Through our conversations with volunteers, we have come to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to volunteering in your community. However, the sense of satisfaction that comes from giving back is always consistent.
We recently enjoyed talking to George Banting about his experience as an NHS volunteer driver in Bristol. After retiring in 2018, George started volunteering as a driver for our RSVP West project. He helped people get to and from their NHS GP and hospital appointments. Although the service has been slow to resume since the end of the COVID pandemic, George has fond memories of his time as an NHS volunteer driver and is willing to do it again when the time is right.
“I was Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Bristol university before I retired. Upon retirement in 2018, through RSVP West, I started to volunteer with the local GP surgery driving people to and from their medical appointments. The people I drove did not have access to transport and often had mobility issues.
As I was unable to commit to regular volunteering the flexibility of driving appealed to me. I wanted to give something back; my mum lives in the Midlands which means her neighbours drive her to GP and medical appointments as I’m too far away. I was inspired by mum’s kind neighbours to do the same for people in the West of England.
“I was inspired by mum’s kind neighbours (in the Midlands) to do the same for people in the West of England.“
For almost two years before the pandemic, I drove people to GP surgeries and hospitals around Bristol. This could be one-off journeys or regular journeys with the same person. Sometimes I would sit with them in the waiting rooms to make things a little easier. From our conversations, I got the sense that some people were isolated and living alone and didn’t have much social contact, so I felt happy to chat with them and give them the chance to interact with another person.
If I hadn’t driven them, many people would have struggled to make it to their appointments. So, the service I provided made life a bit easier for most of them. I’m confident that the NHS also benefitted as people could attend appointments they could have otherwise missed. Although it might not have had a significant impact, it did help the NHS at the fringes.
It’s human nature to help people so volunteering as an NHS driver made me feel better in general. As well as the flexibility, I enjoyed interacting with the people I drove, many of whom had led interesting lives and shared plenty of insight and wisdom.
“I’m confident that the NHS also benefitted as people could attend appointments they could have otherwise missed.”
I continued to volunteer throughout COVID, joining other volunteer drivers to deliver prescriptions for GP surgeries. This meant volunteer drivers were given a letter permitting us to be out as part of the NHS volunteer support network, delivering medication.
Since the COVID pandemic, the NHS GP volunteer driver service has been slow to restart. However, I am eager to return once it has been sorted.
The team at Volunteering Matters has been incredibly supportive. When dealing with a flexible service like the NHS driver service, it is the responsibility of the Project Coordinator to carefully plan the rota. This includes considering the demographics of the people making referrals. In 2018, the local team did an excellent job of taking referrals from older people who were not digitally connected. This meant scheduling journeys via phone or letter, which required exceptional organisational skills. I am very grateful to the team for their hard work and dedication.
I would recommend volunteering to others as it is a great way to give back to the community. If you have some spare time and flexibility, there are many volunteering opportunities available. I also participate in litter picking with a local community group, and it feels great to help out in some way. Volunteering can be very rewarding – it’s good for the soul. If you find something you enjoy doing, it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
“If you have some spare time and flexibility, there are many volunteering opportunities available.”
Feeling inspired by George’s story?
