The Heads Up charity is close to fulfilling its ambition to provide minibus transport for clients who cannot get to its base in South Horrington.

Wells Rotary Club has been leading a fundraising drive to buy a minibus for the charity and has just reached the £25,000 required.

The two organisations have also launched a campaign to recruit volunteer drivers to drive the minibus once it has been acquired.

"A lot of clients love to come here but we have always struggled with transport," said Bridget Harvey, Service Director at the mental health and wellbeing charity.

There is limited community transport, bus services are being cut, and some people in the local community who would like to get to Heads Up for its therapeutic workshops and dementia services are unable to do so. The next nearest similar facility to Heads Up is in Yeovil.

When the minibus service is running, initially it will pick up people twice a week to take them to Heads Up and return them home at the end of the day, then expand to three times a week.

"We're trying to help Heads Up extend its outreach service," said Mike Love of Wells Rotary.

Bridget said: "I think it would give people a better quality of life, giving them something to look forward to knowing that someone is going to pick them up and bring them here. Just knowing someone cares – it makes a difference."

To help fund the minibus and its ongoing operational costs, an Auction of Promises is being held as a black-tie event at Wells Town Hall on 3rd March. Prizes are expected to include a dinner for ten at The Crown in Wells, a week's sailing in the Mediterranean, and use of a villa in Cyprus for a week.

To find out whether any tickets to the event are still available, contact Jane Coombes at Heads Up. Email [email protected] or call 01749 670667.

Jane is also the person to contact to find out more about becoming a volunteer driver for the minibus. It is hoped that ten people can be recruited to launch the service, with the pool eventually expanding to 20.