Beverley Community Lift

In 1970, a group of caring people created a Neighbourhood Watch type scheme, in which they helped each other out with odd jobs. Their aim was to promote independence within Beverley's community. They called the scheme Beverley Community Care Association. Anyone who needed help with something would put a picture of a hand in their window, and one of the group would knock on the door and offer their services for things like shopping, gardening and transport.

The scheme was run from one of the members’ front rooms until 1982. It soon became evident that there was a great demand for drivers to make trips with the clients down to the Post Office,shops, doctors etc. So the Voluntary Car Scheme was born. Later, a minibus was purchased to extend the service to groups, and an office at Norwood was opened.

In 1976 the BCCA became a Registered Charity and, in 2003, the name was changed to Beverley Community Lift. In September 2012 they moved to their present offices on Corporation Road, from which they currently run eight vehicles.

The organisation has grown, with a car service operating throughout Beverley and the surrounding villages. They have 30 volunteer car drivers, with 1600 individual journeys being undertaken in 2013-14. The bus service incorporates seven minibuses and a wheelchair-adapted car.

Without a depot for their vehicles, they rely on the kindness of other organisations, such as The Hayride pub, Beverley Minster, Market Weighton Town Council and Burnby Hall, to store the buses. This also allows them to operate services out of Pocklington and the Wolds Way area.

In order to generate extra income, Beverley Community Lift also runs some school contract services for the council, as well as a medibus - a dial-a-ride service for medical appointments. The car service is a more personal helping hand, as it offers individual assistance and the driver will stay with you as you wait for an appointment or do your shopping.

Shopper buses are run to Aldi and Morrisons. Often, people see this as a social occasion as it is the only time some of them get out of the house. They might get together and have a coffee in the cafe then, when they return home, the driver will take their shopping to their door and put it in the hallway for them.

Beverley Community Lift also runs a social club, with outings to places such as Burnby Hall and Bakewell market. These are extremely popular, providing the opportunity for people who are ordinarily stuck indoors to get out and about in a social setting.

The organisation is completely reliant on volunteers, currently having in the region of 100 in total. But that isn’t just drivers, with passenger assistants also being an important part of the service. They may take somebody out in a wheelchair or help partially-sighted passengers with their shopping. Plus there are volunteers who run fundraising activity or concentrate on admin, as well as the charity’s trustees.

Beverley Community Lift  is going from strength to strength from its early beginnings, but chief executive officer Jan Stainforth has plans for the future, wanting it to be fully financially sustainable.

She said: “We offer a service to those who are elderly, disabled or rurally isolated, who cannot easily access other forms of transport. There are pockets in the East Riding which don’t have this provision, such as Cottingham and Hessle, and we hope to expand to meet their needs.

“We want everybody who could need us to know about us and be able to use us. We are a very friendly organisation and we pride ourselves on our reputation. We make a difference to people’s lives, and they tell us that.”

People volunteer for Beverley Community Lift for a number of different reasons, and get a lot out of it. They may be recently retired, lonely and lost their sense of purpose - volunteering can help them get that back. It also helps with employability skills and confidence.

If you would be interested in volunteering with Beverley Community Lift, contact 01482 868082.