A donation of over £1,000 means that day trips and excursions put on by the Wellibus can resume after being put on hold due to lack of funds.
In July 2022, we worked with the Salvation Army Trading Company [SATCoL] to place nine donation banks across Wellingborough to encourage the local community to donate their unwanted clothes, shoes and other textiles.
Since July, nearly 17 tonnes of unwanted items were put into the banks which has equated to £1,299.40 of funds. Together with SATCoL, we have donated this money to the Wellibus which is run by Shire Community Services. The Wellibus provides door to door transport to shops and local areas, as well as hospital trips for those who cannot drive and has previously included day trips and excursions.
Jonathan Ekins, the Managing Director of Shire Community Services, said: “This donation will go towards re-starting the day trips and excursions again.
“These trips were really popular as it was a chance for people who don’t have much social interaction, or who may not be able to drive themselves, to get out together as a group. We have previously done trips to the beach, Market Harborough and Milton Keynes Shopping Centre but these have had to stop due to lack of funds. We’re excited to be able to get these back up and running again.”
Each year, SATCoL divert over 250 million items to good uses, including over 60,000 tonnes of textiles. The funds that we receive from the use of the clothing banks will be donated to a local charity on an annual basis.