Wheels for ADCA

Have You Got Four Wheels for ADCA?

Do you have your own car? A clean driving licence? Good health? Some spare time? A wish to contribute something to community life? The confidence to drive with an older or disabled person as a passenger (or the willingness to develop that confidence)?

Please come and talk to us!

You can call us on 07984 785907 on Wednesday or Friday mornings to speak directly to someone, or leave a message at any other time and we will get back to you.

If you prefer, you can drop in to the ADCA office in Audlem Public Hall Annexe on a Wednesday or Friday morning and speak with staff.

Why are we making this appeal?

Restrictions are easing, things are starting to look closer to normal ('new normal'). ADCA members are eagerly returning to our regular clubs. In the office, the ADCA phone rings – "Hello. I have a doctor's appointment at the end of next week. Can I book the Medical Transport to get there and back please?"

This is all lovely! At last we can feel that we are really getting on again with what we are here to do!

(In case you need a quick reminder, what ADCA (Audlem & District Community Action) are here to do is... provide welfare support in our clubs to vulnerable and socially isolated adults and older people and their carers within Audlem and District, promoting social inclusion, community participation and independence. We also run a Medical Transport Service to take people with no access to transport to medical appointments.)

But...

We are running short of wheels. Literal wheels. This is giving us a severe headache.

How it all works

Our Lunch and Coffee Clubs operate at set times on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. We run clubs in Audlem, Hankelow and Broomhall & Sound (the latest addition, which is coming along nicely!)

Most of the members arrive independently, or are brought in by relatives. But a number rely exclusively on our team of volunteer drivers to get them to – and then later home from – our club activities. Without this help, they would not be able to take part at all.

Driver rotas for the clubs are organised a few weeks ahead, and when we have a good number of drivers to call on, we can arrange slots to suit all parties, and cover for any last minute problems.

We don't ask all drivers to be available on all days – volunteers decide their own level of commitment and we welcome all of them.

Unlike the clubs, our Medical Transport Service doesn't have fixed rotas. It operates in response to individual requests from anyone (not just ADCA members) who has difficulty arranging transport for themselves to and from doctor appointments, clinical sessions, or hospital appointments. These, of course, can be at any time on any day. A charge towards the costs of this service is made to users.

We make use of the wonderful Wheelybus from Overwater Wheelyboat Services (also run entirely by volunteers) where we can, but individual drivers with their own cars are still vital to our operation.

We ask people who request this service to give us as much advance warning as possible so that we can match one of our drivers to the individual's need. Again, volunteers choose their own level of commitment.

Fall out from the pandemic

During the pandemic a number of our faithful regular drivers have had to withdraw for various reasons, and not all have been able to return. Now that things are easing, some of our drivers (like all the rest of us!) are hoping to get away on a proper holiday, and their regular club slots need to be covered while they are away. And we can only provide Medical Transport to all those who turn to us if we have enough drivers available with sufficient flexibility over appointment times.

Could YOU help?

The more volunteer drivers we can enlist, the more easily we can organise both fixed club rotas and one-off trips for Medical Transport that work for everyone involved, thus ensuring that no one is overburdened.

You don't have to jump in at the deep end! Training is given, and DBS checks made (because we work with potentially vulnerable people). All volunteer drivers can claim back expenses for trips they make for ADCA.

Please come and talk to us! (07984 785907)

You can find out more about ADCA on our website: https://adca.audlem.org