HOPES for a community car share club in a Herefordshire town have been given a boost.

The idea for the car share club comes from local green action group Transition Leominster.

They hope to mirror the success of established car-sharing clubs that serve the county, such as those in Malvern Hills and St James & Bartonsham.

The group are hopeful they will receive a sustainable transport grant from the local council to purchase a second-hand hybrid car as the first vehicle in a proposed community-owned carpool.

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Plans have been made for the car to have a dedicated parking bay in the town centre.

It will be made available to members of the club through an online booking and billing system.

Peter Blench, the chair of Transition Leominster, said they hope to get the first car on the roads in autumn, with a second one to follow in 2022.

He said: “We have been lobbying Herefordshire Council. We’re hoping we will get confirmation for a sustainable transport grant soon.

“The Leominster Town Council have been supportive, and we’ve kept them in the loop about this process.”

Mr Blench said the planned scheme would benefit people who only need occasional access to a car, those who feel the need for two cars in their household but want to get rid of one, and those who want to cut down on their motoring costs.

He also stated the scheme would have countless ‘green’ benefits and spoke of his hopes for future expansion of the car share scheme.

He said: “In Leominster we would like to see several of these cars parked at various locations across the town. In a few years, we would like the cars to be all electric too.”

More information about car-sharing clubs in Herefordshire can be found here.