Dear LPG, 

Now that we are free to get out and about again I am sure that many Lewisham pensioners find themselves really appreciating being able to clean the dust off their freedom passes.  Those of us who still can get to the shops and our friends are gradually finding the courage to get on buses again and they also can really help with train journeys too.  We are again restricted to the times that we can use them but barring early hospital and doctor’s appointments we pensioners have reached the era of our lives when time restrictions matter the least I suppose. 

Many of us think of them as bus passes although the commuting pensioners among us will also know how much difference they can make when it comes to getting to places by train and tram. 

But did you know that you can also use them to have a free ride on nearly any local bus service in the country?  I have a friend that regularly visits her sister in Nottingham and, with the help of her bit of plastic, when there, she swipes her way onto the busses without a problem while, on a recent visit way up north it never occurred to me that I could take the bus to the local shops.

I know that many people who find their way beyond the confines of London most probably know all this but, having parted with money I did not need to, I thought it might be a good idea to remind our pensioners of the freedoms that the freedom pass allows us beyond our local borders.  

I remember a story of someone who travelled the length of the country to prove that this was possible and it did not take much internet research to find that Eric Newton did this a while back and wrote a book about his experience.  I also found a song of celebration and a bit of information about a few other people who have seen it as a ticket to a day’s adventure.   It might be a bit cold and late in the year for such an excursion right now and, while I am not suggesting that we all aim to go quite that far, making use of our card from time to time must be a good idea even if we could drive to our destination.   

I also can tell of a friend who was able to use hers in Philadelphia USA during a visit about four years ago, and although that might have been a glitch in the system that they have since fixed if you’re down that way it’s worth a try. 

Perhaps now is the time to make plans for the spring.   Armed with that bit of plastic, the reassurance of a warmish day, no rain on the horizon, a few friends, a bit of money for refreshments and your Covid-mask just in case, perhaps this is the day to plan a magical mystery tour to look forward to.

I have one more thing to add and that is, after the confiscation of our free television licences and how much more difficult it is to get disabled badges these days, we need to keep using them to make sure that the powers-that-be know that we still appreciate them just in case the rumours that are heard from time to time about restricting them in any way don’t become any more than that.  Demonstrating how much we use them is one way of reminding everyone that they are something we appreciate.   

BH, Brockley.

BH offers some of the online information she found on the subject… 

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… a little about the book mentioned and a few other links… 

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