A NEW grant to help patients meet the cost of travelling to hospital for medical treatment is being trialled in the Ambleside area, available for the next five and a half months until January 2020.

Research carried out by Ambleside’s Community Wellbeing Group last year to identify local needs brought an overwhelming response from people who wanted funding help with travel costs to hospital.

To meet this need, a limited amount of non means-tested funding is now available through the Wellness Group to help as many people as possible.

However, if demand exceeds the funding available, the scheme will have to close.

Anyone living in Ambleside, Brathay, Coniston, Elterwater, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Langdales, Skelwith Bridge or Troutbeck is eligible to apply, with a sliding scale of funding depending on distance of travel.

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Grants available are £15 for Kendal, £30 for Morecambe and Lancaster, £40 for Barrow, £45 for Preston and £50 for Manchester.

The funding is restricted to one grant per person per month, and applications can be made by patients or by their parents or carers.

Applicants will be asked for a letter confirming the medical appointment to be attended, as well as age, gender, postcode and, where possible, their bank account number and sort code to enable payment to be made via BACS.

The fund is being administered by the parish centre and applications should be made to Ambleside Parish Centre, Vicarage Road, Ambleside LA22 9DH, telephone 015394-34172 or email admin@amblesidepc.org.uk