Newly branded ‘ECT Charity’ receives high praise for leading the way in community transport
No fewer than two Members of Parliament and one London transport chief took time out of their busy schedules this week to help unveil ECT Charity’s new brand – and to praise the organisation for leading the way in community transport services around the UK.
Lilian Greenwood MP, Steve Pound MP and Leon Daniels, managing director, Surface Transport at Transport for London (TfL), were unanimous in their praise for ECT Charity’s achievements in using transport not just as a way of getting people from A to B but of building community wellbeing and improving people’s lives.
More than 100 guests joined a special ‘Summer Celebration’ event held at ECT’s headquarters in Greenford, west London, including staff, customers and partners from across the charity’s operations in London, Cheshire, Milton Keynes and Dorset.
There was also a round table discussion – held inside an ECT minibus! – with the VIP guests and leading representatives from the community transport, voluntary and local government sectors.
The event even managed to achieve a break in the recent bad weather, as the sun streamed down onto the fleet of shiny green minibuses decked out in the new branding. ECT Charity chief executive Anna Whitty said she was “incredibly proud” of the commitment, loyalty and expertise of her team. Lilian Greenwood MP, Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Regional and Local Transport, said: “I became an MP to make a difference and change people’s lives. That’s what ECT Charity’s services do – change people’s lives.”
She added: “ECT Charity is aware of the huge challenges that the community transport sector faces, especially issues around social inclusion. They have devised an integrated partnership approach, which certainly gives food for thought about how public services should be delivered – making sure they are procured in the right way, especially without sacrificing quality for cost.”
Leon Daniels of TfL, who chaired the round table discussion, said: “ECT Charity has shown that an integrated community transport model works. It is efficient and steps up to provide a solution, especially in the challenging economic times we are facing.”
Steve Pound, MP for Ealing North since 1997 and Ealing’s former Mayor, told guests he had watched ECT flourish over the years, delivering happiness and wellbeing across the community. “You have made people’s lives better,“ he said. “Being isolated is one of the greatest causes of unhappiness – if people are happier, they are healthier too.”
The ‘ECT Charity’ brand proudly reinforces the organisation’s status as an enterprising charity, and is a parent brand for locally focused Ealing Community Transport, ECT in Cheshire, Milton Keynes Community Transport and Dorset Community Transport.