Church on the Bus volunteers - who feed homeless in Chesterfield and Matlock - press on with drive to raise £25,000

Church on the Bus volunteers, who feed and clothe homeless people in Chesterfield and Matlock, have vowed to keep going in their mission to raise £25,000 for a new vehicle.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Nov 2018, 09:04 BST
Updated 29th Nov 2018, 10:05 BST
Jackie Taylor, leader, and Bob Littlewood, driver, with collection of items for Church on the Bus.Jackie Taylor, leader, and Bob Littlewood, driver, with collection of items for Church on the Bus.
Jackie Taylor, leader, and Bob Littlewood, driver, with collection of items for Church on the Bus.

The group learned this week that it had been unsuccessful in their bid for a grant which would have enabled the replacement of the bus which is on its last legs.

Bob Littlewood, one of the drivers, said: “I’m afraid we didn’t make it to the finals of the Aviva Community Fund, despite getting over 4000 votes. We’d like to thank those of your readers who voted for us.

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“The good news is that on the same day we found out about this we received news that the Fine and Country Foundation, a national charity set up to help the homeless, has granted us £3,000 towards the new bus and we’re now going to press on to make our target with other fund-raising efforts.

“We also have a couple more bids in to other grant givers, plus an offer from a local business to help us with fundraising events next year. We’re also investigating ‘Crowdfunding’, so are going to continue until we have sufficient funds to solve our bus problem.

“In addition, we welcome individual donations, particularly through monthly standing order, which currently provide about a quarter of our running costs. These mainly come from people who haven’t the time to volunteer but would like to make a financial contribution to help the homeless and vulnerable. Anyone wanting to do this can get details on our website, www.churchonthebus.org.uk

Related topics:ChesterfieldMatlock