VASA

06/06/2026

It’s brilliant to see a new community transport charity getting on the road in Warwickshire.

WheelTakeYou launched on 1 June, stepping in to help fill the gap left when WRCC Back&4th wound down. They run a 16 seat minibus with a tail lift, taking WIs, U3A groups, Scouts and Guides, care homes, schools and interest groups out on trips that might otherwise just not happen. Their drivers are MiDAS trained and DBS checked, and many of them drove for Back&4th for years, so all that experience and local knowledge hasn’t been lost.

What we love is the heart behind it. Volunteer run, not for profit, and built on a simple belief that getting out and about should be possible for everyone, whatever your mobility or wherever you live.

Group minibus trips like these sit alongside the individual journeys so many people rely on, and the more options our communities have, the stronger we all are. Wishing the WheelTakeYou team every success getting started. Warwickshire is lucky to have you.

🔗

A minibus for WIs, U3A groups, Scouts & Guides, not-for-profit care homes, interest groups, wheelchair users, school trips...

05/06/2026

Last night we were proud finalists in the Partnership of the Year category at the CT26 Awards in Manchester, alongside our wonderful partners at Stratford-on-Avon District Council. Our CEO Gill Cleeve attended with Cllr Liz Coles to represent both organisations.

While we didn’t bring home the award, we were thrilled to see our friends at Pembrokeshire Association of Community Transport Organisations (PACTO) and their partners RVS take home the trophy. So well deserved. 👏

The evening was a brilliant opportunity to meet incredible people from across the community transport sector, make connections that will really matter, and most importantly talk about the vital work of our volunteers. The people who give their time every day to keep others connected, to make sure someone gets to their appointment, to reduce isolation in our most rural communities, they are truly extraordinary.

Huge congratulations to everyone shortlisted and to all the winners. 🏆 And a huge thank you to the Community Transport Association and their wonderful team for organising such a brilliant evening. You brought the whole sector together beautifully.

So proud of every single person who makes VASA what it is. 💙

05/06/2026

Numbers tell a story. Here is VASA's story from 2025/26

📌 15,955 journeys completed
📌 19,636 passengers transported
📌 4 districts: Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick, Rugby, and Solihull
📌 180 volunteers giving their time

These figures represent something that cannot easily be measured: the difference between someone reaching their cancer treatment and not, between attending a wellbeing activity and staying home alone, between feeling connected and feeling forgotten.

Community transport is health infrastructure. It is social infrastructure. And in our area, it is built almost entirely by volunteers.

As we mark Volunteer Appreciation Week, I hope these numbers convey what words sometimes cannot. Our volunteers are remarkable. The impact they create is real.

04/06/2026

🙌 Today we're celebrating our VASA trustees.

You might not always see them. They don't drive the cars or answer the phones. But without them, none of it would be possible.

Our trustees give their time, expertise, and energy to make sure VASA is well-governed, financially sound, and true to its mission. They ask the hard questions, read the reports, and carry legal responsibility for a charity that serves thousands of people.

They do all of this for free. Because they believe in what we do.

To our brilliant trustee board: thank you for everything you carry on behalf of VASA and the communities we serve. 💛

03/06/2026

Two talks in one day today, one on a national level and one in a village hall, and honestly both mattered just as much as each other.

This morning we had the privilege of speaking at the Rural Services Network’s Rural Transport Seminar, sharing what VASA Community Transport really delivers. Our 156 volunteer drivers and 24 telephone volunteers made nearly 16,000 journeys with 19,600 passengers possible last year, from Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick, Rugby and Solihull.

Over half of everything we do is getting people to healthcare. That’s 11,843 journeys last year, including 15 separate trips to the Royal Marsden in London, 80 miles each way, so people could reach cancer treatment they would not otherwise have got to. That, to us, is so much more than a car journey.

Then this evening we had the joy of spending time with the wonderful Women of Welford, sharing that very same story closer to home. Because behind all those big numbers are real volunteers giving their time, their cars and their good company to get people to the places that matter, from hospital appointments to lunch clubs to a friendly face at the door. Quietly extraordinary, every single one of them.

And that’s exactly why the two felt equal. The morning was about making the case for rural transport on a national level. The evening was about the people who actually make it happen, right here in one of our own villages. You really cannot have one without the other.

We are always happy to come and share our story with local groups, so if you would like to know more about what we do, or about volunteering with us, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you, Welford, what a lovely group to spend an evening with. And onwards to Manchester tomorrow for the Community Transport Association Awards, where VASA is a proud finalist with Stratford-on-Avon District Council. Fingers crossed! 🤞🏼

03/06/2026

📞 Today we're saying a huge thank you to our telephone volunteers.

Before anyone gets in a car, someone picks up the phone.

Our telephone volunteers are often the very first point of contact for passengers, many of whom are elderly, unwell, or feeling anxious. That first call matters enormously. A warm voice, a patient ear, someone who takes the time to get it right.

They handle journey requests, answer questions, and reassure people who aren't sure if VASA can help them. (Spoiler: we usually can.)

They don't always drive (although a few are also emergency drivers), but they make every journey possible

Thank you to our brilliant telephone team. 💛📞

02/06/2026

Today we’re at the volunteer fair at The Core Library with the Solihull West Community Development Team . If you’re in the area, please drop in and find out about our Volunteer Driver opportunities.

02/06/2026

🚗 Today we're celebrating our incredible volunteer drivers.

Every morning, our drivers get behind the wheel not for a fare, not for a salary, but because there's someone who needs to get to their hospital appointment, their physio session, their dialysis. Someone who might have no other way to get there.

Our drivers give their time, their cars, and their kindness. They chat, they wait, they carry bags. They remember names, ask about families, and notice when someone seems a bit low.

They are so much more than a lift. They are a lifeline.

Thank you to every single VASA driver. You are wonderful. 💛🚗
And to Community Transport Association, thank you for all your support in aiding us to support them

01/06/2026

The countdown is on to the awards in Manchester on Thursday. Really looking forward to attending and meeting others from across to country to celebrate the work of all the organisations that provide Community Transport 🚗🚐🚌🚙

A huge thank you to all of our incredible sponsors supporting the CT26 Awards as we celebrate the people and organisations who drive community transport forward across the UK.

Your support helps us shine a spotlight on the volunteers, drivers, organisations, partnerships and allies making such a difference in communities every day.

Thank you to:

WRS Insurance Brokers, Business Choice Direct, Rivervale Minibus, FOR EV, Mellor, EVM UK & IRL, GM Coachwork, Treka Bus, Dawson Group, PHVC Minibus Leasing & Fleet Suppliers, Minibus Options, TBC Conversions, Women in Bus and Coach

We are proud to celebrate the sector alongside you at the CT26 Awards Dinner and Celebration in Manchester on 4 June.

Find out more about the awards here: https://ctauk.org/ct26-awards

01/06/2026

🌟 It's Volunteer Appreciation Week at VASA!

This week, we want to say a very heartfelt thank you to the incredible people who make VASA what it is.

180 volunteers. 15,955 journeys. 19,636 passengers transported across Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick, Rugby, and Solihull last year.

But behind every one of those numbers is a person who gave their time freely, because they believe that nobody should be left behind.

Our drivers. Our telephone volunteers. Our trustees. Every single one of you matters more than words can say.

This week is for you. 💛