The HealthBus Trust provides medical support to the homeless community in and around Bournemouth via its mobile clinic, which travels to areas where people are known to be rough sleeping. GPs and nurses can then provide basic healthcare and mental health support services to those in need.

The funds, which were donated by Talbot Village Trust, will be used towards the purchase of a new purpose-built mobile clinic which is due to be completed in early May.

The new HealthBus will allow the charity to be more flexible with its clinic locations, giving the team of clinicians and volunteers the opportunity to extend their reach and offer care to more vulnerable individuals.

Vice chair of the HealthBus Trust, Chris Wakefield, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Trust for its generous donation. Once the new bus is operational, we will be able to continue to treat our homeless patients with the dignity and respect that they deserve, in a new medically fit environment.

“At the HealthBus Trust, we take healthcare to the people who struggle to access traditional services, making basic medical care available to all individuals. We make sure that those who are on the margins of society, and often slip through the net, receive appropriate care.”

Trustee at Talbot Village Trust, Russell Lucas-Rowe, added, “The team at the HealthBus Trust work exceptionally hard to deliver high-quality care to those in need. It’s brilliant to see that the donation from the Trust will help expand the charity’s reach in the local community, allowing the team to support a higher level of vulnerable people. Everyone deserves access to basic medical care, irrespective of their personal circumstances.”

Talbot Village Trust is a grant giving charity that provides support to charities based in Bournemouth, Poole and the surrounding areas. It is accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before the Trustees meet in autumn 2021.

For more information, visit www.talbotvillagetrust.org.