Elderly residents at Thornton House Residential Home feared they might not get to their Christmas party yesterday morning, after they were left without access to transport.
Luckily, they were able to call on their fairy godmother in the form of ECT, who sent over a wheelchair accessible minibus at the last minute, ensuring all residents could get to their festive celebration in Heswall Hall, ten miles away.
Ian Dibbert, General Manager of ECT in Cheshire, said: “I started work this morning with a call for help from a local care home in Ellesmere Port (Thornton House Residential Home). The minibus they had booked to transport them to their Christmas party was not suitable for their resident’s mobility needs, so they feared they would need to cancel the trip.
By 1:30pm my operations team and I had all residents registered with us, on the bus and en route to the party. It’s times like these which remind me why I come to work every morning, especially when I see smiling faces of residents who would have otherwise missed their event.”
Anna Whitty, Chief Executive of ECT, added: “Christmas is a time when many older people feel the effects of isolation the most, therefore we are very pleased that ECT was able to step in at the last minute. This was a perfect example of the role that community transport can play for people who are isolated or in need, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.”
Elle Holmes, Activities Coordinator at Thornton House Residential Home, said: “I wanted to thank the whole ECT team for all their help throughout the day and jumping in last minute. As you know we had a fantastic turn out and we’ll be sure to be calling them again soon.”
