A TRAFFORD mini-bus has embarked on its longest journey to date – from a Sale church to an orphanage in Uganda.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) donated the former Ring and Ride vehicle to King’s Way Church two years ago and it will now benefit people much further afield.
The mini-bus is being shipped to the Kampala Children’s Centre – an orphanage founded by members of the church.
Josephine Muwonge and her husband Arnold founded the orphanage in 2005. Josephine said: “The minibus will be fantastic. We have previously had to hire buses each time we needed them and it gets expensive so this will be great.
“We have more than 70 children at the centre at the moment so we will use the bus a lot – taking them to camps and things like that. It will make a huge difference.
“It’s a good quality vehicle and will be perfect for the job. Similar buses in Uganda are enormously expensive so, even with shipping costs, to get this bus for nothing is incredible.”
Councillor Matt Colledge, Trafford spokesperson and GMPTA chair, saw the vehicle off and said: “When we upgrade the Ring and Ride vehicles we often donate older mini-buses to good causes.
“The church has made excellent use of this vehicle in the local community over the past two years but as circumstances change they have found a more pressing need for it by a charity they support in Africa.
“I’m delighted that our bus is going to Uganda to help make a difference to children’s lives. It’s a great cause and I hope that it will really benefit the whole community there.”
The 14-seater vehicle – a wheelchair-accessible Mercedes Benz Sprinter minibus – has been refurbished and given a full service.
Ring and Ride – funded by GMPTA – provides a door-to-door service for people of all ages who find it difficult to use conventional public transport.
Each year, new vehicles are provided for Ring and Ride, allowing the refurbishment of older vehicles and their donation to voluntary organisations and agencies.
This article was originally published by Messenger |
