Volunteers Week 2024

I think the enjoyment I get from Volunteering must go way back to my late Father.  Although totally blind, with a Guide Dog, he spent years organising, and running, our local Residents Association.  In fact when he died the local paper said Blind,  he blazed a Trail of Public Service!  As a child I was dragged into helping out with some of the paperwork!! followed as a young woman by Meals on Wheels.

I have been doing Country Cars for more years than I care to announce in public, gives too many secrets away!!  When my late Husband Reg and I moved to Wales we volunteered as drivers, as we were looking to spend some time in retirement in as they say “Giving something back”.  Right from the beginning we loved it.  We thought then, and I still do that it is a great service for people, not always older people, but those that needed transport from A to B.  In fact it is useful if you are having eye treatment as then you cannot drive yourself.  We have met so many people over the years, some still in contact with, one or two have become close friends.

For the last five or six years I have been the Scheme Organiser for Carmarthen area, however this has spread to a much wider area, particularly since the start of Covid, and loss of drivers.  You meet such a variety of people, some very interesting, some more needy than others.  Sometimes when you are lonely it is good to get a phone call, sometimes it can be a pain in the butt if your favourite TV show is on! People will ring and say “I am new, I need a “taxi” tomorrow!”  Firstly we are not a Taxi Service, then I need to know who you are, where you live, do you have a bus pass?  Sometimes you get, I need the Dentist in ??? which dentist?  I dont know the address!  Please phone dentist and ask for address and postcode “OH”.  Some people think they can choose which driver they can use, unfortunately you can’t.  We are all volunteers, some work the odd couple of days a week, others work more, but we may need a day off for our own health appts!

99% of our passengers are very pleasant, one or two can be somewhat demanding, rarely do we get anyone unpleasant!  Some don’t see anyone for days on end and long to talk to another person.  Some just want/need to get out.

At the end of it all, we cannot do well without our delightful Manager Simon!