A COMMUNITY bus service is going from strength to strength.

Bus 2 Go has been running for five years and aims to connect communities and the people within them.

This year the organisation was granted charitable status and founder Margo Kirk said the success is all down to the hardworking volunteers.

The charity runs bus trips throughout the year to places in Dorset and beyond for those who live in remote villages and may not otherwise be able to get out.

With funding being slashed for rural bus services, the charity’s work is now more important than ever, Margo said.

She added: “It was a neighbour of mine who inspired me to set it up. She is in her 80s and her only means of transport was the bus service. With the times the bus ran it didn’t give her much time to do her shopping. There was a later service but it was the school bus, which went all round the houses and it was a bit noisy.”

Margo decided to set up Bus 2 Go, to help people like her neighbour. But feedback from the first event suggested people wanted a day out rather than to be taken to a supermarket to do their shopping.

The service now runs day trips to garden centres and cafes, and there is a yearly trip to Weymouth to see the pantomime.

They pick passengers up from a wide area, including Puddletown, Bere Regis, Briantspuddle, Winterborne Whitechurch, Winterborne Kingston, Milborne St Andrew, Shillingstone and Sturminster.

Margo said: “The volunteers are just amazing, we would not have come this far without them. Part of our ethos is that we are keen to support local businesses and events, so we went to the Remembrance Service at Bovington recently, and we’ve been to the Sailing Academy and the Jailhouse Café on Portland. 

“Everywhere we go is so welcoming. The garden centres always put flowers on the tables for us, and it makes the passengers feel so valued and welcome. 

“For those suffering social isolation, the first step is always the hardest but our new passengers often come aboard and find people they know, but may not have seen for years.”

The charity hires a bus to use, but are raising funds for their own vehicle. They have a chance for funding through the Aviva Community Fund and people can now cast their votes to help the group win cash.

They are also recruiting new volunteers. To get involved, visit www.bus2godorset.org or call 07917298321.