A COMMUNITY transport group which supports isolated people is in line for a national award.

West Oxfordshire Community Transport (WOCT) provides bus journeys across the district and has been named a finalist in the UK Social Enterprise Awards.

The group provided 19,575 journeys in the last year, and is a finalist in the transformative community business category.

WOCT chair Margaret Burden said: “This is really exciting news and we are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted.

“To receive this recognition for all the commitment put in by our team of drivers and our operations team feels so rewarding.”

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WOCT will join other shortlisted organisations at a ceremony at London’s Guildhall in December.

Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, which runs the awards, said: “We have had a record number of applications this year, all of which have showcased the strength, dynamism and resilience of the social enterprise community through what’s been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period.

“Over the course of the pandemic, social enterprises have been going above and beyond the call of duty to support their teams, the individuals, and communities they work with, showing the grit, determination and innovation so inherent to this sector.

“They’ve been operating directly on the frontline of the crisis, launching new products and pivoting their business models to meet the needs of communities and society as a whole.”