Woking Community Transport runs this service of 20 buses with the help of a direct grant it received in 2022-23 worth more than £170,000 . But that support is set to fall away as the local borough council implements a drastic package of cuts. The council in eff ect declared bankruptcy last year after an extraordinary speculative spree went badly wrong.
Sitting near Marsh, Dave Maddison says he uses the service “every day of the week, Monday to Friday”. “It is very, very convenient and the drivers are really helpful and kind,” he says. Without it, he says, “we’d be really stuck ”. At the day centre he enjoys “a bit of entertainment, lunch – it’s very, very nice”.
Earlier, McDonald took two women to a dementia support centre; later, he will take Jean Boot into Woking town centre to do a spot of shopping and Joan Griffi ths to visit her sister-in-law.
“It’s usually about once a week. It does get me out of the house and gets me walking about a bit,” says Boot, who explains that the shopping trolley she likes to lean on to keep her steady doesn’t fit easily into a taxi.
This story is from the January 29, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the January 29, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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