Row threatens vital minibus

9:21am Thursday 8th May 2008

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A PARKING dispute could force an Age Concern minibus off the road, depriving elderly people of vital services and the charity of thousands of pounds of fund-raising.

Disabled John Bates said he would be forced to quit his job as a volunteer driver and stalwart fund-raiser if a residents' petition to stop him parking the vehicle outside his Wolverley home was successful.

The 58-year-old rheumatoid arthritis sufferer has been ferrying pensioners to Age Concern's luncheon club at the Tulip Tree Centre, Kidderminster, for nearly six years.

He and his wife, Carole, 56, have raised more than £5,000 for the charity, running tombolas at carnivals, fetes and car boot sales across Wyre Forest.

A petition drawn up last summer by some of his neighbours at the Knight Court sheltered housing complex, Sebright Road, came to nothing but this year Waterloo Housing Association, which owns the complex, has told the residents' forum it will support the latest petition if he continues to park there.

"It's just a few people who have complained and I don't really understand why," said Mr Bates, adding: "It's not like it's parked there every night.

"It's causing us a lot of stress and it's making me ill. I won't be able to continue driving and doing the tombolas if I can't park the minibus here."

The £30,000 vehicle he drives was bought 17 months ago with the help of a £15,000 Gannett Foundation grant through the parent company of the Shuttle/Times & News, and local fund-raising, including £2,000 raised by Mr and Mrs Bates.

Age Concern's chief officer for Wyre Forest, Pat Simmonds, said volunteer drivers were in short supply and if Mr Bates was forced to give up it would jeopardise the number of elderly people who would be able to attend the luncheon club.

They would also miss out on summer outings.

"The elderly would lose out," said Mrs Simmonds, who added the luncheon club was often the only time of the week that members left their homes.

She went on: "It's an appalling situation. John is an excellent volunteer and has done so much for the elderly people. He is disabled himself and the driving is therapeutic for him.

"He and his wife have done so much fund-raising and they pack the minibus with tombola prizes to take to carnivals and fetes in the summer. They would be stuck if they could not take the vehicle home to load up and Age Concern would be much worse off."

Waterloo Housing Association's communications officer, Matt Kinson, said residents were unhappy about the minibus being parked outside Knight Court because it obstructed their views and caused them problems when crossing the road or entering the sheltered housing.

"It is unfortunate when neighbours disagree about something like this and these disputes can be difficult to resolve.

"However, we want to find a solution that everyone can be happy with. We will be talking to Age Concern to find out how we can work together to satisfy the concerns of the residents while ensuring that Age Concern's valuable service is not affected."