A transport of delight
If, like a good many people in Grantham, you find it hard to get to hospital, the dentist, your doctor or even down to the supermarket for your weekly shop, then you might like to find out how Grantham Area Community Transport can help. We have all kinds of clients who have one thing in common; they have difficulty getting from A to B. So, if you’re disabled, blind, or your age means that you’re not as mobile as you once were, this could be just what you’ve been looking for; a transport service with knobs on.
The Grantham Area Community Transport scheme, or GACT for short, is run and operated by volunteers; people who give of their time to pick up vulnerable citizens from their homes, take them to their appointments and bring them safely back. It could be that you need to see a specialist at say Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre for example. Perhaps it’s for a scan, which might take an hour or two and you need someone to wait for you before taking you home. Maybe you need a bit of help with a mobility aid, or else your visual impairment means that you need someone to guide you to whatever place you’re looking for. Well, this is all in a day’s work for us, as we do this sort of thing day in, day out.
Medical trips are our main reason for existing, and taking people to hospital, doctors or dentist appointments when other means of transport are either not available or cannot provide the service required, are our top priority. However, we won’t mind helping to get you to the shops or to your hair appointment on time now and again. Just ask if you are not sure – our co-ordinators are really friendly.
We have thirty two male and female volunteer car drivers and all have been DBS (old CRB) checked. Last year they completed 1,848 return journeys, covering 36,200 miles; that’s one and half times round the world!
It pays to plan ahead a little bit to get the best out of the scheme; usually forty-eight hours or more is preferred so a volunteer driver to suit you can be found. The office is manned between 9am to midday, Monday’s, Wednesdays and Fridays and all you do is get in touch, tell us who you are, where you’d like to go and how you can be contacted. A Coordinator will then call you back to let you know that the transport has been arranged and which driver will be taking you. Once that’s sorted out you’ll be picked up at the agreed time and place. All you do is pay the driver when your journey’s over and he’ll give you a receipt. It’s as easy at that. The cost is 50p per mile, 45p of which goes to pay for the driver’s petrol, and the other 5p goes towards paying for the running of the office. The driver’s time is free. There is a minimum charge of £3 for journeys of 6 miles or less.
We think we have a really good community service designed around you. We hope it makes a difference. Nothing’s too much trouble; if you find it hard to get around, GACT will get around it.
Ring us on: 01476 978 916
Our address:
Grantham Area Community Transport
c/o St. Barnabas Hospice
86 Barrowby Road
Grantham
NG31 8AF
E-Mail: gact@talktalk.net
Web Site: www.granthamact.co.uk
Can you help?
We have thirty two volunteer car drivers but would welcome more.
If you are interested in volunteering, enjoy driving and have your own car, then you’ll find this a rewarding way to spend your time. Please contact us as above.