Rickshaw service going the extra mile in Covid vaccination effort
Watch a report about Bury St Edmunds' rickshaws by ITV Anglia's Tanya Mercer
Bury St Edmunds's free rickshaw service is now ferrying passengers to their Covid vaccination appointments.
The rickshaw has been a common sight in the town since 2018. It was originally set up to take those who felt lonely or struggling with mobility or mental health issues on a gentle trip around the town. Now, the rides are all about helping people get to their vaccines.
One of those taking advantage of the service was Margaret Wilkin, who hadn't been out through the town in almost a year.
"It's been absolutely wonderful, I couldn't have wished for anything more comfortable, or easier and we came back by the scenic route so had a lovely trip around the town," Margaret Wilkin said.
Since the pandemic began the rickshaw and cargo bike have been helping people across the town. It started at the height of the first lockdown when they were delivering forty prescriptions a day and then moved onto picking up food parcels.
The service has also been working with the local food bank and charities to collect any unsold food at the end of the day from the shops.
The service has been so successful that it now has a new bike doing the rounds to double the capacity.
Sam Reid from the service said it was great that they could now help people get to their vaccination appointments.
"We can actually go out any of those days that they get their date for their vaccination, collect them from their home, take them to the vaccination centre, stay with them while they have that 10- to 15 minute wait and then take them back to their home, all free of charge," Sam Reid said. The service has about 50 volunteers doing up to 40 deliveries a day. Through the pandemic, they've helped about 800 people with the rickshaws.