The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

GDB2222

Pumpkin boat paddled down River Ouse in York http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-46018859

GDB2222

Sue, is there a cash machine in the hospital?

PasturesNew

SingleSue wrote: »

There is no-one else able to take mum to the hospital and I am running on empty already and I still have work to go to this week.

In many areas there's a thing called Community Drivers - they are volunteer drivers, bookable for appointments, who charge about 40p/mile. What they tend to do is be retired types who will collect/deliver ... and they'll have a book/sandwiches packed and be happy to hang around waiting to return the person home when they've finished... so they're not like taxis which are expensive, impersonal, rushing around and unreliable.

They tend to be "charitable old, retired, duffers" who are people people ... and expect to pick somebody up, hang around the Hospital, take them home ... and "only get" 40p for their mileage.

Worth a google: here's one http://www.factsbus.org.uk/services/community-car/

At worst, if you've got the time to sit around yourself, you could use them to get you both there/back ... they'd not mind that "you are able to drive theoretically and have a shiny new car"...

silvercar

Sue wrote:

I'm shattered, I haven't a clue how I am going to keep going all week. There is no-one else able to take mum to the hospital and I am running on empty already and I still have work to go to this week.

Oh Sue, I wish you were nearer. Please make sure you eat properly if nothing else. Look after yourself so you can look after everyone else.

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

In many areas there's a thing called Community Drivers - they are volunteer drivers, bookable for appointments, who charge about 40p/mile. What they tend to do is be retired types who will collect/deliver ... and they'll have a book/sandwiches packed and be happy to hang around waiting to return the person home when they've finished... so they're not like taxis which are expensive, impersonal, rushing around and unreliable.

That's me, that is - well, it would be if I'd actually had any requests.

There was a lot of discussion on the local FB page about setting something up when someone found an old lady walking and hitchhiking to Barrow so gave her a lift - then they found that the county council already had the scheme running so there seemed no point in replicating it. I signed up and have all the stuff but have yet to get a single request.

Methinks that the perceived demand wasn't actually there, however I'm still available if anyone does want.

They tend to be "charitable old, retired, duffers"

However, that's definitely NOT me :rotfl:

they'd not mind that "you are able to drive theoretically and have a shiny new car"...

Technically they would - it's a subsidised service specifically for people with no other means of transport, be that own car, bus, train, etc. Of couse, it depends on whether they know if someone does

PasturesNew

chris_m wrote: »

Methinks that the perceived demand wasn't actually there

I think the thing is that people don't know about it ... schemes have a webpage that's indistinct and confusing... and so people don't contact anybody as they fear the "somebody will call you back" that never does, that then says it's not for you ... and, actually, you needed a solution at short notice in the first instance. Having had a bad first experience, you don't phone back when you've time to think about these things as so much has gone on since and you've forgotten/had a bad experience.... so it slides off the radar again.

My BIL does minibus driving for a variety of shopping trips for old dears; my sibling does a different shopping service where OAPs phone in their supermarket food order and the volunteers go to supermarket at a set time. A special till is opened for the volunteers, then they hand over the shopping bags to a separate volunteer driver who delivers the shopping round in a van.

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

I think the thing is that people don't know about it

I think that's a nail-head-hit thought.
They dd say that it hadn't been particularly well publicised, leaflets in the library was about it - and I guess that hasn't changed :-(

SingleSue

GDB2222 wrote: »

Sue, is there a cash machine in the hospital?

There is, dad doesn't have his card though and it is too far from his ward to get to (and he is not supposed to leave, he likes to be naughty though).

Mum will be fine, on her count up and based on her spend over the last few days, she had enough to last her more than a wee while yet, she was just doing her normal panic thing.

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

In many areas there's a thing called Community Drivers - they are volunteer drivers, bookable for appointments, who charge about 40p/mile. What they tend to do is be retired types who will collect/deliver ... and they'll have a book/sandwiches packed and be happy to hang around waiting to return the person home when they've finished... so they're not like taxis which are expensive, impersonal, rushing around and unreliable.

They tend to be "charitable old, retired, duffers" who are people people ... and expect to pick somebody up, hang around the Hospital, take them home ... and "only get" 40p for their mileage.

Worth a google: here's one http://www.factsbus.org.uk/services/community-car/

At worst, if you've got the time to sit around yourself, you could use them to get you both there/back ... they'd not mind that "you are able to drive theoretically and have a shiny new car"...

We might have to look to that sort of thing to be honest. I've even thought of taking the train.

If it goes on any longer, mum might see if she can find a B&B or room only let near to the hospital, something she did when dad was having his bypass at Papworth.

SingleSue

chris_m wrote: »

That's me, that is - well, it would be if I'd actually had any requests.

There was a lot of discussion on the local FB page about setting something up when someone found an old lady walking and hitchhiking to Barrow so gave her a lift - then they found that the county council already had the scheme running so there seemed no point in replicating it. I signed up and have all the stuff but have yet to get a single request.

Methinks that the perceived demand wasn't actually there, however I'm still available if anyone does want.

However, that's definitely NOT me :rotfl:



Technically they would - it's a subsidised service specifically for people with no other means of transport, be that own car, bus, train, etc. Of couse, it depends on whether they know if someone does

Mum does have her own car, it's just that she won't drive it anywhere else than our local town and to Gorleston (and even then she isn't happy about it). It's why I do the hospital runs although that is more down to the fact that she doesn't like car parks :rotfl: