Selsey Venture Club unveils new electric minibus

Mike Beale, the Venture Club’s Chairman, told Sussex World the club hopes to swap all three of its minibuses for electric powered alternatives in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.

"The reality is that the old minibuses are diesel engines,” he said, “and diesel engines like to run long and hot. But we tend to do little runs in and around Selsey for our members. That’s not good for the engine because it never has a chance to get really hot, so really this swap is the sensible thing to do in the long run.”

The venture club, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2015 and has been long considered one of the oldest of its kind in the country, provides an essential service to members of Selsey’s community, many of whom would not be able to get out to their weekly shop without it.

“The 51 has a fixed route so if you can’t walk very far, that can be difficult,” Mr Beale said. “And so we have more than our fair share of people who need the service.”

The unveiling of the new minibus was attended by Chichester MP Gillian Keegan, who cut the proverbial ribbon ahead of its maiden trip. Mr Beale said he and the other volunteers at the Venture Club were honoured to host Mrs Keegan, adding that her presence gave their hard work a moment in the spotlight.

"Having the MP come down to little old Selsey – that’s incredible,” he said. “We’re just very grateful that she’s happy to do that for us.”

"It’s amazing all the work you do here at the Selsey Venture Club,” Mrs Keegan told those gathered for the ribbon cutting “And now to see you taking the next step forward and making sure that you’re right ahead of everyone else – I think you’re far ahead anyway by having this kind of service – but by having the electric vehicle itself. I bet there are very few places across the district that even have one of these.”