A transportation charity for the elderly has appealed for both volunteers and finances.

Cindy Swan and Judith Stewart from Project Action spoke at the Hamilton Lions Club lunch earlier this week.

The organisation transports seniors in residential homes around the Island for outings. The group has decided to extend the service it offers for homebound elderly people.

Ms Swan, who is an organisation consultant, said they the group had enough volunteer drivers at weekends, but help was needed transporting the elderly during the week.

She said: "If you have two-and-a-half hours to spare a week, we need you.

"We have currently received funding for two vans with hydraulic lifts. These vans will be used for transporting seniors who are homebound.

"We aim to take them grocery shopping and to medical appointments, where they would otherwise have to use a taxi, which most cannot afford.

"Lindo's Supermarket has promised a five percent discount to all seniors who travel with us on everyday except Wednesdays and Saturdays."

Ms Stewart said they began running Project Action out of the Swizzle Inn and the first donation they had was $7.

"We then decided to register Project Action as a charity and we were refused," she added.

"We set up a meeting with the late Sir John Plowman and after sitting quietly, he suggested that perhaps we should provide a bus service to seniors in both public and private homes.

"When we returned to open the charity, we were accompanied by Sir John Plowman, and we had no problems."

The group has received funding from generous senior David Barber, who has funded the two new vans.

Explaining to the Lion members why the service was so important, Ms Swan said: "We were driving into St. George's and we decided to turn into the airport. The senior that was on the bus said `oh this is it - I had only seen the new airport on the news'."