Charity 'devastated' after wheels stolen off bus for the disabled
A charity that provides transport for people with disabilities said it is "devastated" after the wheels were stolen from one of its minibuses.Chippenham & District Transport for the Disabled said it called police after discovering the theft from a Ford Transit van on Wednesday morning.The minibus had been parked in the Lidl car park on Hungerdown Lane.Martyn Peel, chair of trustees at the charity, said it hoped to get the van "back on the road by Wednesday", but that the replacement wheels had cost £900.
The charity, which has been running for more than 50 years, provides transport for disabled people and vulnerable adults including shopping trips and medical appointments.Following the theft, it said it was forced to move its other four vehicles to a more secure site, and has set up a GoFundMe page to cover the cost.
'We need all our buses'
Mr Peel said that many people in the town relied upon the charity's services."Some [care homes] like to get their clients out, and we provide transport if they're wheelchair bound."We've got three lift buses that will take wheelchairs and schools use them as well.""We provide services four days a week and we've got lots of school bookings for next week, so we need all the buses we can get."Wiltshire Police said its investigation into the theft was "ongoing".
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