HECK helps with minibus to rural villages in North Yorkshire

The HECK! pink minibus will be used to transport elderly residents to shops, markets and day trips, in a bid to combat rural isolation and support businesses in nearby market towns.

The family-owned sausage and burger company is making the bus available to anyone with a clean driving licence, enabling them to transport people from local parishes to different locations each week.

The bus can also be booked by other community groups, such as schools. 

The Heck Community bus picks up locals from Kirklington to go to Masham for its first outing (Image: Glen Minikin) The idea for the community scheme stemmed from the time of the Covid pandemic, when the company began making door to door grocery deliveries to isolated residents unable to get out to a shop themselves. 

“We realised how much rural isolation there is in our local community, so we started to look at different ways to support people after the pandemic,” said HECK! co-founder Jamie Keeble. 

“We started having community lunches and getting involved with 'souper' Fridays in the village hall, serving lunches and getting people together to socialise.

"Our community ambassador Becky started talking about what else we could do to help and transport was high on the agenda.” 

The Heck Community bus with Yorkshire Vet Peter Wright (Image: Glen Minikin) Reverend James Gyn-Thomas, the parish rector, added: “Many locals explained at our lunches that they struggle to get out with so few bus routes in the area.

"As a result, they felt very isolated, so the team came up with the idea for the pink bus to get people to markets, enabling them to shop, meet up and connect. It is a lifesaver for some, especially the elderly and those living in a rural community.” 

The local parishes close to HECK! on the Age UK map show a high risk of loneliness. 

The Heck Community bus (Image: Glen Minikin) HECK!’s answer to this is the nine-seater minibus.

The bus was launched on Tuesday (October 8) with a visit to Masham and has attracted support from David Skaith, mayor of North Yorkshire, local councillors and high-profile celebrities, such as Peter Wright from The Yorkshire Vet. 

“It’s well known that people are likely to become more reliant on public transport as they get older - we need to ensure everyone can continue to get to essential services and leisure activities. This scheme is a brilliant example of a local business supporting the needs of the local area,” said Mr Skaith. 

Peter Wright, who appears in the Channel 5 series The Yorkshire Vet, added: “As soon as I heard about this initiative, I wanted to support it. In my work as a vet and also on the show, we see every day how difficult transport and mobility is for some of our community.” 

The community bus is funded through the HECK! Community Fund, which allocates funds every month to local good causes and also sends the team out and about to support projects.