Following a successful bid by CTLA to Lewes District Council a brand new 16 seat fully accessible minibus has joined the fleet. Recenty CTLA had the pleasure of Councillor Adrian Ross, Chair of Lewes District Council, visiting the charity at our Newhaven base to see the new minibus and find out more about our work, accompanied by Emma Kemp (Senior Planning Policy Officer). After the socially distanced visit Councillor Ross said:
“CTLA provides a fantastic transport service for local people who don’t have access to private vehicles and find it difficult to use public transport. I’m delighted we have been able to support this award-winning charity through CIL funding as it is reliant on money from the public or through grants such as this to continue operating.”
CIL is a charge that councils can make on new developments in their area to raise money towards local projects. Gina Bickerstaff, CTLA fundraising manager, said: “CTLA are extremely grateful for the CIL funding that assisted with the purchase of our new vehicle. It is funds like this that allow our frontline services to continue to assist the local community and afar. Our Dial-A-Ride services provide essential travel to many individuals and assist in the fight against social isolation and to reduce loneliness. We also provide transport for many schools, transporting young people to enjoy and fulfill their daily routine and convey older and more vulnerable members of the community to Social and Daycare Centres. CTLA are proud to support those who are in need of our vital assistance especially at this current time. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have compensated for the lack of people being able to travel by providing an essential shopping and prescription medicines collection service. should anyone require assistance, please do contact CTLA and one of our customer service advisors who will be happy to help. The charity sector has suffered a huge loss from the impact of Covid-19 as many of our fundraising streams have been dissolved. Donations are always gratefully received to assist the charity – please follow us on our Facebook and Twitter pages for ways in which to give your support.”
