St Breward Area Community Bus

One From The Archives – St. Breward Community Bus

Following a recent ‘call to arms’ for help for our Community Bus, we feel that it is important to share its history. Did you know that St. Breward was the first village in the UK to own a community bus in 1983 due to the valiant efforts of Vicki Metters?

The first bus was a red Ford Transit MK2, that came from Cornish Ford in St. Austell. It was kept at Brookside Garage and was used for school runs and trips, including swimming lessons in Bodmin. When in 1986, when eight other parishes in Cornwall took delivery of their own community buses, the Transportation Department at County Hall said that these would not have been achievable without the invaluable guidance and advice from the officers of the St. Breward Bus Association. The arrival of those buses gave Cornwall the largest fleet of community buses in the country.

This original bus was replaced in 1988, for a blue Freight Rover bus with gold writing and cost £22,940 and believed to be supplied by Wadham Stringer Ltd in Plymouth, who converted it to conform to community bus regulations. This bus went on to serve the community for 15 years. The first article in the Parish Magazine from the Bus was in December 1992, and it was to let readers know that it was being proposed that the bus be used to provide a weekly shopping trip into Bodmin. They were also asking for help in driving. In 1997 there was a crisis meeting as it was feared that the association would fold.

At the 1999 AGM it was noted that the main contributor to income was the school run, at this time there were few other groups using it. The committee even considered about whether they could continue to run the bus. Also, the school bus didn’t run for two weeks due to bad behaviour of the children and there were measures put into place to ensure an additional adult on the route and prior payment of fares. Luckily two people came forward as additional drivers to assist. Also, at that time the Old Inn had their own bus, that the Football club had started to use. All of this resulted in less use of the Community Bus, and it was given a 12-month stay of execution. In 2000, Terry and Gill Goode were the only people concentrating on the bus fundraising, the rest of the committee concentrated on the hiring.

In 2001, they started to advertise their planned trips in the Parish Magazine and fundraising efforts on their first brand new bus. Especially as they started to encounter problems with the hoist and sticking seatbelts making the need for a new bus more important. A Bus Purchasing Subcommittee was set up, which included applying for a Parish Transport Grant from the Countryside Agency. In March 2003, the Bus committee had to find a new driver for the afternoon school run as Denis Lusby did the morning run, but couldn’t do both, so they frantically contacted parents for help. The bus sadly provided a very bumpy noisy ride, and it was reported as being ‘past its sell-by date’.

The third, and first Community Bus from brand new was a white Iveco, appeared just a month later in April after four years extensive fundraising, most of which was coordinated by Terry Goode. It cost £40,000 to purchase, £25,000 of which was raised by people in St. Breward through the Weekly Bus Lottery Scheme, which started in 1999 at just 50p a ticket per week, and coffee mornings. £10,000 came through a Parish Transport Grant, and the remaining £5,000 was from Cornwall Council. At the time Terry stated, ‘It’s a lifeline for the community and far more comfortable’. The bus was officially launched at a huge village event in April 2003, when 200 locals poured into the St. Breward Football grounds, and was officially welcomed by Paul Tyler, MP for North Cornwall, who said at the time it represented a superb community effort. The bus was blessed by the Rector of St. Breward (Revd Derek Carrivick) and the St. Breward Silver Band entertained everyone at the launch, during which regular driver, Peter Nottle, was presented with a gold rotary watch for services to the community. At that time anyone with a current age-related bus pass was entitled to travel for free, this benefit was due to the foresight of Vicky Metters with the first community bus.

Early in 2007 sadly the school bus run was suspended due to a lack of drivers, and at that time the school took priority over all other bookings. In October, they were again looking for drivers, specifically school runs, excursion drivers as they only had two regular drivers and for new committee members. An advert in the Parish Magazine, warned if no one came forward there would be no bus from November 2007. The call was heard and in 2009 the fourth bus appeared, a Peugeot Boxer 15-seater plus driver, with a ramp for wheelchair users, saving on upfront cost, maintenance, and annual inspection. It was another shining example of the result of hard work in raising the funds for its purchase. In the photo, L-R are local resident Margaret Yeo, bus bookings secretary Valerie Dingle, Parish Council transport representative Jane Hanscomb, chairperson of the Community Bus Association Terry Goode, volunteer driver George Greengrass, and village residents Norman and Zoe Carter.

The current (fifth) bus was purchased in 2014 and despite it being blessed by the vicar at that time Rev. Sherry Bryan and being in an excellent external condition, sadly now it is starting to show its age, also there has been advancements in design to benefit users and drivers. Once again, the Bus Committee are having to look to the future and in December 2023, highlighted that a replacement bus would cost in the excess of £40,000, but the Bus Committee will need a grant of up to £15,000 which they are currently looking into. Now more booking options are offered, including a dedicated online booking website, also more trips added to the range of options. These were added after a successful customer survey and the cancellation of the only Cornwall Council Bus that visited the village.

The current Bus is used by a range of groups from the WI, Garden Club, History Group, Theatre trips, pick-up and drop offs during the Carnival and Safari Suppers. The bus remains a valuable resource especially for those who do not drive, or no longer able to, those who appreciate the company on trips to Truro, Launceston or further. It is used for shopping, visits, and sightseeing. It is more than a vehicle, it is a community resource on wheels, providing essential help and breaking down isolation. For some people, the bus is their only opportunity to get out of the village and/or go with others. The most important thing is that the whole running of our community bus relies on volunteers, from the amazing drivers, maintenance and booking teams and more hidden/unsung individuals. Sadly, we lost our Cornwall Bus Service, so let us not lose our community bus and let Terry’s, Viki’s and many others, legacies, and hard work live on.

St. Breward History Group