AN innovative project aimed at helping people in rural areas get to their health appointments is celebrating a lottery win.

Community and Voluntary Support Conwy successfully applied for £99,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund.

They will use their grant to buy a community car for South Conwy rural areas. The car will be available for Betws y Coed, Uwch Conwy, Uwchaled and the area covered by Cerrigydrudion and Betws y Coed GP Practices.

The car will be driven by volunteers to enable isolated people living in rural locations who do not have access to transport, to attend GP, out-patients appointments, and health and wellbeing activities.

A social enterprise will be developed, giving the community ownership of the community car scheme.

Welcoming the grant Dr Dewi Griffiths GP said: “We are extremely proud to be part of this innovative project in conjunction with Betws y Coed surgery and Community and Voluntary Support Conwy (CVSC). The community car scheme will provide a much needed service to our rural and sometime isolated population in aiding them to attend their medical appointments.

"In turn it will be a valuable tool for the practices in lowering the number of missed appointments caused by a lack of, or unreliability of public transport. "The use of an electric car has the added environmental benefits which is fantastic.

"We are grateful for the National Lottery Community Fund for recognising the benefits that the scheme will bring to our patients and very much look forward to the commencement of the service.”