West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris has praised the work during the pandemic of staff at Keynsham Dial-a-ride as he handed out medals at their Christmas Party.
Keynsham Dial-a-Ride was set up to help enable travel for those who are unable to access public transport, or who don’t have a bus stop within 400 yards of their home. They have a fleet of fully accessible vehicles for people with wheelchairs and scooters.
During the pandemic, their usual services like door-to-door, day trips and group hire were severely affected. However the staff still supported people in the community by going shopping for those who did not want to go out, delivering hearing aid batters, picking up medical prescriptions and delivering parcels to the Post Office.
Dan Norris said: “It’s a real privilege to have been invited to present these awards, and to add my personal thank you to the staff at Keynsham Dial-a-ride who have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the pandemic.
““It was wonderful to hand out medals to volunteers new and old. Keynsham and district dial a ride has always been a fantastic community service but during covid their drivers and other volunteers really went the extra mile whether it was collecting post or helping vulnerable people with their shopping. These are true community heroes! What an amazing thank you event and I’m so glad Keynsham and district dial a ride is in such brilliant shape – the future’s bright with these people at the helm.”