Community Connexions is a Gloucestershire Community transport charity.
We provide transport to the most vulnerable in our communities, combating social and rural isolation and loneliness. Our transport is for those who cannot access mainstream public transport and, without our services, many of our customers wouldn’t be able to leave their homes. We are a ‘door to door’ service facilitating journeys to doctor and hospital appointments, day centres, library clubs, or essential shopping.
We provide our services using accessible minibuses and, crucially, volunteers using their own vehicles.
An example of our work in the Stroud area is Mrs V. She felt she had lost her independence when she was told her eyesight was no longer good enough for her to drive. She was devastated. She used her car not only to do the sort of the things that we all take for granted; attending health appointments, shopping, visiting the hairdressers etc. but much more importantly, to visit her husband in his nursing home.
He had moved when his dementia became too difficult to manage at home. Community Connexions provided the transport for his move from the home that he had shared with his wife to the nursing home. At the time, their daughter praised us for the efficient last minute arrangements for this transfer and the drivers’ expertise in ensuring her father was taken safely and most importantly for her, calmly to his new home, making a stressful situation as good as it could be. We reassured Mrs V. she could retain her independence, by using our service.
The daughter wrote “Not only do you ensure that my mother and father are still able to spend quality time together but you relieve the stress on the wider family as we do not have to take off work to be ‘mums taxi’! Your drivers have become a trusted additional part of her support network – she so enjoys their chats and looks forward to seeing them”.
If you think you could spare a few hours each week to help local people like Mrs V. please contact Community Connexions on 0845 680 5029.
Volunteers use their own vehicles and are paid mileage so they are not out of pocket whilst helping people in their own communities.
You must be logged in to post a comment.