Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge residents over the age of 18 who have a clean full driving licence and own a four-door car are being asked to consider taking on a rewarding role as a volunteer driver helping people get to vital medical appointments.
Somerset County Council is hoping to recruit more volunteer drivers now that coronavirus restrictions have eased and there is more demand for the service. Even by committing as little as one day per week, volunteers can make a huge difference.
The authority says volunteer drivers provide a crucial transport service for non-emergency NHS patients and social care users, enabling them to get to various locations across the county and sometimes further afield. The volunteer drivers can also provide a valuable service helping transport children to college or school.
Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset County Council Executive Lead Member for Transport and Digital, says: “Somerset is a rural county with a large elderly population, and so the service that volunteer drivers provide is an important one and makes a real difference to the clients.”
“If you enjoy driving, meeting new people, and want to give something back to the community, it is definitely worth considering becoming a volunteer driver.”
Each journey connects people with services they would otherwise miss out on, providing a vital lifeline to people in the local community.
Volunteers will be supported by a Transporting Officer from Somerset County Council’s Transporting Somerset team, and mileage expenses will be reimbursed at up to 50p per mile.
Volunteer drivers need to be friendly, reliable, and punctual, and also require a DBS check (at no cost to the volunteer), as well as basic IT skills to send and receive emails and attend online meetings.
To find out more visit Volunteering Opportunities.
