to purchase a community minibus to extend community transport to additional service users in rural mid Wales. It will support individuals with independent living and combat loneliness and social isolation, by helping people get out of their homes to meet other people, and access support services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Difference We Aim to Make<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of our funding agreement, we\u2019ve committed to delivering measurable improvements in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reducing isolation &amp; increasing independence<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improving access<\/strong> to essential services\u2014dentists, pharmacies, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fostering companionship &amp; new friendships<\/strong> through shared trips<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boosting the Powys pound<\/strong> by connecting people with local high-street shops and businesses<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Monitoring and Evaluation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Lottery Community Fund expects us to record and report on our impact. To meet this requirement, we will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Issue <strong>anonymous feedback forms<\/strong> at regular intervals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Log <strong>trip destinations<\/strong> ac <strong>service uptake<\/strong> for all journeys<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track <strong>new user registrations<\/strong> ac <strong>repeat bookings<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitor <strong>local spending<\/strong> patterns on shopping trips (via voluntary shopper surveys)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These insights will guide service adjustments, demonstrate social value, and inform future funding bids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Growing Demand &amp; Service Expansion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our current 12-seat minibus, rented from PAVO, remains fully booked most weeks. Once delivered, our new minibus will expand our capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Continuation Funding Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is clear that the Community Bus has evolved from a pilot to an indispensable community lifeline. Lottery funding ensures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reliable availability for carers and passengers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ability to plan, a year in advance, securing drivers and bus-buddies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expanded routes to meet passenger demand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our director, <a href=\"\/cy\/stephen-hawkes\/\">Stephen Hawkes<\/a>, led the Lottery application by showcasing the success of the Community Bus, stressing the long-term social value and our robust evaluation framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s Next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll share updates on the new minibus delivery and expanded services right here on <a href=\"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/news\/\">lwct.org.uk\/news<\/a>. In the meantime, our <a href=\"\/cy\/community-transport\/#bus\">twice-weekly service<\/a> continues connecting communities, reducing isolation, and strengthening local wellbeing \u2014 and we\u2019re always welcoming new passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To register or learn more, call <strong>01982 552727<\/strong> neu <a href=\"\/cy\/contact\/\">anfonwch neges atom<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LWCT Secures \u00a3100,000 from The National Lottery<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,9,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-projects-news","category-community-transport-news","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2299"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2323,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299\/revisions\/2323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwct.org.uk\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}