People with dementia and autism living in Stirling and Clackmannanshire are set to benefit from more accessible local transport following a new funding award.

The Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership has received more than £36,000 to an Independent Travel Training (ITT) programme for younger people, dementia and autism groups.

The Partnership was one of five organisations which has received support from the Scottish Government’s Accessible Travel Fund. This new fund provides support to projects which enable the central vision outlined in the Accessible Travel Framework – that all disabled people can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens, with a particular focus in encouraging more sustainable active travel options.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said:

“Accessible travel is critical to ensuring that people enjoy equal access to opportunities and can participate fully in society. I am delighted that we can provide financial support to help develop these important projects which support the Scottish Government’s ambitions for accessible travel. In addition, this fund also supports active travel solutions and provides greater access to sustainable travel options as part of overall journeys.

“This fund will help remove disabling barriers which prevent people from travelling and improve the overall experience of those door to door journeys. It is especially encouraging that these projects respond to the needs and wishes of people with a wide range of disabilities and that they have been co-produced and implemented with the support of disabled people.

“Our Accessible Travel Framework for Scotland is both an ambition and a commitment on our part to go above and beyond to help ensure we make travel more accessible for disabled people. This fund has furthered our ambitions and I look forward to seeing the results of these innovative projects.”

Eileen Seath, Day Services Officer at Clackmannanshire & Stirling Health & Social Care Partnership said: “We are delighted to receive this funding to develop our Independent Travel Training project across Clackmannanshire and Stirling.

“Having developed our project for adults with learning disabilities this funding will now allow us to increase the number of people it can benefit. We will be able to begin working with younger people as well as those with dementia and those with autism.

“This has been our vision since the project started and this funding takes us another step closer to achieving it.”