Confidence

Would you like to:

Feel stronger and more energetic

Feel more physically capable

A lot of people I work with are frustrated that activities and normal daily tasks that they never gave a second thought about before, now feel hard or even impossible.

Various aches and pains and niggles have set in and they feel let down or disappointed by their body

They start to feel anxious about doing certain things which then leads to less movement, which then leads to more aches and pains and it’s a vicious cycle.

Activities may mean being able to run or getting on a paddle board but most often it means keeping up with the kids/grandkids; being able to carry heavy shopping bags or joining in with family walks and activities.

So, passenger journey numbers are down and that means less fare income coming in. That’s not sustainable.

Birthday Buses is designed to encourage new people to hop on the bus and try it out - for a regular commute, to go to the shops, or to spend their weekends enjoying the amazing attractions of our region. Because I think if you try buses, you might like them.

Other places in the UK have tried free bus travel for a day, or a weekend, but this is different. A day isn’t enough to make or break a habit. But a month? Hopefully.

We have thought about this carefully. The month of your birthday seemed a great time to give you a free travel gift, but I’ve also worked closely with bus companies.

The phased nature of Birthday Buses means you won’t face overcrowded buses. We also need to make sure it’s definitely you applying, so please have a passport-style digital photo ready to apply at www.birthdaybus.co.uk.

A staggering 44% of our carbon emissions come from transport, and fewer than one in ten regional commutes are made on public transport.

Worse, there are a shocking 300 preventable

Colin 73yrs, has always been active; hiking, swimming and cycling. However, things were getting more difficult…

“My main goals were to improve my strength, especially upper body, and to work on balance as I have a weakness in this area as a result of surgery many years ago.”

“I have been very pleased with the progress I have made with Polly. I am much more confident around issues of balance. “

The biggest changes I have seen are an improvement in stamina and confidence: I never hesitate to go for a long walk or a long cycle ride because I know I am now capable of it.”

“Polly really cares about her clients. She is endlessly encouraging, constantly seeks feedback from me, remembers what difficulties or pain I might have had. She always has alternative exercises to try if one is too difficult or painful.”

“It is transformative and liberating in a way I would not have expected. Polly pushes you to achieve in the nicest possible way!” premature deaths due to air pollution annually. Getting people to use the car less and use the bus more is key to reaching our ambitious 2030 net-zero target here in the West, and it will reduce traffic and delays that cost our local economy £300 million a year.

Have you found that you’ve stopped doing the things you enjoyed and not even realised?

Finally, I want to put our region on the map. Birthday Buses is doing just that.

We’re the envy of England, with Bus Users UK calling it “brilliant”.

So please sign up now at www.birthdaybus. co.uk and tell your friends, family and workmates.

And may I wish everyone many happy returns - and singles!

Or want to make sure you can carry on doing the things you love? Do you avoid getting on the floor to play with the kids as you’re worried you’ll not get up again?!