A vital source of emergency care for people making the most of the city’s night life is to return to Norwich this weekend.
The SOS Bus, which provides a full paramedic and first aid service to revellers in the Prince of Wales Road area, has been out of action during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, from Saturday night, the bus will be primed and ready for action in the city, with volunteers set to return to duty between 9.30pm and 3am.
Beth Williams, SOS Bus development manager, said: “OUr volunteer capacity has been reduced by more than 50pc with many of our usual volunteers unable to help at this time because of work, family or health reasons, so it has put additional pressure on our remaning volunteers.
“We have always known our volunteers were an incredibly bunch, but their willingness to step forward now, with most of them doing extra shifts in this difficult time, is truly exceptional.”
While the bus will continue to offer full paramedic and first aid services, social distancing requirements will mean that only two people in need can be seen at any one time.
Ms Williams added: “This will be the first shift we have done since Covid-19 and we will be monitoring everything extremely carefully to ensure volunteers, staff, and clients are as safe as they possibly can be.
“However, while we can ensure safety protocols are in place, we can not predict the level of need of the people who come to us, so if we feel that the environment on the bus is not safe, then we may have to review the decision to run it in the immediate future.
“We are asking people visiting Norwich on Saturday night to be safe, be responsible and take care of yourself and your friends - so we can take care of others.”
The bus will be located in its usual spot at the bottom of Prince of Wales Road, but those in need of its help are prefered to call 07833 505505 before to check it has capacity to see them.
To begin with though, the SOS minibus service will not operate and the service will only be provided on Saturday nights.
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