Volunteer Driver Service East Staffordshire

**Well we've finally done it...**
September 18th 2024 saw the Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) get together event. It’s fair to say we don’t do these often as this is the first time we’ve attempted this in 7 years. Over 60 volunteer drivers attended, which is over a third of our signed up volunteer driver base. Steve who is one of our Uttoxeter volunteer drivers made it to the event which was at Launton Sports & Social, Bicester and collected a bottle of champagne (donated) to take to another Uttoxeter based volunteer driver. The VDS get together event was put together mostly by one of our paid staff Denise. All the rest of us in VDS admin had to do was cover the time Denise needed to do this. How well did Denise do? She smashed it…

This was the order of the day:
11:00 – 11:30
Volunteers arrive and mingle
11:30 – 11:45
Welcome by Keith, Denise and Team
11:45 – 12:45
Quiz (bring a pen)
12:45 – 13:30
Break and Buffet
13:30 – 14:15
Raffle and Recognition
14:15 – 14:45
Q&A’s
14:45 – 15:00
Wind down and close

The quiz featured a round all about VDS. The quiz, supplied by Quizpacks, was won by ‘Simply the Best’. The finest minds VDS has to offer.
The sensational buffet was supplied by Bicester Bean Coffee Shop & Cafe.
The no lose raffle was brilliant and every volunteer driver went home with something, all the gifts were donated by local business and our community. There were so many gifts donated that some were able to be used as prizes for the quiz.

The following organisations and people helped VDS out by donating gifts:
Dorn Kipping @ Le Moulin
The Works
Dar Lighting
Terri @ Next
Shelley Newman
Mountain Warehouse
Dunelm
Tesco
Staff @ Brady
Aldi
Terrie Spence @ Binfield
Sainsburys
Second Time Around
Touch of Pine
Majestic Wine
Cotefield Garden Centre
David Smallwood

There were also many people and organisations who wished to stay anonymous.

Q&A’s put Keith, manager of VDS, on the spot answering any questions about VDS that came his way, that was only fair as Keith presented the quiz and was firing the questions into everyone else earlier on in the proceedings.

VDS raised £520 towards the cost of our event through JustGiving https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/keith-davies-811

I think it’s safe to say a good time was had by all. Thank you so much for your support of the wonderful thing VDS gets up to :0)

Volunteer Driver Service has had an amazing 60 potential volunteers apply to join our wonderful service through Facebook since April 2024. We have nearly 5000 transport clients/patients that rely on our volunteer drivers to get them to essential appointments.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door.
A flexible way to volunteer and help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

If you'd like to become part of our incredible story please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) transport 100s of people every month to essential appointments many of which are medical appointments. VDS operates across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and surrounding area, VDS even has a little outpost in Uttoxeter. VDS volunteers and staff have never had a get together before. VDS is a project of Citizens Advice West Northants and Cherwell (CAWNAC) who are a charity. VDS were hoping we could raise £1000 so we didn't need to trouble CAWNAC for funds for our get together. We've identified a venue, got some nibbles sorted and are providing our own entertainment in the form of a quiz.

If you are able to make a donation, no matter how small, to help VDS enjoy a day together that would be simply amazing.
Please just click the link
Thank you, thank you, thank you :0)

**Please share as that helps us loads too**

Help raise £1000 to have a volunteer driver and paid staff get together. Iʼm raising money to have a volunteer driver and paid staff get together.. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

Please support our amazing volunteers. Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) helps people get to essential, often medical, appointments, with volunteers using their own cars. On the 18th of September 2024, we are organising a special event to bring together as many of our wonderful volunteer drivers as possible to show our appreciation for all their continued support within the community.

**We would be extremely grateful if you would consider donating a gift or making a monetary contribution, as we plan to include a fun quiz at the gathering, and are therefore seeking as many prizes and donations as possible.**

Your support would make a huge difference, and the additional thank you from the wider community the volunteers serve would help us create a truly memorable day for our deserving volunteers.

If you think this may be something you could help with please email
[email protected]
thank you so much :0)

**Please share as that helps us loads too**

Absolutely superb effort by Steve Green volunteer driver for VDS in bigging up Volunteer Driver Service East Staffordshire to his MP Jacob Collier. Well done Steve and thank you so much Jacob.

Have you got a car, some spare time and would like to make a difference in your local community.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door
A flexible way to volunteer and help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

Please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Thanks to Steve from the Volunteer Driver Service East Staffordshire charity for telling me more about their work 🚘

The volunteers drive people to appointments, social visits or to collect prescriptions.

They are always looking for more volunteers or people who need their service.

Get in touch through [email protected] 📧

Really nice stat for July. 133 volunteer drivers were active meaning they averaged 7.29 journeys each and 253 miles. If those wonderful volunteers set off from the Churchill hospital, Oxford, each of them would have been able reach Dublin in Ireland, St Martin's on the Isles of Scilly or Paris to watch the Olympics.
Fantastic effort thank you to you all :0)

**Amazing volunteer opportunity**
This is what Frank one of our amazing volunteers thinks about driving for VDS:
"Having retired from full time work I knew that the worst thing was that I would miss the day to day contact with the general public. My job used to be as a driver, driving a bus, so I used to have a lot of one to one contact. Since joining VDS I have found that I do still have that opportunity to connect on a one to one basis with people I transport to various destinations. I can usually gauge how people are going to interact when I first make contact on the phone to arrange a pick up time. So far, I’ve been about 95% right. People are wonderful, and have a history to them that they are willing to talk about, and I am quite happy to listen as they are interesting, funny and knowledgeable. Such a rewarding service to render, and shouldn’t we all be helping each other."

Would you like to join VDS as a Volunteer Driver and become part of an amazing story like Frank's, if so please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**Are you able to share Frank's story across Facebook to help promote awareness of the amazing thing our volunteer drivers do**

Cracking interview with Adam Ball from BBC Oxfordshire about what Volunteer Driver Service get up to and the BCA award. Thank you for looking after us BBC Radio Oxford.
Please have a listen from 20:19

Adam Ball - 31/07/2024 - BBC Sounds Celebrity guests, great music and mid-morning conversation with Adam.

VDS East Staffordshire gets a mention :0)
BBC Oxfordshire have turned yesterdays interview into a lovely little piece about what Volunteer Driver Service get up to. Thank you loads BBC Radio Oxford, you guys are flipping awesome.
Please have a listen from 44:16

Adam Ball - 17/07/2024 - BBC Sounds Celebrity guests, great music and mid-morning conversation with Adam.

VDS East Staffordshire gets a mention :0)
Adam Ball from BBC Radio Oxford had a little chat with Keith Davies, Volunteer Driver Service Manager about Keith being selected to receive The British Citizen Award (BCA).
Thank you BBC Oxfordshire for all your support
Please have a listen at 20:20...

Adam Ball - British Citizen Award, public loos + Oxford City FC - BBC Sounds Adam meets Keith Davies to hear about being selected for a British Citizen Award!

Something rather amazing has happened. Keith Davies VDS Manager has been selected to receive The British Citizen Award (BCA). Here are some bits from the Pre-event Press Release.

"Keith Davies, from Oxfordshire, is among 26 exceptional individuals to be honoured with the esteemed British Citizen Award (BCA) at the Palace of Westminster. This recognition celebrates their outstanding contributions to society.

The Medal Presentation, set for Thursday 25th July 2024, will see Keith receive the coveted BCA Medal of Honour for Services to the Community (BCAc). Recipients are entitled to use the post-nominals commemorating their achievements.

Keith has been managing Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) for 7 years. In this period Keith has turned VDS into a thriving community transport service. From his beginnings as part-time, VDS now has 5 staff and 140 volunteer drivers regularly volunteer. In addition to the important role of taking people to hospital appointments, many of whom have no other means of attending, Keith also supports other community initiatives such as the food bank service ‘Local Larder’.

Last year VDS completed 7,754 client/patient journeys amounting to 286,742 miles, many of which were in support of South Central Ambulance Service. Additionally, VDS completed 92 journeys on behalf of food initiatives like Local Larder and Winter Warmers.

VDS also works with councils and the Fire Service to collect and test electric blankets. Last year 627 blankets were tested, 180 of which failed the safety test, a worthwhile and potentially life-saving initiative."

Keith said "It is a great honour and I’m utterly thrilled."

Although Beanie is very keen to drive for VDS we've checked with the DVLA and they won't allow it. However it would be awesome if you could please spare a little time to help. We have nearly 5000 transport clients/patients that rely on our 150 volunteer drivers to get them to essential appointments.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door.
A flexible way to volunteer and help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

Please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

**Wonderful volunteer opportunity to help others**
It would be awesome if you could please spare a little time to help. We have nearly 5000 transport clients/patients that rely on our 150 volunteer drivers to get them to essential appointments.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door.
A flexible way to volunteer and help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

Please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Happy 3rd Birthday Volunteer Driver Service computer system.
In that time we've registered 4,853 passengers and 31,009 journeys.
That's amazing. Thank you everyone involved in VDS, you're amazing too.

**A simply wonderful volunteer opportunity**
Have you got a car, some spare time and would like to make a difference in your local community.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door
A flexible way to volunteer and help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

Please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

It's Volunteers' Week. Volunteer Driver Service would not exist if it wasn't for our amazing volunteers. Our volunteers are incredible people doing a wonderful thing. Thank you all for what you do, not just for this week but the 51 other weeks of the year too.
Thank you

**Wonderful volunteer opportunity to help others**
Have you got a car, some spare time and would like to make a difference in your local community.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door
A flexible way to volunteer and help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

Please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

**Amazing volunteer opportunity**
Have you got a car, some spare time and would like to make a difference in your local community.
• You receive 45p per mile starting from your door
• A flexible way to help your community organised around your availability and preferences.

Please email:
[email protected]
to find out more

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) are starting to pick up a bit of momentum in your area, and we are loving every minute of it :0)
This map is just from journeys in the last month. It's not just medical journeys VDS do, we do visiting care homes to see a loved one, day centres, hospital visiting and can take you to the supermarket.

If you would like to book a journey with VDS, please call
0300 3030 125

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Volunteer Driver Service has collated our financial year end stats.

Mileage:
South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS)
220,195
CORE (paying passengers)
98,969
VDS Food (Local Larder and Winter Warmers)
2921
Electric Blanket Testing
407

322,492 miles in total
Utterly amazing and thank you to all involved

Volunteer Driver Service has collated our financial year end stats.

Journey numbers:
South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS)
5417
(SCAS measure their journeys as each leg so this is more like 8500 journeys on behalf of our NHS)
CORE (paying passengers)
3313
VDS Food (Local Larder and Winter Warmers)
298
Electric Blanket Testing
8

9036 journeys in total
Utterly amazing and thank you to all involved

**Breaking news**
VDS paid staff are no longer working from home and have successfully purchased a brand new state of the art building in the Seychelles for £6.2 million. The paid staff are transferring there today. This facility has a bowling alley, spa, 50m Olympic standard swimming pool and a play area for our cats. This facility is for paid staff only and sadly our volunteer drivers and volunteer admin will not be allowed access. Keith, Maayke, Stacey, Denise, Alison and our cats are massively looking forward to our 2 day working week and hitting the beach at every opportunity.

Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) are starting to pick up a bit of momentum in your area, and we are loving every minute of it :0)
It's not just medical journeys VDS do, we do visiting care homes to see a loved one, day centres, hospital visiting and can take you to the supermarket.

If you would like to book a journey with VDS, please call
0300 3030 125

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Volunteer Driver Service (VDS) are starting to pick up a bit of momentum in your area, and we are loving every minute of it :0)
If you would like to book a journey with VDS, please call
0300 3030 125

**If this isn't for you PLEASE SHARE as it might be perfect for someone you know**

Volunteer Driver Service East Staffordshire Volunteer Driver Service was established April 2012 as a project of Citizens Advice.