Ring and Ride 25th Anniversary Event 2008

Last November saw the 25th Anniversary of Ring and Ride. To mark this occasion, an event was held on the 2nd December at the Clarendon Suites in Birmingham which is located close to Ladywood where the service began 25 years ago. The theme of the event was to celebrate the huge impact that Ring and Ride has had in helping thousands of people in the West Midlands who have limited mobility, maintain control over their lives and enable them to travel independently. Peter Maggs, Chief Executive of wmsnt, used the event as a platform to look at the future development of the service and to propose effective responses to the challenges of population ageing and helping younger disabled people meet their potential.

The efforts of Ring and Ride's greatest asset, its staff, were also recognised with Driver and Non-Driver of the year awards. These were awarded to staff who had shown outstanding commitment to the service with the final winner being decided by a series of tests, which in the case of the drivers examined their driving skills and non-drivers their knowledge of the Charity's activities.

Guest speakers included Renée Spector MBE, (pictured left), Vice Chair of wmsnt and Hon Ald Stewart Stacey, Chair of wmsnt. As one of the initial architects of the service, Renée shared her vision of what Ring and Ride set out to achieve and acknowledged that what the service had abecame had gone far beyond original expectations. Awarded the MBE in 2001 for services to transport, Renée explained that she had accepted the award on behalf of all the staff whose commitment ensures the continued success of the service for passengers and wmsnt's partners and supporters.

Stewart, like Renée has been a driving force in Ring and Ride's development from its inception. Stewart focussed on providing a brief history of the service and its partnership with Centro which, from 1988, has enabled the service to expand throughout the West Midlands urban area.

Cllr Gary Clarke, pictured on the left, Chair of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority (PTA) and on the right, Geoff Inskipp, Chief Executive of Centro, "Blind" Dave Heeley in the middle also recognised the contribution of Ring and Ride, and provided a service passenger's perspective.

Cllr Clarke acknowledged the partnership which began in 1988 with the formation of wmsnt, which provided the catalyst for the development of the service.

The role of the partnership between Centro and wmsnt in ensuring the continued development of Ring and Ride formed the key message from Geoff Inskipp. He also acknowledged the importance role that Ring and Ride plays in providing accessible transport for mobility impaired people in the West Midlands and that Centro will continue to support the service in meeting their shared ambitions.

"Blind" Dave, as well as being a world record marathon runner and supporter of Guide Dogs for the Blind, for over 10 years he has also been a regular user of the Ring and Ride service. Dave acknowledged the lifeline that the service provides for its 70,000 registered users and that without the service they would loose their independence, become isolated and unable to participate in mainstream society.

Pupils and staff from Mayfield School, where many of the pupils use the service, put together a wonderful musical performance. Beginning with Queen's," I Want to Break Free", they covered themselves with a sheet from which they broke free, symbolising that without the freedom to move around independently, people are unable to participate in society and remain excluded. This was followed by Stevie Wonder's, " Happy Birthday" which simply celebrated Ring and Ride's 25th Anniversary. We were honoured that Stevie Wonder (or somebody who looked a lot like him) was able to make a guest appearance!