NEWS Spring 2018

Thank you to our supporters

Thank you, Waverley We are delighted that Waverley Borough Council has agreed to continue to fund the hoppa service for another three years. The Council has awarded a grant of £108,000 for 2018/19 and similar levels of support are expected for 2019/20 and 2020/21. Over the past few months, of the awards and says: “We For organisations that deliver a high we have been marking our greatly value the relationships priority community service such as fifteenth anniversary year by we have with our supporters hoppa, Waverley has a service level presenting replica souvenir and the wider community but agreement arrangement in place. models of our familiar and much- there are some individuals who This agreement sets out the service loved buses to supporters who really stand out in the way they expectations and standards Waverley have helped us grow into have championed us - they have require in return for its funding a successful organisation. personally put themselves out commitment. We are pleased to say time and time again to make that, more often than not, we exceed The limited-edition awards have hoppa the best it can be for our these requirements. been given to supporters who customers. We are grateful to have significantly supported Around 19% of hoppa’s income comes each and every one of them for from grants and Waverley provides hoppa and contributed to its their support, guidance and help 66% of this total grant income. success over the years. This has over the years.” included elected representatives, Hoppa began operating in officers from County 2002 and was an initiative that Council and Waverley Borough was supported by Waverley Council, current and past hoppa Borough Council and other local Website update Trustees. Longstanding hoppa organisations. Hoppa is now a We are refreshing our website and employees have also received registered charity and a not-for- would like to know if there is anything the models as thanks for their profit company with an annual in particular that you would like to be individual involvement with turnover of nearly £1-million. able to do on the site or information hoppa over the years. Less than twenty per cent of that you would like to see included. If Steve Forward, hoppa’s general hoppa’s turnover comes from you have any ideas or thoughts, please manager has presented each public sector grants. email us at [email protected].

Booking Line: 01428 681701 � www.hoppa.org.uk � Email: [email protected] NEWS

Book your ride to independence

We have approximately 4,000 area, who has registered their Disclosure and Barring Service. people registered to use hoppa and details with us. Registration is free. • Nearly all our buses are while many people are already When does the wheelchair accessible. enjoying the independence and service operate • If you find steps difficult, you can freedom that comes from using the ask the driver to let you board via service, there are still a number You can book to travel from 9am on the tail lift or ramp. of members who have yet to the following days: • You can book to be taken experience their first ride. – Monday to Thursday anywhere in your geographical To help even more people to enjoy – Monday to Friday area – for example, the the benefits of hoppa, we have put – Monday to Friday hairdressers, garden centre or a together this guide which explains – Monday to Friday tea shop – your destination does how to book a journey and how The service does not operate on not have to be a town centre to get the most from our dial a ride weekends or Bank holidays. location. • Registering to use the service is service. How much does it cost free and simple. If you are not About dial a ride to travel already a member of hoppa, There are three dial a ride It costs £3 each way to travel you can register online at www. services which cover the areas on the dial a ride service in hoppa.org.uk/register or phone of Godalming, Cranleigh and Cranleigh, Godalming and 01428 681701 to receive an Haslemere. We offer a dial a ride Haslemere. Passengers with a valid application form. service in Farnham but because of bus pass can travel for free on the the way it is funded, it is known as Farnham service. How to use the service Booking Demand Responsive Transport (DRT). Where you can travel Refer to the map below to see Call our booking line on 01428 You can book to be dropped 681701 from Monday to Friday which service covers the area off anywhere in your area. where you live. 8.30am to 12.30pm and 1.00pm Popular destinations include local to 4.00pm. Who can use the service supermarkets, the library, day centres Your call will be answered by and other town centre locations. The service can be used by one of our helpful and friendly anybody who lives in the Waverley Things you may not know team members. about hoppa Normandy They will ask you for your name Ash Christmas Pie • All drivers are fully trained and details about when you want to Tongham Wanborough and have been checked by the travel and where you want to go. Seale Puttenham Upper Hale Sandy Cross They will check availability and if Runfold The Sands Compton FARNHAM Hurtmore there is a seat available, they will The Bourne confirm your booking and tell you Bramley Spreakly what time we will pick you up. Shamley Rushmoor GODALMING Green Travelling Ewhurst Milford Hydestile On the day you are due to travel, Bowlhead Green CRANLEIGH Brook Wormley please help us keep to schedule by Sandhills Loxhill Ellen’s Green being ready at least ten minutes Beacon Hill Hambledon before the agreed pick up time. Grayshott Grayswood Critchmere Alfold When the hoppa bus arrives, the Weyhill Ramsnest Common Rudgwick Hammer HASLEMERE driver will briefly park up so he/she Shottermill can collect you from your front door. Fernhurst

Booking Line: 01428 681701 � www.hoppa.org.uk � Email: [email protected] Spring 2018

If you have a shopping trolley, the onto the bus for you. as their back up transport. We have driver will stow it in a special area When you arrive home, the driver passengers who only use the service at the front of the bus. will make sure you get off the bus three or four times a year when Once you are safely seated, the safely and will see you to your their regular means of transport bus will depart to pick up the next front door. isn’t available, or they need to get somewhere for a non-routine trip passenger – there are likely to be a Which hoppa passenger number of other pick-ups. such as meeting a friend. Once are you? registered with hoppa, you can use Once everybody is on board, the New user the service as much or as little as driver will drop you off at your Many people come to hoppa when you like. agreed drop-off point. they find themselves no longer able Regular user Return journey to drive or to use other forms of Many of us are creatures of habit If you have booked a return journey, public transport. The need to find and so we find we have a core we will have agreed when and an alternative means of transport is group of people who use the where we will pick you up. often unplanned as it usually arises service regularly for their trip to the The driver will have a list of following a fall or illness. Once supermarket or to visit their nearest passengers who have booked discovered, many of our passengers town for lunch or to run errands. the return journey, so they will be say they wish they had switched to We find that our drivers get to know expecting you. hoppa sooner. our passengers quite well, which If you need some help with your Occasional user provides additional reassurance to shopping, the driver will carry it For some customers, hoppa serves our regular users.

Hoppa swap four Company secretary vacancy wheels for two Our Company Secretary has recently retired Hoppa trustees, and so we are looking for somebody new to fill staff and their his shoes. family members The voluntary role is wide-ranging and involves recently got on taking accurate minutes at our board meetings, their bikes for which are held once a quarter. Much of the a sponsored work involved in ensuring we are compliant and cyclathon. legal is carried out by our bookkeeper. Hoppa entered two The position will suit somebody who takes teams of four called an interest in local matters and can ‘horizon Hopping Hares and Hopping Mad. Each team scan’, so we are prepared for potential threats had 50-minutes to see how far they could cycle on an and take advantage of emerging opportunities. exercise bike. You will also need the requisite knowledge and Hopping Mad covered a distance of 25.29km (15.7 miles) experience required to be a company secretary. and the Hopping Hares travelled 23.79km (14.8 miles). If you have some time on your hands and would The cyclathon was organised by the Rotary Club of like to support our board of volunteer trustees Farnham to raise money for local and national charities. in providing a service that is often described Hoppa took part in last year’s cyclathon and raised over by users as a ‘lifeline’, please contact Steve £1,300 for local good causes. If you would like to show Forward, hoppa’s general manager on 01428 your support for the hoppa teams by making a donation, 681701 for an informal conversation. please visit www.cyclathon.rotaryfarnham.co.uk.

Booking Line: 01428 681701 � www.hoppa.org.uk � Email: [email protected] NEWS Spring 2018 Seeing is believing Godalming Town Council has been 9.40am – with everybody safely a long-standing supporter of hoppa on board, we set off for the short for many years. To show what a ride to Godalming. The Mayor positive difference their grant makes was wonderful at engaging the to the users of the Godalming dial a passengers in conversation, and ride service, we invited the Mayor while the atmosphere is usually of Godalming Councillor Anne Bott warm and friendly, on this particular to join us for a ride along. This was day there was plenty of good did not simply sit on the bus when our journey… humour and laughter too. he arrived at people’s homes, he 9am – hoppa picks up the Mayor, 10am – the bus arrived at the greeted each passenger at or near Councillor Anne Bott from outside supermarket and everybody got their front door and ‘escorted’ them Sainsbury’s. Hoppa’s general off and paused for a photo with onto the bus. Graham is the regular manager Steve Forward and driver the Mayor. driver and all of the ladies had Graham Ford welcomed the Mayor 10.15am – the bus departed to nothing but praise for his courtesy, on board. collect its next group of passengers. attentiveness, humour, and overall Shortly after 9am we departed for With just over an hour until the kindness. I witnessed this first hand.” our first pick-up of the morning. hoppa bus returned, there was She added: “The quality of the Steve took the opportunity to inform plenty of time for everybody to service was indeed very impressive. the Mayor a little more about how complete their weekly shop. The vehicle was comfortable and hoppa operates. He explained how Commenting on her hoppa warm and it was clear how important the fleet of 30 buses are used to experience, the Mayor of the service is to those who use it.” provide three main services. The After returning the Mayor to first is the Hospital hoppa, which Godalming Anne Bott said: “I was is the bus that takes residents in privileged to be invited to join Godalming, the hoppa bus picked Godalming and Haslemere to their the hoppa service on one of its up and dropped off a further 12 medical appointments. regular trips. Our driver Graham people throughout the day. The second service for which hoppa is perhaps most well-known is its dial a ride service. This is provided Christmas jumper parade for people who do not have access In December, we encouraged our to other forms of transport and drivers and office staff to dig out enables its users to maintain their best Christmas jumpers and their independence. wear them to work. The bulk of hoppa’s work is contract For the privilege, they were invited transport. This provides 80% of to make a donation to a charity hoppa’s income and helps to supported by Gail Weingartner who subsidise the dial a ride service, has been a driver at hoppa for 2.5 which is a lifeline to its many users. years. Gail is an active member of 9.15am – we arrived at our first The Solent Area Pituitary Patient passenger’s home. Graham got Support group. attend meetings or receive the newsletter by email. off the bus to greet her and saw her Gail’s colleagues raised £140 which safely onto the bus. We then will pay for the printing and postage More information about the set off on a well-planned circuit of two newsletters for members of charity can be found at of the village to pick up our four the support group who are unable to www.pituitary.org.uk. remaining passengers.

Booking Line: 01428 681701 � www.hoppa.org.uk � Email: [email protected]