PEMBROKESHIRE Association of Community Transport Organisations (PACTO) held a successful community transport operator workshop event at Letterston Memorial Hall on Friday 25 October, which was attended by the First Minister for Wales, Eluned Morgan. 

The event, titled ‘Building Tomorrow: Our Pembrokeshire Community Transport Model’, enabled PACTO to update their partners and key stakeholders on the progress the sector has made since October 2023, when they launched their three-year Pembrokeshire community transport transformation project- which has been funded by the Motability Foundation and UK Government.

The day got underway with a welcome address by the First Minister to representatives from PRTA Green Dragon, Narberth Bloomfield NDCSA, Pembrokeshire Voluntary Transport, Royal Voluntary Service, and PIVOT. Eluned outlined the importance of community transport – particularly in a rural county like Pembrokeshire – before thanking the army of dedicated volunteers and employees who work tirelessly to provide a vital service to so many people right across the county, as well as focusing on the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead.

The fantastic work that the PACTO community transport connector team do was a key focus of the event. Having completed over 215 referrals in 2024, the connector service is vital to ensuring that those in need of transport are pointed in the right direction.

John Evans, the county director for Pembrokeshire for Hywel Dda University Health Board, gave a speech which highlighted the crucial role that the PACTO transport connector team plays in ensuring that people are able to attend hospital appointments, as he shared the story of how they were instrumental in helping a member of the public who had previously been unable to find a transport solution.

Transport was provided through the Pembrokeshire Integrated Voluntary Organisation Team (PIVOT) CT service, allowing them to receive treatment for a very complex medical matter which was potentially at risk of life-threatening complication. This resolution enabled them to attend their appointment. Evans also revealed that there have been over 6,200 hospital and non-hospital trips carried out since September 2023, an average of 27 trips per operational day (Monday-Friday).

Also in attendance was Jayne Kendall, the Wales project manager for the Cranfield Trust, which provides free management support for charities. Jayne gave a presentation that outlined how PACTO and the Cranfield Trust have been working together this year and the many ways in which the organisation helps charities across the UK.

Facilitated by Sachá Petrie, the sustainable transport community development officer for Awel Aman Tawe, the workshop provided the county’s community transport operators with the opportunity to come together for further engagement, discussion and collaboration on key issues, building on the overwhelming response PACTO received from their recent face-to-face consultations and online survey, which had more than 700 responses.

The event also gave PACTO and the operators a chance to work together towards an agreed Pembrokeshire CT delivery model, which will focus on passengers’ needs as one sector which is united, robust and future-proof.

PACTO are now embarking on Year Two of the project, which will primarily consist of data analysis and volunteer recruitment to ensure the operators are able to continue offering a lifeline to those who need transport.

Speaking about the event, Wyndham Williams, PACTO’s community transport transformation project manager, said: “It was great to see everyone coming together to reflect on all of our achievements during the project’s first year.

“We have seen a 13% increase in the number of trips using community transport services in the last 12 months, with 50,855 completed since September 2023.

“It was interesting to see the figures for all the different journey purposes, from hospital to non-hospital, shopping, social, leisure, education, employment, and personal business.

“This was also the perfect opportunity to officially thank our community transport operators for the lifeline they continue to provide for people in Pembrokeshire, particularly passengers with mobility needs.

“There was brilliant attendance from our community transport operators, as we came together for the first time to discuss how we can work together effectively to continue providing a lifeline service to the people of Pembrokeshire, and we’re extremely thankful for the opportunity that the Motability Foundation’s funding has given us.”

If you would be interested in becoming a community driver, please contact Damian Golden, PACTO’s accessible vehicle coordinator, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 07767 539740.