Volunteers in Cumbria's rural areas are going the extra mile to help people in their communities access vital amenities, tackle social isolation, and support the tourist economy.

There are currently four community transport services in Cumbria that serve people in the more rural communities and in places where there are limited bus services.

The Border Rambler serves residents and tourists in the Carlisle area, The Fellrunner Village Bus is available for people living in the Eden Valley, The Western Dales bus links people between in the Lune Valley and Western Dales, and Muncaster Microbus operates in west Cumbria.

Some of these services have been around for a very long time and were established due to the loss of commercial bus services.

Fellrunner has been supporting people in the county since 1979 after two years of planning between the local community, Cumbria County Council, and Voluntary Action Cumbria.

Neil Hannah, chairman of Fellrunner, said: "Commercial operators withdrew services when bus services were privatised or deregulated in the 1980s.

"As the villages lost their services and had no other service, there was a demand for something to be done and Fellrunner was created."

The impact that community transport services have on the people in areas no longer served by a regular bus route cannot be overstated for those who can't drive or struggle with their mobility.

Residents are able to travel to larger towns and the city to do their shopping, attend appointments, meet up with friends, and pop to the bank where they wouldn't otherwise.

And, passengers become known to the drivers as regulars due to the frequency with which they travel with them.

Stephen Higgs, a trustee and volunteer driver for the north Cumbria based Border Rambler, said: "A lot of the time, the people who get on the bus are well known to us.

"We have regular users, probably six or eight on the Carlisle route, maybe four or five on the Gilsland route, who travel just about every time the bus is out."

Mr Hannah added: "We do about 10,000 passenger journeys a year, so a reasonable number.

"For these people, it's a lifeline because we've replaced services that long disappeared from commercial operators."

(Image: Border Rambler)

A 'positive social impact'

But, over and above this, one of the key benefits of the community transport services is how it reduces social isolation.

Not simply because it gives people living in rural communities the chance to get out of their own homes.

They make friends on the buses, have engaging conversations, and can meet up in different places with those they know.

Mr Hannah said: "I think it's got a positive social impact. People do use it for the purely prosaic shopping and all the rest of it. But, it's also a social thing.

"People meet their friends on the buses, they meet for a coffee and lunch. It gives people an interest and an opportunity for social interaction that many isolated people in rural communities simply don't get."

Mr Higgs reiterated this: "To a certain extent, if I just went and drove around Hardwicke Circus, they'd be quite happy sitting there talking.

"They do toddle off to do their shopping and have a cup of coffee together. But the main thing that they get from it, for a lot of them, and they are mostly women because they tend to live longer, is the social contact with people that they know.

"Some of them live in the most beautiful, delightful places, but they quite often say when they get on a bus on a Tuesday that they haven't seen anybody since they were on the bus on a Friday."

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Often, these services go beyond simply providing a bus journey into town for passengers. This includes dropping people off at their front door rather than a designated stop, taking their shopping in for them, and going on day trips.

The Fellrunner offers monthly excursions which take people all over the place; recent trips include Grange-over-Sands, Bernard Castle, and Poulton le Fylde.

They started running fortnightly trips to different places in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic after they realised that their customers hadn't been anywhere for 18 months.

"We thought that in addition to the delights of Penrith and Carlisle shopping, they might want to go somewhere else," remarked Mr Hannah.

"So we started organising excursions to Keswick, to Silloth, to Barnard Castle, to Richmond, to Talkin Tarn, to Dumfries, to Ambleside and Windermere, and so on.

"These have been hugely successful and help finance the rest of the service."

Similarly, the Border Rambler will pick-up tourists along the Hadrian's Wall path and help them get to where they need to be. 

Recently they've taken people back to their cars after a long walk, dropped others off at Birdoswald, and driven campers to areas along the Hadrian Wall path.

Mr Higgs added: "We do do a little bit to help the tourist economy as well during the summer months, and some people are braver and walk during the winter as well."

Evolving to meet passenger needs

And, they're constantly evolving as well to better support their passenger's needs. 

Fellrunner has adjusted its schedule previously to accommodate areas that have lost a commercial service or if passengers in a village no longer need the service, they'll withdraw it.

The Border Rambler recently acquired a second bus, so volunteers are hoping to set-up a new route that will give new options for travellers.

They have suggested two routes to Cumberland Council. The first would be a frequent service in the Brampton area that goes in and out of the town multiple times a day as well as out to the surrounding villages of Halbankgate, Lanercost, and Gilsland.

The other would see the service reach more people by going out to Brampton, Castle Carrock, Heads Nook, and Great Corby. It would then reconnect with the A69 to link up with Stagecoach's 685 bus which takes people from Carlisle to Newcastle. 

"Some of our travellers do use that service," said Mr Higgs.

"I know quite a few of them, for instance, like a day out in Hexham or Corbridge, and by catching our bus into Brampton and then crossing over and picking up the 685, they can have a bit of a day out."

All of these services are able to run due to the generosity of volunteers who give their time to drive buses. 

If you're able to support Fellrunner, the Border Rambler, Muncaster Microbus, or the Western Dales Bus - please visit their websites to find out how to volunteer.