RURAL community groups have been given a boost with the launch of a scheme to provide them with easy access to transport. The Wheels 4 All minibus brokerage project encourages vehicle sharing among groups in the Hambleton and Richmondshire districts.

Vehicles are being provided by community minibus groups and other bodies with their own transport. Once the owners' transport needs have been met, the buses are then booked out to other groups without their own transport.

The project is running alongside the pioneering Wheels 2 Work initiative, which is helping youngsters in rural areas get to work in areas where there is little public transport.