Our Colleagues Chris And JuneKeep Busy

It’s been a difficult few weeks for our Lib Dem colleagues Chris and June Lumley – Chris has been laid low with pneumonia and still recovering. He’s understandably not been to council meetings for a while, but he is working on council issues from home.

Meanwhile June Lumley’s been busy as well – particularly in her role as chair of Wyvern Community Transport. Here’s some good news from yesterday’s Echo:

A PROJECT that helps people with mobility problems get out and about was handed a ?25,000 grant yesterday thanks to the Echo.

Wyvern Community Transport, based in Rochford, has bought a new minibus with the money, which came through the Echo?s parent company Gannett.

Twice a year charities can bid for a slice of the Gannett Foundation money which is handed out to good causes in south Essex and across the country.

At the handover at St Luke?s Place in Rochford, Wyvern chairman June Lumley received the keys for the brand new 16-seater Mercedes minibus from Echo editor Martin McNeill.

The charity also received money from the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and Help the Aged.

Mr McNeill said: ?The Echo is very much part of the community. One of the nicest things about working on a local paper is that we can help to give things back to the community.

?We have been running the grant scheme for several years now and each project we are able to help is chosen because of the important role it plays in the community. I know the team at Wyvern will put this bus to very good use and we are delighted to be able to help.?

The ?25,000 grant came from the Gannett Foundation, run by the Echo?s parent company Gannett. The money was topped up with a ?4,090 donation from the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, which works with Help the Aged to fund community projects across the country.

Mrs Lumley, a Rochford district councillor, said: ?Thank you to all the sponsors of this bus, and particularly thank you to the Echo. It?s so important that another vehicle is out there to help older people who need support from Wyvern Community Transport.

?Hopefully, this will help us to continue to reach the people who need this service. My final thank you is to all our volunteers, from the drivers to the people who help run the office, because without them we would not be able to achieve the success we have.?

Wyvern service manager Andy Woodley added: ?As we get into the community we see the appreciation people have for this service. You can?t buy the smile on someone?s face when you are helping them.?

The minibus will be based with the rest of the Wyvern fleet at St Luke?s Place, and was specially adapted by mobility experts Stanford Coachworks to meet the needs of people using the service.

The service helps those unable to access public transport, or who have restricted mobility. For more information call 01702 544551.