Dolen Teifi – Community Transport Project

The Dolen Teifi is an ambitious new project aimed at providing a community run transport initiative for the residents of the Teifi Valley, spanning the communities of West Carmarthenshire and East Ceredigion.

Residents will benefit from improved transport links to the main transport corridor that follows the Teifi River Valley between Newcastle Emlyn in the west, and Llanybydder in the east. This will help with the issues of rural isolation and social exclusion and will assist through use of volunteers in helping isolated people back to work and promote the long-term sustainability of the aforementioned isolated communities. It is also hoped that it will improve take-up of Council run facilities such as leisure centres, theatres, cinemas, etc., that would otherwise remain inaccessible.

It is proposed to create the post of a “Cydlynydd Dolen Teifi Link Coordinator” to act as the lead officer in the setting up of the scheme, to be fixed term from 01 April ’07 until the end of March 2008. The officer will be employed and line managed by Carmarthenshire County Council, but will be based in the Llandysul Pont Tyweli Ymlaen Community Group offices in Llandysul. It is proposed also, that a credit system be developed that recognises the volunteer time of participants such as drivers of the link-buses, via an electronic credit card system. The accumulated credits will then hopefully be utilised by the holder to gain access to Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion Councils’ facilities, such as leisure centres, swimming pools, cinemas and theatres. Full training will also be provided for participants.

A steering group has been formed to drive forward the initiative and ensure initial funding is sought to establish the Teifi Dolen as soon as possible. The chairman of the steering group – John Wilson of Carmarthenshire County Council noted: “This is a community owned initiative but the 2 neighbouring local authorities wish to add as much support as possible to ensure that the service can be launched within the next few month” John added “There are many different voluntary and public sector representatives on the steering committee and all are determined to make this venture a successful one”

The project is being co-ordinated by the Llandysul Community Develop group known as Llandysul Pont Tyweli Ymlaen and it is local volunteers and community champions that will oversee the rolling out of this prospective social enterprise.

The co-ordinator at Llandysul Pont Tyweli ymlaen is Ann Jones. Ann notes: “We will be securing finding shortly to appoint a dedicated individual to raise the profile of this exiting new project and to talk to the Teifi Valley communities about how the scheme will work.” Ann added: “there will be a need to train volunteer drivers and community groups to understand how the Teifi Dolen Transport Scheme will operate but the reality is that it will be the communities that will control and ensure the success of this scheme”

The steering group have met several times over the past month and have had first hand experience of other such schemes operating across Wales. It is hoped to employ the dedicated project worker by end of March 2007 and see the scheme set up as soon as possible. If any member of the community in the Teifi Valley is interested in becoming a volunteer, providing support to this project or simply finding out more information, please contact John Wilson on 01267 234567.

CAVS Press Release, 15th February 2007