Erskine veterans will soon be travelling in style in a minibus aptly named “Shuggy the Shuttle”.
The name picked from around 200 entries in a competition held by the Bishopton-based charity, with veterans who use the service getting the honour of naming the vehicle.
Long-time supporter of Erskine, Kevin McCusker was the lucky winner of the competition and got the chance to see his chosen name emblazoned on the side of the mini bus.
After visiting “Shuggy the Shuttle” at home on the Erskine Estate, with his wife Rachel, Kevin, from Bellshill, said: “I wanted to choose something to make people smile and that sounded Scottish – so Shuggy the Shuttle it was.
“We really enjoyed seeing how donations like ours help Veterans and their families at Erskine.
"We were overwhelmed with the size of the Veterans Village and all the different ways Erskine helps the ex-service community.
"We’re looking forward to visiting again in the future when hopefully we can go for a cuppa at Harry’s and hear more about Erskine."
Erskine launched a fundraiser to help pay for the bus in February this year with the hope of raising £55,000 for the "lifeline" vehicle.
The new minibus will provide a critical service to every resident of Erskine and will allow the charity to cater for veterans reliant on transport.
With an upgraded lift for Veterans who use electric wheelchairs, Shuggy will be high in demand for many different kinds of trips including hospital appointments, shopping, outings to the coast and theatres, all of which will make the lives of Erskine residents so much easier.
No one knows this better than Erskine Transport Manager Nick O’Neill, who said: “What makes Erskine unique is the goodness and kindness of the people who donate regularly.
"They ensure that we can continue to provide the excellent standard of care and transport that we have for our Veterans.
"A massive thanks to people like Kevin, who not only named our fabulous new minibus Shuggy the Shuttle, but who has also supported Erskine for many years.
"After the challenging 18 months we have faced, the Erskine Transport team is starting to get our Veterans out and about again with Shuggy the Shuttle right at the heart of it all”.
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