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High Sheriff leads three year celebration of SOS ‘Safe Haven’
The Open Road SOS Bus, a firm fixture in Colchester High Street every weekend night, will be on site a bit earlier than usual this coming Saturday to celebrate three successful years of operation. Visitors are invited to visit the Bus outside the Town Hall between 1.00pm – 6.00pm.
Lady Ruggles-Brise, High Sheriff of Essex, will be the guest of honour. She will be joined by senior representatives from the Police, Colchester Borough Council and the NHS as well as Colchester MP, Bob Russell.
“But it’s not just for the invited few.” said Sarah Wright, Chief Executive of Open Road, “We are very keen for members of the public – shoppers, passers-by and workers - to come along, join in the celebrations and find out what actually happens on and around the Bus. Visitors can take a guided tour and meet some of the expert volunteers who are key to the operation. We’ve assisted over 3,500 people since the launch in September 2008 and, because of the Bus, numbers of town centre night time visitors ending up in hospital A&E, getting in trouble with the Police or becoming disoriented and at risk have all decreased markedly. ”
But there is a serious side to this event as well. “Funding for the Bus and all of its services is fast running out. So we will be in the High Street on Saturday, not only to celebrate but also to raise awareness and generate support for the continued funding of this vital service. We need £80K a year to operate. We believe this represents great value for money when you consider how many people are helped and the pressure that is taken off the pubs, clubs and emergency services. Saturday’s open house – or ‘open bus’ will giving the general public a chance to show their interest, ask questions and maybe even get involved as an SOS bus volunteer.”
Wayne Powell, the SOS Bus Manager added: “The bus offers support, advice and emergency first aid. We act as a ‘safe haven’ for those disoriented and at risk and we work with pubs, clubs and the Police to reduce anti-social behaviour fuelled by drug and alcohol misuse. People who use us, their friends and families and our volunteers all have good things to say about the SOS Bus. Jenny Harry has been a volunteer for two years now, “It’s a lot of hard work, but so fulfilling, I feel like I am giving back to the community that I live in. We just want more people to get involved!”
Notes to Editors:
Open Road is a registered charity and leading provider of drug and alcohol treatment services in the East of England. For over 20 years Open Road has delivered high quality services to empower individuals and families to recover from the harmful impact of drugs and alcohol. Every year Open Road helps thousands of individuals and their families, offering a range of one to one support, group therapy and harm reduction services. Open Road currently employs 90 staff and has a team of over 100 volunteers who actively support our work.
Open Road is funded through both the Essex and the Suffolk Drug and Alcohol Action Partnerships, Primary Care Trusts, the Big Lottery Fund, charitable trusts and individual donations. In 2010/11 Open Road is expected to receive over £2 million in income.
For further information about this event and Open Road please contact: Carol Macaskill, Marketing & Communications Manager on tel: 01206 369782 Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).