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CATCH THE DALES EXPERIENCE
FROM THE YORKSHIRE
DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY NEWSDESK
CATCH THE DALES
EXPERIENCE
Grassington, April 28, 2006
A
pilot scheme aimed at helping more town and city folk to visit the
beautiful Yorkshire Dales is being launched on Sunday (May 7).
Not
only will they be able to catch a bus to the Dales, but they will also
be able to find out where to go and what to see from a Dales Volunteer
who will be riding with them.
The
scheme, called the Dales Experience Bus, has been set up by the
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and the Yorkshire Dales
Public Transport Users Group with funding from the Authority’s
Sustainable Development Fund.
The
aim is to encourage people who do not have a car to explore the National
Park – which is on their doorstep but is still difficult to reach.
Bernard
Lynch, the YDNPA’s Volunteer Outreach Support Coordinator, said:
“From discussions we have had with our Outreach clients from inner
city Bradford and Keighley, we realised that many of them are afraid of
using public transport in case they get left behind or they will get
onto the wrong bus or it will be full and they won’t be able to get
home.
“The
Dales Experience Bus will hopefully allay those fears because people
will be able to get advice and information from a Dales Volunteer who
will travel on the bus with them.
“We
are also planning to meet some client groups at their community centres
and walk with them to the bus stop and ride into the Dales with them.
During the journey passengers will be given information about National
Park events that are available for them at their destination and advice
about what they can see and do on their own if they wish. At the end of
the day the Volunteers will ride back on the bus to help them and to
make sure they reach their destinations safely.
“We
hope that, once they have gained confidence in the bus service, they
will be more likely to use it by themselves and that experienced users
will then act as ‘bus buddies’ to travel with those new to the
services and to pass on the confidence they have.”
The
pilot will run on the 806 and 814 Huddersfield to Grassington and
Huddersfield to Malham services will run on the first Sundays in May,
June, July, August and September. It will connect Bradford to
Grassington in May, July and September and to Malham in June and August.
If
it is successful this year, it may be run more frequently in 2007.
More
details of the services are in the summer bus timetable found in any
National Park Centre.
//ends//
For
more information please call the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Authority's Media Office on 01756 751616. Alternatively, please email media@yorkshiredales.org.uk
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