The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
I have just heard something about volunteers who drive for NSL Care Service. They are apparently aggrieved because after they have driven 10,000 miles in any one year, they have to advise the authorities and their payment goes down from 40p per mile to 25p.
I am chairman of South Holland Parish Voluntary Car Service and we run a scheme which was established over 30 years ago.
We are completely separate from the NSL scheme and our drivers are not striking or withdrawing their help. I think we should make this really clear because our drivers, between them, make about 8,000 a journeys a year, covering approximately 165,000 miles.
We do not want our passengers to worry that they will not get the usual service from us.
Our scheme works by a person ringing our organisers, giving details of where and when they want transporting to.
The organiser then rings and arranges the transport with one of our drivers. That driver will then collect the passenger at the arranged time, take them to their destination, wait for them (not leave them and go back later as I understand NSL does), and see them back to the waiting car and take them back to their home.
I heard a very sad tale from a lady who lives at Pinchbeck. She was taken by a NSL driver to Wisbech Hospital, left for her appointment and told to ring when she was ready to be collected. Despite the hospital ringing three times for her, she was never collected and the hospital had to organise a taxi to take the lady home from Wisbech to Pinchbeck!
We have organisers covering Spalding, Cowbit, Crowland, Weston, Weston Hills, Moulton and villages, Whaplode, Holbeach, Fleet, Gedney, Long Sutton, Lutton and Sutton Bridge.
There is also a similar scheme operated at Donington. Anybody wanting more information can phone me on 07939 559764 or 01775 762210
We cover visits to hospitals, doctors, dentists, opticians, chiropodists, care homes, sick relatives etc.
Organisers prefer a week’s notice but can sometimes deal with last minute bookings. Passengers pay 35p per mile to the drivers, with a minimum fee for local journeys.
So it’s business as usual for the South Holland Parish Voluntary Car Service.
Angela Newton
Chairman, South Holland Parish Voluntary Car Service
