A project designed to help key workers travel to their jobs during the pandemic received over £18,000 from the Wider Economic Recovery Fund part of Shropshire Council’s Covid 19 business support package of grants.

Shropshire Rural Community Council Charity used the grant to purchase five 110cc mopeds to support local people back into work and help businesses and communities bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.

Shropshire RCC established Wheels2Work 26 years ago after recognising the challenges people faced travelling in the County when they did not have their own vehicle.

Julia Baron, CEO of Shropshire RCC, said: “We were delighted to receive support from the ARG Recovery Programme for our Wheels2Work project.

“Our new mopeds will help open up job opportunities, giving employers and employees the chance to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.”

“We know that certain industries like hospitality are struggling to fill their vacancies nationwide, and for Shropshire businesses there is the extra challenge of being in a large, rural county with limited public transport options for staff.

Lots of our clients are in the Care or Hospitality Sector and so we feel that we are supporting the wider economy in Shropshire by enabling their workers to get to their place of employment.

“The funding has also provided a future for the project – we can now look at how we can improve what we offer going forward and make it sustainable.”

“We are looking to fundraise for five 110cc Mopeds by the end of 2021, which would provide further additional vehicles to our Wheels2Work scheme and bolster those kindly funded by the ARG Recovery Grant.

“Our longer-term ambition is to secure the funding to install an electric charging point at our Head Office, which in turn would enable us to fundraise for an electric transit van, which would be kitted out with lifting hydraulics, enabling us to deliver our Wheels2Work vehicles to our client, quickly and efficiently. “

The project’s success has resulted in over 45 similar schemes being set up across England and Wales.

The scheme provides scooters and electric bikes at an affordable weekly rate, giving its clients the chance to save for their own transport or make other long-term arrangements so they can continue to get to their place of work.