All aboard for free jab transport
A coach company hopes to help elderly and vulnerable Salopians by ferrying them to get their coronavirus vaccinations.
Longmynd Travel in Church Stretton is doing free trips to vaccine hubs for over-70s and those considered to be in the vulnerable category.
Since posting online to offer the help, the company has been inundated with messages of support and pleas for help.
Given trade remains quiet due to lockdown, owner Val Sheppard-Evans was keen to do what she could to support.
“Since the second lockdown the phone has stopped ringing, so I decided I wanted to give something back to the community.
“I’ve had a few phone calls this morning from people stranded because of the floods, saying they can’t get to their mother’s or father’s.
“I had a call from the director of Shrewsbury Primary Care Network asking if she could put people in touch with me.
“We won’t be using coaches. We’ll be doing individual journeys in smaller vehicles. We’ve got 16-seater minibuses and people carriers.
"Normally I get 500 impressions on a Facebook post. This one has had 56,000. It’s gone a bit mad. I don’t know if we’ll be able to keep up with it.
“I’ve had calls from other people offering to help. A taxi driver phoned up offering to help.”
Longmynd Travel has been a family run business for over forty years, providing professional coach travel for business and private clients in the county.
If you or someone you know needs help getting to a vaccine centre and they are in the elderly or vulnerable categories, call Val on 01743 861999.
