Balloon Car 717 has been out on Blackpool Promenade again, this time being hired by Trinity Hospice for a special trip as part of Dementia Action Week. It was out to provide a nostalgic trip along the seafront for a group of Fylde coast residents who live with dementia.
Hayley Gregory, Marketing and Customer Insight Manager at Blackpool Transport, said: “It was lovely to see so many smiles as everyone boarded the historic Number 717 ‘Balloon’ Tram at the Pleasure Beach for the return trip to Little Bispham. A lively singalong to ‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside’ was also among the highlights of the morning on the tram, and we were delighted to be involved in such a wonderful trip down memory lane.”
The elderly passengers were joined by their carers and welcome on board by Blackpool’s Mayor-elect Cllr Danny Scott and Mayoress-elect Cllr Michelle Scott. As well as taking a trip on the tram they enjoyed fish and chips from Papas on the Promenade.
Mayor-elect, Councillor Danny Scott and Mayoress-elect, Councillor Michele Scott, join local people living with dementia for a nostalgic trip on one of Blackpool’s heritage trams. (Photograph courtesy of Blackpool Transport)