National Volunteers' Week: Margaret and the Didcot Volunteer drivers
This week is Volunteer’s Week and we are taking the opportunity to get to know some of the thousands of volunteers across Oxfordshire. Today we meet Margaret, who volunteers with the Didcot Volunteer Drivers.
Didcot Volunteer Drivers (DVD) help people attend doctors, dentists and other health appointments, as well as helping people visit family members in hospital.
Margaret said: "You can give as much or as little time as you wish. The DVD office volunteer will ring and ask if you are free to take a client to a hospital/doctor’s appointment on a certain day. You can accept or decline depending on your free time; some drivers like to have a drive every day and others just occasionally."
People choose to get involved with a local initiative for any number of reasons. Margaret said: "It was an ideal way to get to know your neighbourhood" which is especially helpful when you’ve moved to a new area, as Margaret had.
Over the past few months, local community groups have had to adapt to continue providing support, and despite all but essential medical appointments being cancelled, people have still needed help getting to appointments to have dressings changed or received ongoing cancer treatment which is where DVD have been able to support as usual, as well as providing extra help to get essential shopping and prescriptions.
There are so many benefits to volunteering, as Margaret says: "People don’t realise how much pleasure a volunteer gets in return for their help. I like driving and meeting people, it’s so interesting hearing about their lives, their families and their “health” adventures."
If Margaret’s story sounds like something you’d like to get involved in, Didcot Volunteer Drivers would love to hear from you:
Tel: 01235 816709