A £350,000 project to get more people using voluntary transport schemes across the Forest has been officially launched.

Forest Routes aims to raise the profile of community transport schemes, get more people using them and encourage more to volunteer.

Forest Routes is a Lottery-funded partnership between the four community transport providers in the district – the Bream Voluntary Car Service, Lydcare, Lydney Dial-a-Ride and Newent Dial-a-Ride.

The five-year project was officially launched at the West Dean Centre in Bream with an information fair and the cutting of a celebration cake.

A key aim of the project is to dispel the myth that community transport is only for the elderly or people with disabilities.

Speaking at the launch, Kate Baugh of Gloucestershire Rural Community Council said many people who had cars found themselves in situations where they had to turn to one of the community transport schemes.

She said: "Community transport provides a door-to-door service and provides what the community wants.

"Never think that because you have a car you won't need community transport because you may.

"The community transport providers are all volunteer-led and they are working flat out.

"They all provide slightly different services and people are confused as to exactly what they provide.

"What was needed was a lot of marketing and publicity to get the message out there but the services are running on limited resources and could not afford publicity.

"The project is going to publicise community transport, offer training and seek recruit more volunteers.

"They are absolute gold dust and there is a lot of pressure on the ones we already have.

"The project is a pilot trying to find out if this is how community transport is going to work in the Forest – we are confident it will."

For more information about Forest Routes visit http://www.forestroutes.org">www.forestroutes.org