A Stirling transport charity has come to the rescue of student nurses left unable to get to work due to lockdown transport restrictions.
Local service Dial-a-Journey has been shipping Stirling University students to their placements for free during the coronavirus crisis, as reduced bus and train services have left some of them without means of transport.
Sabbatical officers at Stirling University Students’ Union noticed that several student nurses has posted on social media about how they were struggling to get to their shifts on time using public transport.
The officers contacted Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise, a membership organisation of locally based charities, social enterprises and volunteer-led community organisations, who recommended they get in contact with the Dial-a-Journey enterprise.
The charity, which usually supports people with mobility issues, was keen to help the students out and nurses are now able to book their free journeys in advance to match their shift patterns.
Heidi Anderson from Dial-a-Journey said: “When the Union got in touch, we were only too happy to help the students out. We’ll be transporting no more than 9 nurses at a time, observing the 2-metre rule, and will be sanitising the bus between journeys to keep them safe. The nurses will also be bagging their uniform before getting on the bus and the University Sports Centre has donated shoe covers to minimise the risk of transmission.”
Natalie Masterson of Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise added: “When we were contacted by the University of Stirling’s Students’ Union regarding the transport issues some of the student nurses were struggling with, we knew that there was an organisation that could possibly help.
“It was just a matter of making the connections and Dial-a-Journey have been fantastic at stepping up and giving their time. Finding local solutions to local issues is the best way to solve some of the problems we are currently facing and it’s truly heart-warming to see so many positive examples of people working together to face this head on. If you are a local organisation that needs support at this difficult time, please get in touch with SVE on 01786 430000 or info@sventerprise.org.uk”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe