Frome Medical Practice has chosen local charity Active and In Touch as their Charity of the Year.

Last week, the practice wrote about the important work that volunteers do befriending Active and In Touch members, but the work of Active and In Touch extends beyond volunteer befriending.

So this week the practice are sharing stories about volunteer drivers.

"One area of work where Active and In Touch often supports people is helping to ensure they can get to places they need to be, including their medical appointments for example, using the Frome Community Drivers scheme," said Karen Creffield, Practice Manager. "This is the next in a series of stories we are sharing to help raise awareness of the work Active and In Touch undertake in our community and the important role volunteers play in ensuring this happens."

What do Frome Community Driver volunteers do? 

Accepting lifts from 'strangers' can sometimes feel daunting, so where possible Active and In Touch will try to ensure members have a regular driver. One of the Active and In Touch Drivers is Pam Curtis, who was made Frome Person of the Year in 2021 for the various volunteering roles she carries out in the community. Pam has regular members who feel safe in her company and she regularly takes them to appointments.

And it's not just medical appointments that Active and In Touch help with. They recently supported a Frome family so they could attend the funeral of their sibling, which was taking place in Bristol. Another regular volunteer driver, Tessa, was able to drive them there and back. This practical offer of help also ensured they received emotional support on a difficult day, and took away any worry about how they were going to get to Bristol and back when they didn't have transport of their own.

Can you help as a volunteer? 

The Frome Community Drivers scheme is increasingly busy and Active and In Touch are actively seeking more people to volunteer with this service. As one volunteer explains, "Volunteering as a community driver is really enjoyable - I get to meet some interesting people, plus it is a useful service, so what's not to like?"

If you can spare some time to help as a volunteer with the Frome Community Drivers scheme please call 07596 591391 or visit their website here https://fromecommunitydrivers.org.uk/become-a-driver/