Covid-19: Volunteers step forward as vaccination taxis

Chippenham Link is helping people get to their appointments at a GP surgery in the town as well as at Bath Racecourse

With the Covid-19 vaccination rollout in full swing, people are stepping forward to volunteer to take people for their jabs. But this service can be more than just a car journey, a connection is being made with some of the most vulnerable in our communities.

Carolyn Carter, 56, chairwoman of Chippenham Link Transport in Wiltshire, regularly drives clients to their medical appointments and is now helping with vaccination runs.

She said: "I thought long an hard about doing it, but...I can do good by doing this.

"Wednesday we were all just backwards and forwards to the surgery. Between the 11 of us we did about 40 trips over two days.

"Everyone has been fantastic. They are just helping with whatever they can to get this done."

As well as being a volunteer driver, Carolyn Carter is working on ensuring they can cope as demand for transport to the larger centres increases

Ms Carter said while people could potentially get to Bath Racecourse or the hospital by public transport, many of the people they see have hardly left their houses in 12 months and are either "not capable" or "scared".

"One lady is 92 and hasn't been out of her house since last March," she said.

"She was unsteady on her feet as she hasn't really done much activity...and we were a bit concerned about how she would get through.

'Rewarding'

"It is rewarding and you very often get their whole life story, sometimes because they haven't spoken to anybody else.

"People are a bit nervous...one woman I took last week was telling me 'I wasn't going to have it, but I feel I should so I'm going for it', then when she came out she said 'that was easy'."

Ms Carter said while she can understand some concerns over the safety of the journeys, they have been working within guidance set out by the council and take all possible precautions including wearing masks, ventilating the car and also limiting the number of different people drivers come into contact with on each shift.

Wiltshire Council said it had been working with the Link schemes to develop safety guidance and also to understand the demand being placed on them.

Driving instructor Rob Milne said he wanted to "give something back"

Rob Milne, 56, starting volunteering as a driver for Clevedon Aid in Somerset during the second lockdown. Since vaccinations started, the charity has completed more than 550 miles of vaccine transport.

He is one of 33 drivers taking people to the local vaccine centres at Langford, Portishead, Clevedon and to the main hub at Ashton Gate in Bristol.

"Because I am a driving instructor I can't work at the moment, so I just put something out on social media looking for local charities who wanted voluntary work doing," he said.

"I'm used to keeping my car clean and sanitising it all the time, ventilating it, so they asked me to do the vaccination runs."

Mr Milne said people cannot believe it is a free service, with some choosing to give donations.

'So appreciative'

"These people just wouldn't get there otherwise," he said.

"They do need the vaccinations and they are so, so appreciative of people taking them."

Since March last year, Clevedon Aid has been coordinating transport to get people safely to medical appointments, carrying out prescription runs, shopping, delivering hot meals and providing well-being calls.

Team leader Lizzie Harvey said: "Transportation, obviously first and foremost, is about getting our community healthy and resilient with a vaccine, but it also means we get to support residents with their health and well-being in other ways too, be it well-being chats or a hot meal.

"It's more than just a car journey, a connection is being made."

Jan said the vaccinations "feel like the key to open a new door"

Jan Ross, who lives on Exmoor in Somerset, said as soon as she heard about the vaccination rollout she knew it would be a "logistical nightmare" getting those in remote villages to their appointments.

The 69-year-old is a volunteer driver for the Exmoor Community Bus and despite spending much of the past year shielding, she said once she has had her vaccine she is ready and willing to drive others to their own appointments.

"We just knew immediately we would need to help out," she said.

"When we were in the first bit of lockdown I felt really quite isolated and lonely and so it is a joy to talk to people and to get out and about."

The 16-seater bus was used for shopping trips and medical appointments before the pandemic, but it will soon be transformed into a vaccination bus

The journeys to vaccination hubs could be anything up to an hour-and-a-half round trip for those living in the more remote parts of southern Exmoor.

Ms Ross said they were now discussing logistics with Somerset County Council to help link up those who need transport in the area to ensure they can get their vaccinations together.

A council spokesman said that early talks with Exmoor Community Bus were underway and any transport would have to follow social distancing rules in the same way as on public buses, with less people, spaced out, wearing face coverings and windows open.

The council's cabinet member for transport, John Woodman, said community transport services are "doing an amazing job helping people get to their vaccinations".