HAVE YOUR SAY ON CROSS-SOLENT TRAVEL AT WIGHTLINK USER GROUP’S OPEN MEETING NEXT WEEK

The Wightlink Users Group is inviting Islanders to an open meeting at The Depozitory in Ryde next week, which is part of their wider campaign for a regular, affordable and fairer ferry service which puts the needs of Isle of Wight families and the local economy first. 

This article first appeared in the Island Echo here –  https://www.islandecho.co.uk/have-your-say-on-cross-solent-travel-at-wightlink-user-groups-open-meeting-next-week/

The group – which has a membership over 5,000 strong  – has been extremely busy in 2023, holding meetings with stakeholders, researchers, local councils and our NHS to work towards improving access to the vital ferry services on which Islanders depend.

This latest meeting will be a chance to hear directly from committee members and with a particular focus on the experiences of islanders travelling across the Solent and the impact of expensive and unreliable connections on our access to critical health services and family support.

Attendees will hear from a variety of speakers including island businesses and local community leaders. The Wightlink Users Group is proud to be an independent community organisation with no political affiliations – everyone is welcome to join who shares concerns about the challenges of relying on Wightlink to access the mainland and vice-versa.

Chair of the group, Bronwyn Hamilton Brown, says:

“It’s really not fair that an increasing number of islanders are isolated from their families due to the huge price of the ferry tickets. Through our organisation we can give a voice to islanders who share our concerns, and we’ve also met with a range of really knowledgeable people to support taking the campaign further.

“It would be wonderful to see more local people get involved and attend our meeting.”

The Open Meeting will be held from 18:00 on Friday 29th September at The Depozitory, Nelson Street, Ryde.