Help Keep our Specially Adapted Minibuses on the Road

Parity students plan their trips and who will go with them. Destinations have included the Hawk Conservancy, Milestones Museum, Mercedes Benz World and Boscombe Beach. Closer to home, there's the cinema, skating, bowling and cafes including a local pottery café. Students organised and participated in a Parity art exhibition at Princes Mead Shopping Centre, where all the students artwork sold. Students can represent Parity at the Kidz to Adultz South Exhibition held at Farnborough International. They can take part in an annual week at Farnboroughs Runways End Activity Centre, where they push boundaries and try things with an element of risk, like canoeing and climbing. At an outdoor week based at Mytchett Canal Centre students compete in different sports and experience kite making & flying, Frisbee golf and tug of war.

Besides issues around timetables and routes, traditional buses can't accommodate power wheelchairs nor take as many wheelchairs as would be needed for enough people to make trips. Up to three students at a time can travel in one of our minibuses, with the necessary staff. Community transport schemes have little flexibility and are limited geographically and on the day and time they can provide transport. Not everyone has the budget available. There are few opportunities for people with multiple disabilities to go on trips or take part in organised activities. This is why having our own fleet of minibuses is so important.

ADAM'S MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

Using a Parity minibus, student Adam, who's keen on transport, was able to get up close to F1 vehicles on the set of Rush when the movie was being filmed at nearby Blackbushe Airport. The company that manages Farnborough Airport, TAG, invited Adam and two friends to view private jets inside one of the hangars and Adam went to view vehicles at Mercedes Benz World. Adam's mischievous streak led to a real magical mystery tour in a Parity minibus using two talking switches, one instructing the driver to turn left when he pressed it and one saying right. The vehicle circled the estate, passing Parity several times to the great amusement of students and staff watching through the windows, before finally exiting for the open road. They travelled four miles to the village of North Camp, going in and out of many car parks on the way!

You can learn more at www.parityfordisability.org.uk.