On Christmas Day, Ealing Community Transport (ECT) and The Salvation Army together enabled isolated Ealing residents to enjoy a Christmas dinner all together. ECT provided The Salvation Army with a minibus so that their volunteer driver could collect Ealing residents from their homes and take them to The Salvation Army in West Ealing for a festive celebration.
With no public transport available on Christmas Day, many vulnerable, disabled and older Ealing residents are left feeling more isolated than ever, increasing the importance and demand on community transport services.
Anna Whitty, Chief Executive of ECT said, “Although Christmas is a time for many families and friends to come together to celebrate the festive season, many older, vulnerable and disabled people can feel particularly isolated and alone at this time of year. At ECT, we were delighted to be able to help isolated Ealing residents come together to celebrate Christmas and ensure that they had an enjoyable day.”
Guests were also treated to some homemade Christmas cooking: Cynthia Alleeson (pictured above), The Salvation Army's volunteer driver for the day and long-standing employee of ECT, cooked four turkeys and brought them to the event for guests to enjoy! Cynthia, who has been a volunteer minibus driver for over 40 years, said of her Christmas Day adventure: “Collecting Ealing residents and taking them to The Salvation Army for Christmas dinner was a fabulous way to help people enjoy this special day of the year. If it wasn’t for ECT, many of our passengers would not be able to leave their homes at all, so it’s important that even on Christmas Day we continue to offer this essential lifeline so they can enjoy life and be part of the community.”
