00:00I think the bus is a great venture to be put on by HEC. The bus purely and simply will
00:14be a lifeline for some people, where they can get into the local towns, they can go
00:18and do some shopping, and more importantly than that, they can mix with people. I genuinely
00:24believe that there is far more isolation and despair in the rural communities than
00:32there ever is in urban areas. For one simple reason, if people are feeling a bit low and
00:39they want to get out and mix with people in a city, they can jump on a bus. I think the
00:45community ambassador Becky at HEC, along with the team, recognised from putting short events
00:53on in the local community, in the village hall, that it would be a good idea if they
00:59had transport. The HEC minibus was a brainchild of Becky's, whereby people could be picked
01:08up and taken into the local towns. The beauty of this bus is its flexibility in how it can
01:14be used. It can be used with a driver, where people can come into the towns, but it can
01:20also be booked by people to go out on a trip. That may be a school trip, it may be just
01:28a function that some people want to go to, they may even want to go to the seaside as
01:33a group, who knows. And I think the beauty of this minibus is the flexibility and how
01:38people can use it. It's there for the benefit of the community. Getting on the bus was wonderful.
01:44We're beautifully driven in here, I've got to say. What was particularly noticeable as
01:49we came in on the bus, everyone was chattering, everyone was engaged in conversation. And
01:55that's something, if people had been at home on their own, that wouldn't have happened.
01:59So I've got to say, it fulfils not only a requirement of transportation, but in itself,
02:07it's a little social bubble in the minibus itself. And also, the other thing, from the
02:12other point of view, is that this also is beneficial to the local small businesses as
02:17well, who benefit from these people getting out, rather than just putting an order in
02:22through a neighbour from the local supermarket. So in this situation, everybody wins. I think
02:28it's absolutely fantastic that HECC have grasped this opportunity, they've listened to what
02:34the local community want, and they've come up with it big style. They're giving people
02:39what they need, and this is what community spirit is all about. Congratulations to HECC
02:46for doing what they've done, and I just hope this is repeated amongst other rural communities
02:52over North Yorkshire.
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