VOLUNTEERS working on creating a mobile community centre for rural communities from an old Stagecoach bus have been given a boost this week after Calne Lions and Taste Wiltshire donated more than £1,700 to the cause.

Inspired by the use of the first bus, which ran for 12 years, Calne Lions and Taste Wiltshire donated £1,225 and £500 respectively to the Open Blue charity on Tuesday, which will now go towards creating a disabled access on the bus and temporary work surfaces for the charity's mobile cookery courses.

"We are hoping to finish the bus by April or May and hopefully we can launch it in the summer this year," director Andy Weeds said. "It depends on how quickly we can get the work finished but we have already done more than 650 hours of work to the bus which is quite amazing."

The team of eight are working hard on different parts of the bus donated by Stagecoach, to get it back on the road and helping communities in rural areas - a concept which Jenny Holt of Taste Wiltshire and Les Stiff of Calne Lions were delighted to support.

She said: "Someone told me about the bus and it really grabbed my attention. I thought it was such a good idea. Having a cookery course and getting people to cook and eat all together is brilliant so we are delighted to support the Open Blue Bus."

Les Stiff added: "The bus looks like it has been well thought out and as such we are proud to be supporting them."