THE wheels on Sawbridgeworth’s successful Community Bus will go round and round six days a week from August The Sawbobus service is to be expanded to run every day except Sunday now that a sponsorship deal has been secured by the town council. Gravelle Budgens supermarket in London Road has been revealed as the main contributor following the council’s bid to find the extra £5,000 a year needed to expand the bus service. Rivers Hospital and local housing association Circle Anglia have also made contributions, while Sawbridgeworth's Herts County Councillor Roger Beeching has earmarked funds from his own discretionary budget.
The town council has also diverted funding from the now dissolved Sawbridgeworth Town Partnership and will explore other options such as applying for grants from sources like Eastern Plateau, which supports rural communities.
To celebrate its partnership with Gravelle Budgens, a joint publicity drive is running throughout this month, with plans afoot to offer Sawbobus passengers discount vouchers to spend in store every Thursday.
All the sponsors will be offered the opportunity to have their company logo displayed on the side of the 16-seater minibus.
Town clerk Richard Bowran said: “This is an excellent example of how we can work with local retailers and other organisations for the benefit of the community.”
Since launching in November last year to replace Arriva’s axed SW service, Sawbobus has carried more than 7,000 passengers. When it starts operating six days a week it is expected to ferry more than 18,000 people a year.
Such is its success that the town council is launching a third route. It already operates runs to Bullfields and the railway station but will introduce an additional route to High Wych to meet demand. It will make stops in the village and at Rivers Hospital before returning to Sawbridgeworth via West Road.
Rivers Hospital, Sawbridgeworth in UK Top Ten
The Rivers Hospital in Sawbridgeworth has just been named as one of the top independent healthcare employers in the UK. The hospital was honoured in the Healthcare 100, organised by national magazines Nursing Times and Health Service Journal. Rivers Hospital wins 9th place in top UK healthcare poll.
The Rivers Hospital in Sawbridgeworth was named yesterday as one of the top independent healthcare employers in the UK. The hospital was honoured in the Healthcare 100, organised by national magazines Nursing Times and Health Service Journal, and endorsed by the Department of Health and NHS Employers.
The Rivers was awarded 9th place in the poll, which is judged by the views of employers and their staff, and analysed by leading research firm Ipsos MORI. The poll was open to all healthcare providers nationwide. Rivers ranked 2nd place among the UK independent acute hospitals in the survey.
Richard Parsons, Regional Director based at the Rivers Hospital, said: “I am delighted that Rivers has been voted into the top 10 of the best places to work in the UK, for the second year. We know that Rivers is a very special place, where staff combine professionalism and friendliness to give excellent patient care. However it is an additional honour for our staff to be recognised as a winning team at national level.”
The Rivers is owned by Ramsay Health Care and has benefited from ongoing investment in the quality of facilities for staff and for patients. The Rivers recently opened a £3.5M development to extend the facilities available for patients in the area. The development included a dedicated day-case facility, additional operating theatre, high dependency rooms, pre-admission suite and improved chemotherapy facilities.
