In the first instance complete the volunteer application form on this site, or contact the Community Services Manager, Lisa, on 01258 450095 to arrange a mutually convenient time for you to visit us to have an informal discussion about what it will entail.
It is a legal requirement that all our prospective volunteers are required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service Application (DBS) with us.
All fuel expenses that our volunteers incur in the delivery of their role are reimbursed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is there a set amount of hours/time I need to be available?
No, not at all. You can specify days when you can /can’t volunteer, agree set locations of travel and so on.
Flexibility is the key word. If you don’t mind us contacting you to ask, we really don’t mind if you say yes or no.
Q. Do I receive any payment?
We reimburse all volunteers for their fuel expenses from their door back to their door at the rate of 45p per mile.
We will provide you with an expenses sheet to keep a record of each journey and miles traveled to enable us to reimburse you correctly.
Q How do clients pay for the service?
While there is no charge, we ask all clients to make a donation to the charity towards supporting the cost of running this service. This can be in the form of cash or cheque. Drivers are not permitted to accept personal payment from any client for the delivery of the service.
All donations made to our charity are acknowledged by the office.
Q. What about insurance?
We will provide you with a standard letter to send to your car insurance company informing them you are doing voluntary work in the charity’s name.
Q. What areas and locations do you cover?
The majority of requests are for appointments to hospitals at Dorchester, Poole, Bournemouth, Yeovil, Sherborne and Salisbury. Occassionally patients request us to take them to locations such as Shepton Mallett, Southampton, Taunton and Bristol.
Some drivers prefer and opt to take only to local hospitals whereas some drivers are happy to go further afield. The choice is entirely up to the individual driver whose choices will be respected at all times.
Q How long does it take to complete a service provision?
As all journeys are carried out to satisfy an appointment this is difficult to answer. I am sure you can appreciate that some appointments take only a few minutes whilst others may take over an hour.
The office will always endeavor to provide you with as much detail as possible about the clients appointment.