A Day in the Life of a Volunteer Driver: Peter Parsons

“For me, volunteering has opened up a whole new chapter in my life where I feel a real sense of belonging. It has given me a sense of purpose and direction that had been missing for a long time and has had a positive impact on my general wellbeing.”

Hi. My name is Peter, I am 77 years of age, retired for the third time and have been Volunteering with Pembrokeshire Voluntary Transport for 2 Years.

So, what made me think of becoming a Volunteer? I had gone through a particularly challenging period in my personal life and realised that I was becoming more introverted and withdrawn. A friend suggested I try volunteering as a way of getting out and meeting people.

When doing an online search, it became clear that there are so many different opportunities out there with organisations that are looking for volunteers, there really is something for everyone. I would advise anyone who is considering it to just get out there and give it a go, you will not regret it.

I particularly liked a social media post put up by a team member from Pembrokeshire Voluntary Transport. She was so passionate and full of enthusiasm for the service that they provide, I thought that this was something that I would like to be part of.

My role involves driving wheelchair accessible vehicles. These are provided by the Charity, with full training given to ensure that you have the knowledge and confidence in using the winch and wheelchair restraint straps, providing safety and comfort to the driver and passenger. The vehicles are kept at two separate locations – 3 at Pembroke Dock and 1 in Haverfordwest. As Volunteers, we can claim expenses at 45p per mile for travelling from our home to pick up the vehicle and the return journey home.

We take our clients to various appointments, the usual hospital and doctor appointments, but also lots of social journeys, such as shopping, visiting friends, family events, social groups or even just to go out for a coffee and a chat. The Co-ordinator sends out our journeys a month in advance, after checking with us that we are available at that time. There is no issue if we are busy, and as a Volunteer, we only commit to a journey if it fits in with the rest of our schedule. Occasionally we may have an issue, but our Co-ordinator is always there on the end of a phone to help sort it out.

We have a wide variety of clients, most of them wheelchair users, that we drive on a regular basis and very quickly get to know them and build friendships in this way. We almost become part of their family. They all really appreciate of the time that we give and always thank us at the end of the journey. Some of our clients had not been outside their home for up to 2 years because of challenges they faced with using public transport as a wheelchair user and had become very isolated before hearing about the service that we provide.

Pembrokeshire Voluntary Transport prides itself on providing a ‘holistic service’ centred around the needs of the client, we are more than just a taxi service from A to B. We will take the clients to where they need to be and either wait for them or arrange a time for their return journey. We will be always guided by them and will accompany them on their appointment if that is their wish.

There are many memorable journeys that I have carried out in my role as a Voluntary Driver, in fact they are all memorable in some way, but one in particular has had a lasting impact for me.

Our Co-ordinator had been contacted by the daughter of J, who was receiving palliative care and needed to get to a hospital appointment. When our Co-ordinator carried out the initial assessment at her home she asked J if there was anything else that she would really like to do. J replied that she would love to go and sit by the seaside and eat an ice cream. Our Co-ordinator then contacted me, explained the situation, and asked if we could help. I was due to finish my journey in an hour and said that I was happy to take J that afternoon if she was able to go. Her carers pulled out all the stops and within 3 hours we had J sitting in her wheelchair at Coppet Hall Beach in Saundersfoot, along with her daughter and eating her ice cream. The look of sheer joy on her face was quite an emotional moment and was so lovely to see.

We then arranged for J to go out to Lunch with one of her daughters on a weekly basis (there were 2 daughters who would visit alternating week on week), where they would insist that I sat with them. During this time, I came to know J reasonably well and she so looked forward to her outings. She was a wonderful lady with so many stories to tell and, although a contradiction in terms, she was so full of life. After about 3 months J sadly became too ill to go out, but her daughters kept in touch with our Co-ordinator to let us know how she was doing. She sadly passed away earlier this year, and her daughters sent a personal letter of thanks to our Co-ordinator and myself for enabling their mum to enjoy those last few months. They said that we would never know how much of a positive impact this had had on the whole family, with J looking forward to her next outing, planning where to go, what she was going to wear and what she would have to eat. Only recently, where I was parked up waiting for a client, a car drove past me and stopped. It was one of J’s daughters who got out of the car, came over, gave me a big hug, and said:` thank you so much for your time that you gave to us as a family – we will never forget it.’

This just goes to show that we can and do make a difference to people’s lives. By giving up just a couple of hours of our time we never quite know of the impact that will have on somebody’s day.

 If you find yourself with a little time on your hands, no matter how small, I would encourage you to consider being a Volunteer. Have a look at the local Volunteer organisations online and you will find something that suits you and the time that you have to spare.