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Hello and welcome to Volunteering Discovery.
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This is a podcast which takes you behind the scenes of volunteering in health
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and social care in Norfolk and Waveney.
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Volunteers enhance the experience of people accessing health and social
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care in a huge variety of ways.
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In our hospitals, our communities and even from the comfort of their own homes.
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In each podcast, we'll be hearing from those who give their
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time supporting others and the people who work alongside them.
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I'm your host, Sarah, a volunteer coordinator working in the NHS.
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Volunteering Discovery focuses on volunteer stories in Norfolk and Waveney,
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but similar volunteering roles happen across the UK and further afield.
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If this podcast inspires you to gift your time but you don't live
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nearby, contact your local volunteer centre or search online to find a
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volunteering opportunity to suit you.
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If you've been a regular listener of Volunteering Discovery, you'll know
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that most of the episodes so far have featured volunteers giving their time
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to support individuals or families with ongoing challenges, usually related
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to physical and mental well being.
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In today's episode we'll be meeting volunteer Adrian with the Queen Elizabeth
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Hospital in Kings Lynn, who along with his fellow volunteers helped to make a
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difference in a short but vital way in response to a different kind of obstacle.
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And it is perhaps an unexpected one for Norfolk.
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We hand over to Jo Roe who tells us more.
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I'm Jo
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Roe and I'm the voluntary services manager at the Queen
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Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn.
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Essentially I'm here to recruit, manage and support the volunteers.
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That does cover Everything you could ever imagine a line manager doing.
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We have a quite unique site.
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You can imagine Norfolk's flat.
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We've managed to build a hospital at the top of one of the only hills.
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And so our car park's at the bottom and the hospital's at the top.
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For years, people have really struggled with the slope.
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They call it a hill, although they don't always call it a hill.
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It feels, if you've got any kind of joint problem, breathing
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problem, even if you're heavily pregnant, that is a very long walk.
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That's before you get through the door.
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We're not the biggest hospital in the world, but as I say, any
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impediment at all, it's going to feel miles to go to any department.
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And it's a fairly spread out site, so actually it can take a little while
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to get to wherever you're going.
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So in response to feedback and some changes on the site, we said we
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need to have a trial of the buggy.
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Let's, let's hire a buggy and give it a whirl.
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So we've got an electric golf buggy, it seats six people.
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Obviously one's a driver so you can take five passengers.
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It started in September 2023.
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and has been a huge success.
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So it runs 9am to 3.
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30pm Monday to Friday and it runs a continual loop of
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the route that it drives.
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So we start from the main car park up to our outpatients area and round
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again to the front of the hospital.
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There's two or three points to drop off and then back round to the car park.
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We keep the continual loop going.
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There is no timetable.
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There are bus stops and signs and areas where patients know to wait.
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And so the drivers offer a continual loop, and it's for anybody who needs it.
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You don't have to have, um, any, there's no certification required.
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Anybody who could do with some help getting up that slope can get on.
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If you're carrying a huge bag because someone's coming into hospital and
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actually it's a bit heavy for you.
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If you are, you've got an elder relative, you're bringing them in.
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I've experienced where I've had to drop people off and then dash
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off and try and park the car.
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Actually, you can park the car and both get on the buggy and come in together.
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It's really lovely, it helps reduce some of that anxiety about I've got
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to get there on time, but I've got to park, then I've got to da da da da da
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You know, their minds are whirring, so the drivers scoop them up and offer
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that extra piece of reassurance and a smiley face as soon as they get
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here, which I think is appreciated.
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To hear first hand what getting involved with a buggy service is like,
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Jo introduced us to one of the volunteers who offers a smiling face to patients and
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visitors alongside their driving skills.
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My name is Adrian Thurarringson.
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The main role I volunteer in is the buggy as a driver.
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I was fortunate enough to retire When I was 59 and I thought I'm a little bit too
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young to sit at home and watch the telly.
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I decided I needed to do something and the first thing that came to my
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mind, as I've used the National Health myself quite a lot, is to go see what
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the situation is with volunteers here.
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And that was in 2009.
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And I've been here ever since.
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I first started in the Arthur Levin day ward.
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People go in for small cameras and things like that, small
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morning or afternoon situations.
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And when they came out, we, me and there were also two of us, used to make them
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tea, coffee, sandwich, whatever they liked after they've had their procedure.
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So I did that for two or three years.
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And then, My days that I was available changed, and unfortunately it didn't
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work with the R11, so I just tried the shop, and I've been there ever since,
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and I still go to the shop as well.
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So, as a retailer all my life, shop was a pretty obvious way to go to start with.
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So yeah, so I've been there.
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And I do, I'm basically a relief, so if people are off, sick, they phone me up and
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say can you come in, and all that sort of thing, so I don't do a specific day there.
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And then this, this buggy information came up, this buggy idea came up.
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And being a, well, I'm now an ex golfer, but being a golfer, I
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thought, well, I could do that.
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And, um, so I looked into that, uh, got to, uh, meet Joe and, uh, started
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the procedure of being a buggy driver.
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Although of course no day is ever quite the same as the
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last, we asked Adrian to explain what a typical session involves.
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We arrive about 15 minutes before we need to change over, get my high vis,
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go and then to the, where we change over.
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I then go through a list of any scratches, do the lights work, everything.
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There's about 10 things there you have to do.
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Check before you actually go and it's already done that in the morning as well.
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So we do that twice and Then sign and then the other person that he or she goes
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off and Then we start yes, and then we start that and from there my routine is
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I then go from our parking space to the car park And I'll sit a couple of minutes
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two or three minutes Soon after lunchtime, it's not always that busy because
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there's people about, uh, appointments in the morning and then later, the
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others come in the afternoon, so.
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And then I go from there, then I'll go back, uh, I'll
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stay there for a little while.
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If there's no one about, I then go to the start of the Emerson unit.
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And then, I can never say this word, endoscopy.
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Endoscopy.
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And, uh, their main entrance.
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And, uh, do a circuit there.
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Don't always go to, um, the, uh, embassy unit.
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Because the main, the busy part is really from the car park to the hospital.
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The main gate, or main door, or back.
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That's the main, but we do the other one.
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I do that probably about every three times.
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So that, that's the general day and then it is three hours and you've got
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space for having coffee and all that sort of thing and yes it's, and three
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hours is amazing how quick that goes.
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Most people know what a golf buggy is.
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This is slightly bigger, carries six people and, and obviously longer and
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it is electric and very easy to drive.
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There are six seats, obviously I'm in one.
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So you've got One next to the driver if necessary, then two in the
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middle, and then two at the back.
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But not everybody likes to drive, because that's reversed.
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The seats look back.
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So not everybody likes to be looking back.
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But generally we only pick up two, three people maximum at a time.
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Um, and also the back seats also fold over so you can get walking frames.
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Or anything like that on it, well.
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So they don't have to, we can cope with walking frames as well, basically.
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And of course, we do help people in or out.
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We don't lift anybody or anything like that, but we do assist.
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As I say, the thing is, I've never had anyone say a bad word about it.
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Even when we didn't have sides, and the rain was coming in.
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But they didn't have to walk that hill.
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That was a That's the thing that, it's quite hard work coming up that hill.
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If you're, if you've got breathing problems or walking problems,
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the hill is quite hard work.
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And they're so grateful.
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The hill is, I don't know what it would be about.
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I suppose it's in two stages.
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So you're about 75 to 100 yards.
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But it's all uphill.
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And you go a certain way and then you have a flat bit where the
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road is and then you go up again.
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Now I'm waiting for heart operation and I have to stop.
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Because I get out of breath.
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And some of the people are really unfit.
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Not unfit, but they're real.
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They've got problems.
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And it can take them quite some time.
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And a lot of them, of course, they do drop them off at the main entrance.
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But a lot don't.
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Thankfully, a lot don't.
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We have quite a lot of customers.
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And, of course, you get regular people as well.
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People with husbands or wives have been in since three or four months.
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So they come and visit and they're quite regular.
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So yes, it's very well appreciated.
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I would say almost 50 percent of people are visitors.
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In the afternoon of course.
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They can visit all day I think now, but in the afternoons a lot of them are visitors.
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And of course, generally it's older people in hospital, isn't it?
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So their friends or partners or husbands or wives are all quite old as well.
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Since the buggy service launched in September 2023, for both Jo and Adrian,
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the difference it makes is clear to see.
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So the feedback really has been absolutely amazing.
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It has made a huge difference.
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One that I read said, I'm disabled and now I know the buggy is there, I can
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come to my appointments independently.
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People have said it just makes, takes the dread out of the hill.
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Folk have said, you know, Adrian Gavriga is obviously, do you get people who
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have Well, she was in for a long time and you get your regulars and just the
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appreciation for the service is really hard to try and quantify because the
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Enthusiasm for it is just wonderful.
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They the patients to say oh, thank goodness and people come and say I didn't
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know it was there These are the big signs.
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It's, yeah, it's just been such a success.
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So, so positive.
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And the drivers are also trained to know where different clinics are.
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We even have a little list stuck to the windscreen to say, ask
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them where are you going to.
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If you don't know how to start a conversation, you're a bit nervous
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on your first shift, say, Oh, where have you got to go to today?
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Oh, that's in, Oh, neurology is in the Emerson unit.
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Let me drop you nearer that door to save you having to walk through the
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hospital because it's quite a long way if you go in the main entrance.
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And it's that extra sort of layer of customer service and welcome.
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I think it's that welcome.
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I feel fortunate enough.
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I have a brilliant team I work with, but my wider colleagues here,
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everyone, the focus is for the patient.
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So,
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The patient suddenly goes, Oh, that's what my experience is going to be like today.
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Hopefully it sets the scene for them a little bit.
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Um, but yeah, it's, it's so hard to describe and quantify the things that
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we've read and seen and come back.
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And the drivers come back and tell us, it's just beautiful.
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I've driven it myself when we've, we've needed shifts covering.
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And it's the joy on people's faces.
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It's the look of relief.
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Oh my goodness.
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Okay.
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Thank goodness they're here.
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And I picked up a family and they said.
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It's just the nap.
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I said, look, actually it's empty at the moment, why don't you all get on?
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And they had two little boys with them and they were squashed in next to me.
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We're driving.
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I was like, do you want to press the horn?
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Yeah, but they'll always remember that.
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So their experience has started on such a positive note.
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They're all chattering away as they get off, but they don't, they
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might not become something really great, but they've had a great time.
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You know, it just, it gives that little lift.
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Literally, because of the ant emotionally for them.
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I know what it's like going into the hospital.
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And, yes, apart from getting that lift up the hill, and you're chatting to them,
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are you visiting or something, no, I'm going to have such and such, and you'll
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say something like, they'll look after you, you haven't got to worry about that,
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they'll look after you, and you just try and put them at their ease a bit.
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In this hospital, as soon as you come through the door, if you don't
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know where you are, there's some awesome people there to help you.
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Again, after doing the buggy, they'll come straight in and they'll very
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often say, I don't know where to go.
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So I say, just go through the doorknob, talk to the people at
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the desk and they'll tell you.
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You try and reassure them.
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That's what you try and do.
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It's not just driving the buggy, it's talking and chatting to
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them and putting them at ease.
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Not everybody, of course.
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There's some really funny ones.
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And I had some people from Italy that had come round.
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And, oh, she said, she got on the phone, You'd never believe
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it, we're sitting in a buggy.
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And they said, when we stopped at the car park, she's about to take the photographs.
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She had photographs of all the people sitting in the buggy.
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Two others sitting in the buggy.
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Yeah, so it's just, all of a sudden, all of a sudden it happened.
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One really, which brought things to reality, is, I picked up a
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lady, And she was quite quiet and I said, Oh, you're right.
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She said, yes, I've just lost my husband.
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And I said, Oh, dear, it's sad and I'm just now going to get, pick his stuff up.
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She dropped her off.
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And then out of the hospital came my husband and wife
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and a seven hour old baby.
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And they were my next passengers.
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So that's life and death all in two minutes.
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It was amazing.
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I've never forgot that.
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That didn't happen that long ago, but it's something I always, if anyone's
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00:15:02
talking about the bug, I always tell you, I haven't mentioned that.
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00:15:05
But that, that really opened my eyes really.
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I had 40 years of dealing with the public, having their own shop.
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00:15:12
The thing is, you have to listen to people, and be polite to
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00:15:16
people, and you'll always find that they're polite back to you.
Adrian:
00:15:20
Dealing with the public, anyway, all my life, has been a help.
Sarah:
00:15:24
As you might expect, given the practical and compassionate
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00:15:27
sides of the role, getting volunteers well prepared is a priority for Joe.
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00:15:31
We asked her what qualities she looks for in a buggy volunteer
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and to tell us about the training and support that they receive.
Jo:
00:15:38
Someone who is confident, just has that warmth and that people focus.
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00:15:45
It really is all about the patience and it's about that patient focus and
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00:15:49
someone who you get the vibe from someone as you talk to someone you interview
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00:15:52
that someone's going to be reliable and trustworthy and has got a real interest.
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in actually supporting patients, supporting the service and just
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demonstrates that kindness because actually you might as the volunteer
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00:16:06
might not be having the best day but the person they're picking up that you
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00:16:08
need to make sure they've got that sort of level of professionalism really.
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They'll do trust information governance training and we obviously say the patients
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will divulge things to you obviously that's not for further discussion unless
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it's something particularly worrying.
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It's a very short journey, but as Adrian sort of said, it is.
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00:16:30
People do come up with the most extraordinary things, so volunteers as
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part of their training do safeguarding training and that kind of thing, just to
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prepare them in case there is something that somebody says and they think,
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00:16:40
well, I don't know what to do with that.
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obviously come and talk to us and we'll take it the appropriate routes.
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00:16:45
They do some buggy specific training, how to do the daily checks,
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00:16:49
maintenance, all the rest of it.
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00:16:51
We give them a bit of a driving lesson, so I'll take them around the route,
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00:16:54
show them the route, they'll practice it as well, make sure they're happy.
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00:16:58
New drivers will be buddied up with existing drivers because it is one
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00:17:02
thing to do on a practice when I'm sitting next to you, it's another
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thing entirely to do by yourself and it can be a little bit nerve wracking.
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00:17:11
They'll come on a shadow shift, and the existing drivers will show them
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00:17:14
what they do, show them how to use features on the buggy, onboarding
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00:17:19
people getting off, where to stop, all the tips and tricks of using it.
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00:17:23
The other driver will then have a little bit of a go with that supportive person
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00:17:27
there beside them, who's also been that new driver who's really nervous.
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00:17:31
Once they're up and running, They're free to join the roadster.
Jo:
00:17:34
Some people do different days.
Jo:
00:17:36
Some people have a set day that they like to do.
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00:17:39
All we ask from our drivers is that they do have a driving licence.
Jo:
00:17:42
It's not actually required when you're driving a golf buggy, but because
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00:17:46
it's a public car park and a public site, actually for insurance purposes,
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00:17:49
it's best to have a driving licence.
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00:17:51
We try and brief them on the fact that they probably are going
Jo:
00:17:55
to be told all sorts of things.
Jo:
00:17:58
The role tends to attract people who are very people focused.
Jo:
00:18:02
or RxLorry drivers because they just, it's a little version to drive
Jo:
00:18:06
around which they love, but they tend to be quite personal people.
Jo:
00:18:10
If a driver has something that was particularly distressing, we always
Jo:
00:18:14
see them at the end of their shift.
Jo:
00:18:15
So they bring the equipment back to the office and we do always check in.
Jo:
00:18:19
Um, if it was something particularly difficult, we're here to throw
Jo:
00:18:23
a debrief and some support.
Jo:
00:18:25
We've had angry people in the car park, Car parking's difficult,
Jo:
00:18:29
people are anxious, and they see someone and they vent.
Jo:
00:18:32
We've had a few incidents of that.
Jo:
00:18:34
We've had some really happy things.
Jo:
00:18:36
And it's the whole range of emotion comes when you're coming to a hospital
Jo:
00:18:42
because we deal with so many things.
Jo:
00:18:46
Most people aren't coming here for something nice.
Jo:
00:18:51
And so I would say to the drivers, try and remember that people are
Jo:
00:18:54
not necessarily on their best day.
Jo:
00:18:56
Because if you think about when you've been asked to come to a hospital, you
Jo:
00:18:59
don't know what you're going to be told.
Jo:
00:19:01
You don't know if the examination you're going to have is going to be unpleasant.
Jo:
00:19:05
You've got all of that worry turning around.
Jo:
00:19:07
You've got to find a way.
Jo:
00:19:08
You're probably not the best version of you.
Jo:
00:19:11
So I do say try and give people that, but they all have a really great approach.
Jo:
00:19:15
And when we interview people for this role, we try and, you have to be very
Jo:
00:19:19
careful to pick the right people because they are your representative outside.
Jo:
00:19:23
They are the first person, you know, with an official QEH badge
Jo:
00:19:28
on that patients see and you want that to be a good representative.
Jo:
00:19:33
And most of them just take it all in their stride.
Sarah:
00:19:36
And then yeah, away they go.
Sarah:
00:19:38
And once a volunteer is ready to go, do they need to wear anything specific?
Sarah:
00:19:43
They can just get
Jo:
00:19:43
comfortable, weather appropriate clothing, because you are out
Jo:
00:19:47
there in all weathers, and then we provide them with a high vis.
Jo:
00:19:50
For winter, we've got really big, warm, long coats.
Jo:
00:19:54
They are bright orange, you can't miss them.
Jo:
00:19:56
For summer, we've got a big, small, a lightweight version and
Jo:
00:20:01
across the back, we have volunteer buggy driver written on it.
Jo:
00:20:03
So it really identifies them.
Jo:
00:20:05
They're not a builder on the site.
Jo:
00:20:06
They're not, it really tells everybody who they are because
Jo:
00:20:10
otherwise it can feel a bit like, Oh, you are the parking attendant.
Jo:
00:20:13
No, I'm the volunteer buggy driver.
Jo:
00:20:15
This is my role and helps them give them the confidence to deal with
Jo:
00:20:18
any queries that they get out there.
Sarah:
00:20:20
Despite the occasional war story, Adrian is still a committed
Sarah:
00:20:24
volunteer who can be spotted in his high vis jacket week after week.
Sarah:
00:20:28
We asked him to share what it was about the role that keeps him so committed.
Adrian:
00:20:32
The thing is with the buggy, everyone is so pleased about it.
Adrian:
00:20:37
Oh, I didn't realise you, this was happening.
Adrian:
00:20:41
If I said, and they say, how long will we have a chat?
Adrian:
00:20:44
Or they'll be waiting at the bus stop.
Adrian:
00:20:45
And if you've been in a little bit too long, they'll say, where have you been?
Adrian:
00:20:48
I suppose the main thing that's kept me here is because everyone is nice.
Adrian:
00:20:52
You meet some lovely people, whether they're patients or people
Adrian:
00:20:55
you work with at the shop or like within the After 11 wards.
Adrian:
00:21:00
You find that people appreciate what you do and what you're doing.
Adrian:
00:21:04
So it makes you feel it's worthwhile.
Adrian:
00:21:07
And I'm fortunate enough to have the time.
Adrian:
00:21:10
Uh, so am I going to sit at home or am I going to do something,
Adrian:
00:21:14
um, positive, which I, which I do.
Adrian:
00:21:17
It's not, I don't do it all day, every day, just one afternoon a
Adrian:
00:21:20
week or as and when they need me.
Adrian:
00:21:23
So, you know, it's just doing your bit.
Adrian:
00:21:25
And as I said before, I have been unfortunate enough to use
Adrian:
00:21:29
the national health quite a lot.
Adrian:
00:21:31
So it's nice to give a little bit of something back.
Adrian:
00:21:34
It's the people that you take.
Adrian:
00:21:38
They are, and they tell you that, you know, they're only in there a few
Adrian:
00:21:41
minutes, but they tell you everything about their husbands or wives in there,
Adrian:
00:21:45
or what they've got wrong with them, and you know, and all this sort of,
Adrian:
00:21:49
their heart problems, or their leg problems, or they're going, waiting
Adrian:
00:21:51
for a hip, and I've been waiting there nearly six months for a hip.
Adrian:
00:21:55
And they just tell you.
Adrian:
00:21:58
And then they say, will you be here when I, when I come out again?
Adrian:
00:22:00
And I said, we're here till, till we finish.
Adrian:
00:22:03
And then, so if I'm here, I'll certainly give you a lift back.
Adrian:
00:22:06
Yeah, but no, it's the people really, all the time.
Adrian:
00:22:09
It's the people and, and the staff as well around the hospital.
Adrian:
00:22:12
They're always very good.
Sarah:
00:22:13
As always, we wrap up our episode today with words of advice from our
Sarah:
00:22:17
guests, for anyone listening, who thinks they might want to become a volunteer.
Adrian:
00:22:21
First of all, any, you will get good training.
Adrian:
00:22:25
So you can, there's loads of things that you can volunteer for here,
Adrian:
00:22:29
amazing things what you can do.
Adrian:
00:22:31
So there's a, A, there's a great choice.
Adrian:
00:22:34
B, you get good training.
Adrian:
00:22:36
And C, you can work round yourself.
Adrian:
00:22:39
You don't have, you say, I can't do next Friday, but I can do next Tuesday.
Adrian:
00:22:43
Then they'll try and work it out for you.
Adrian:
00:22:45
Yeah, just try it.
Adrian:
00:22:48
Until you try it, you will never know how satisfying it is.
Adrian:
00:22:52
And it is satisfying.
Jo:
00:22:54
I would say be bold and make that first phone call, send that email,
Jo:
00:22:59
talk to the team who will be supporting you because if they're anything like
Jo:
00:23:03
my team they'll be really passionate about making sure volunteers are okay.
Jo:
00:23:08
Don't let anything be a barrier.
Jo:
00:23:11
If you're
00:00:05
Hello and welcome to Volunteering Discovery.
Sarah:
00:00:08
This is a podcast which takes you behind the scenes of volunteering in health
Sarah:
00:00:12
and social care in Norfolk and Waveney.
Sarah:
00:00:14
Volunteers enhance the experience of people accessing health and social
Sarah:
00:00:18
care in a huge variety of ways.
Sarah:
00:00:20
In our hospitals, our communities and even from the comfort of their own homes.
Sarah:
00:00:25
In each podcast, we'll be hearing from those who give their
Sarah:
00:00:27
time supporting others and the people who work alongside them.
Sarah:
00:00:31
I'm your host, Sarah, a volunteer coordinator working in the NHS.
Sarah:
00:00:36
Volunteering Discovery focuses on volunteer stories in Norfolk and Waveney,
Sarah:
00:00:41
but similar volunteering roles happen across the UK and further afield.
Sarah:
00:00:45
If this podcast inspires you to gift your time but you don't live
Sarah:
00:00:49
nearby, contact your local volunteer centre or search online to find a
Sarah:
00:00:53
volunteering opportunity to suit you.
Sarah:
00:00:56
If you've been a regular listener of Volunteering Discovery, you'll know
Sarah:
00:00:59
that most of the episodes so far have featured volunteers giving their time
Sarah:
00:01:03
to support individuals or families with ongoing challenges, usually related
Sarah:
00:01:08
to physical and mental well being.
Sarah:
00:01:10
In today's episode we'll be meeting volunteer Adrian with the Queen Elizabeth
Sarah:
00:01:14
Hospital in Kings Lynn, who along with his fellow volunteers helped to make a
Sarah:
00:01:18
difference in a short but vital way in response to a different kind of obstacle.
Sarah:
00:01:23
And it is perhaps an unexpected one for Norfolk.
Sarah:
00:01:25
We hand over to Jo Roe who tells us more.
Sarah:
00:01:28
I'm Jo
Jo:
00:01:29
Roe and I'm the voluntary services manager at the Queen
Jo:
00:01:31
Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn.
Jo:
00:01:33
Essentially I'm here to recruit, manage and support the volunteers.
Jo:
00:01:37
That does cover Everything you could ever imagine a line manager doing.
Jo:
00:01:42
We have a quite unique site.
Jo:
00:01:44
You can imagine Norfolk's flat.
Jo:
00:01:46
We've managed to build a hospital at the top of one of the only hills.
Jo:
00:01:50
And so our car park's at the bottom and the hospital's at the top.
Jo:
00:01:53
For years, people have really struggled with the slope.
Jo:
00:01:56
They call it a hill, although they don't always call it a hill.
Jo:
00:01:58
It feels, if you've got any kind of joint problem, breathing
Jo:
00:02:02
problem, even if you're heavily pregnant, that is a very long walk.
Jo:
00:02:08
That's before you get through the door.
Jo:
00:02:10
We're not the biggest hospital in the world, but as I say, any
Jo:
00:02:14
impediment at all, it's going to feel miles to go to any department.
Jo:
00:02:17
And it's a fairly spread out site, so actually it can take a little while
Jo:
00:02:23
to get to wherever you're going.
Jo:
00:02:26
So in response to feedback and some changes on the site, we said we
Jo:
00:02:31
need to have a trial of the buggy.
Jo:
00:02:33
Let's, let's hire a buggy and give it a whirl.
Jo:
00:02:36
So we've got an electric golf buggy, it seats six people.
Jo:
00:02:39
Obviously one's a driver so you can take five passengers.
Jo:
00:02:42
It started in September 2023.
Jo:
00:02:46
and has been a huge success.
Jo:
00:02:49
So it runs 9am to 3.
Jo:
00:02:51
30pm Monday to Friday and it runs a continual loop of
Jo:
00:02:56
the route that it drives.
Jo:
00:02:57
So we start from the main car park up to our outpatients area and round
Jo:
00:03:02
again to the front of the hospital.
Jo:
00:03:04
There's two or three points to drop off and then back round to the car park.
Jo:
00:03:09
We keep the continual loop going.
Jo:
00:03:11
There is no timetable.
Jo:
00:03:13
There are bus stops and signs and areas where patients know to wait.
Jo:
00:03:17
And so the drivers offer a continual loop, and it's for anybody who needs it.
Jo:
00:03:21
You don't have to have, um, any, there's no certification required.
Jo:
00:03:27
Anybody who could do with some help getting up that slope can get on.
Jo:
00:03:31
If you're carrying a huge bag because someone's coming into hospital and
Jo:
00:03:34
actually it's a bit heavy for you.
Jo:
00:03:36
If you are, you've got an elder relative, you're bringing them in.
Jo:
00:03:40
I've experienced where I've had to drop people off and then dash
Jo:
00:03:43
off and try and park the car.
Jo:
00:03:44
Actually, you can park the car and both get on the buggy and come in together.
Jo:
00:03:50
It's really lovely, it helps reduce some of that anxiety about I've got
Jo:
00:03:54
to get there on time, but I've got to park, then I've got to da da da da da
Jo:
00:03:58
You know, their minds are whirring, so the drivers scoop them up and offer
Jo:
00:04:01
that extra piece of reassurance and a smiley face as soon as they get
Jo:
00:04:05
here, which I think is appreciated.
Sarah:
00:04:08
To hear first hand what getting involved with a buggy service is like,
Sarah:
00:04:12
Jo introduced us to one of the volunteers who offers a smiling face to patients and
Sarah:
00:04:17
visitors alongside their driving skills.
Adrian:
00:04:20
My name is Adrian Thurarringson.
Adrian:
00:04:23
The main role I volunteer in is the buggy as a driver.
Adrian:
00:04:28
I was fortunate enough to retire When I was 59 and I thought I'm a little bit too
Adrian:
00:04:33
young to sit at home and watch the telly.
Adrian:
00:04:36
I decided I needed to do something and the first thing that came to my
Adrian:
00:04:39
mind, as I've used the National Health myself quite a lot, is to go see what
Adrian:
00:04:46
the situation is with volunteers here.
Adrian:
00:04:48
And that was in 2009.
Adrian:
00:04:51
And I've been here ever since.
Adrian:
00:04:53
I first started in the Arthur Levin day ward.
Adrian:
00:04:58
People go in for small cameras and things like that, small
Adrian:
00:05:03
morning or afternoon situations.
Adrian:
00:05:06
And when they came out, we, me and there were also two of us, used to make them
Adrian:
00:05:10
tea, coffee, sandwich, whatever they liked after they've had their procedure.
Adrian:
00:05:15
So I did that for two or three years.
Adrian:
00:05:18
And then, My days that I was available changed, and unfortunately it didn't
Adrian:
00:05:24
work with the R11, so I just tried the shop, and I've been there ever since,
Adrian:
00:05:31
and I still go to the shop as well.
Adrian:
00:05:33
So, as a retailer all my life, shop was a pretty obvious way to go to start with.
Adrian:
00:05:40
So yeah, so I've been there.
Adrian:
00:05:41
And I do, I'm basically a relief, so if people are off, sick, they phone me up and
Adrian:
00:05:46
say can you come in, and all that sort of thing, so I don't do a specific day there.
Adrian:
00:05:50
And then this, this buggy information came up, this buggy idea came up.
Adrian:
00:05:56
And being a, well, I'm now an ex golfer, but being a golfer, I
Adrian:
00:06:00
thought, well, I could do that.
Adrian:
00:06:02
And, um, so I looked into that, uh, got to, uh, meet Joe and, uh, started
Adrian:
00:06:10
the procedure of being a buggy driver.
Sarah:
00:06:12
Although of course no day is ever quite the same as the
Sarah:
00:06:15
last, we asked Adrian to explain what a typical session involves.
Adrian:
00:06:19
We arrive about 15 minutes before we need to change over, get my high vis,
Adrian:
00:06:25
go and then to the, where we change over.
Adrian:
00:06:28
I then go through a list of any scratches, do the lights work, everything.
Adrian:
00:06:33
There's about 10 things there you have to do.
Adrian:
00:06:35
Check before you actually go and it's already done that in the morning as well.
Adrian:
00:06:38
So we do that twice and Then sign and then the other person that he or she goes
Adrian:
00:06:46
off and Then we start yes, and then we start that and from there my routine is
Adrian:
00:06:54
I then go from our parking space to the car park And I'll sit a couple of minutes
Adrian:
00:07:00
two or three minutes Soon after lunchtime, it's not always that busy because
Adrian:
00:07:05
there's people about, uh, appointments in the morning and then later, the
Adrian:
00:07:10
others come in the afternoon, so.
Adrian:
00:07:12
And then I go from there, then I'll go back, uh, I'll
Adrian:
00:07:15
stay there for a little while.
Adrian:
00:07:17
If there's no one about, I then go to the start of the Emerson unit.
Adrian:
00:07:22
And then, I can never say this word, endoscopy.
Adrian:
00:07:25
Endoscopy.
Adrian:
00:07:27
And, uh, their main entrance.
Adrian:
00:07:31
And, uh, do a circuit there.
Adrian:
00:07:32
Don't always go to, um, the, uh, embassy unit.
Adrian:
00:07:36
Because the main, the busy part is really from the car park to the hospital.
Adrian:
00:07:41
The main gate, or main door, or back.
Adrian:
00:07:44
That's the main, but we do the other one.
Adrian:
00:07:46
I do that probably about every three times.
Adrian:
00:07:48
So that, that's the general day and then it is three hours and you've got
Adrian:
00:07:53
space for having coffee and all that sort of thing and yes it's, and three
Adrian:
00:07:57
hours is amazing how quick that goes.
Adrian:
00:07:59
Most people know what a golf buggy is.
Adrian:
00:08:02
This is slightly bigger, carries six people and, and obviously longer and
Adrian:
00:08:08
it is electric and very easy to drive.
Adrian:
00:08:13
There are six seats, obviously I'm in one.
Adrian:
00:08:17
So you've got One next to the driver if necessary, then two in the
Adrian:
00:08:21
middle, and then two at the back.
Adrian:
00:08:24
But not everybody likes to drive, because that's reversed.
Adrian:
00:08:28
The seats look back.
Adrian:
00:08:30
So not everybody likes to be looking back.
Adrian:
00:08:33
But generally we only pick up two, three people maximum at a time.
Adrian:
00:08:37
Um, and also the back seats also fold over so you can get walking frames.
Adrian:
00:08:43
Or anything like that on it, well.
Adrian:
00:08:46
So they don't have to, we can cope with walking frames as well, basically.
Adrian:
00:08:50
And of course, we do help people in or out.
Adrian:
00:08:53
We don't lift anybody or anything like that, but we do assist.
Adrian:
00:08:58
As I say, the thing is, I've never had anyone say a bad word about it.
Adrian:
00:09:03
Even when we didn't have sides, and the rain was coming in.
Adrian:
00:09:07
But they didn't have to walk that hill.
Adrian:
00:09:09
That was a That's the thing that, it's quite hard work coming up that hill.
Adrian:
00:09:12
If you're, if you've got breathing problems or walking problems,
Adrian:
00:09:17
the hill is quite hard work.
Adrian:
00:09:18
And they're so grateful.
Adrian:
00:09:20
The hill is, I don't know what it would be about.
Adrian:
00:09:23
I suppose it's in two stages.
Adrian:
00:09:25
So you're about 75 to 100 yards.
Adrian:
00:09:28
But it's all uphill.
Adrian:
00:09:29
And you go a certain way and then you have a flat bit where the
Adrian:
00:09:33
road is and then you go up again.
Adrian:
00:09:35
Now I'm waiting for heart operation and I have to stop.
Adrian:
00:09:38
Because I get out of breath.
Adrian:
00:09:40
And some of the people are really unfit.
Adrian:
00:09:43
Not unfit, but they're real.
Adrian:
00:09:45
They've got problems.
Adrian:
00:09:46
And it can take them quite some time.
Adrian:
00:09:50
And a lot of them, of course, they do drop them off at the main entrance.
Adrian:
00:09:54
But a lot don't.
Adrian:
00:09:55
Thankfully, a lot don't.
Adrian:
00:09:56
We have quite a lot of customers.
Adrian:
00:09:59
And, of course, you get regular people as well.
Adrian:
00:10:02
People with husbands or wives have been in since three or four months.
Adrian:
00:10:06
So they come and visit and they're quite regular.
Adrian:
00:10:09
So yes, it's very well appreciated.
Adrian:
00:10:11
I would say almost 50 percent of people are visitors.
Adrian:
00:10:15
In the afternoon of course.
Adrian:
00:10:17
They can visit all day I think now, but in the afternoons a lot of them are visitors.
Adrian:
00:10:21
And of course, generally it's older people in hospital, isn't it?
Adrian:
00:10:25
So their friends or partners or husbands or wives are all quite old as well.
Sarah:
00:10:30
Since the buggy service launched in September 2023, for both Jo and Adrian,
Sarah:
00:10:36
the difference it makes is clear to see.
Jo:
00:10:39
So the feedback really has been absolutely amazing.
Jo:
00:10:41
It has made a huge difference.
Jo:
00:10:43
One that I read said, I'm disabled and now I know the buggy is there, I can
Jo:
00:10:48
come to my appointments independently.
Jo:
00:10:51
People have said it just makes, takes the dread out of the hill.
Jo:
00:10:54
Folk have said, you know, Adrian Gavriga is obviously, do you get people who
Jo:
00:10:57
have Well, she was in for a long time and you get your regulars and just the
Jo:
00:11:02
appreciation for the service is really hard to try and quantify because the
Jo:
00:11:08
Enthusiasm for it is just wonderful.
Jo:
00:11:11
They the patients to say oh, thank goodness and people come and say I didn't
Jo:
00:11:15
know it was there These are the big signs.
Jo:
00:11:19
It's, yeah, it's just been such a success.
Jo:
00:11:22
So, so positive.
Jo:
00:11:24
And the drivers are also trained to know where different clinics are.
Jo:
00:11:28
We even have a little list stuck to the windscreen to say, ask
Jo:
00:11:33
them where are you going to.
Jo:
00:11:35
If you don't know how to start a conversation, you're a bit nervous
Jo:
00:11:37
on your first shift, say, Oh, where have you got to go to today?
Jo:
00:11:40
Oh, that's in, Oh, neurology is in the Emerson unit.
Jo:
00:11:44
Let me drop you nearer that door to save you having to walk through the
Jo:
00:11:47
hospital because it's quite a long way if you go in the main entrance.
Jo:
00:11:50
And it's that extra sort of layer of customer service and welcome.
Jo:
00:11:54
I think it's that welcome.
Jo:
00:11:55
I feel fortunate enough.
Jo:
00:11:56
I have a brilliant team I work with, but my wider colleagues here,
Jo:
00:12:00
everyone, the focus is for the patient.
Jo:
00:12:02
So,
Jo:
00:12:04
The patient suddenly goes, Oh, that's what my experience is going to be like today.
Jo:
00:12:08
Hopefully it sets the scene for them a little bit.
Jo:
00:12:10
Um, but yeah, it's, it's so hard to describe and quantify the things that
Jo:
00:12:14
we've read and seen and come back.
Jo:
00:12:16
And the drivers come back and tell us, it's just beautiful.
Jo:
00:12:20
I've driven it myself when we've, we've needed shifts covering.
Jo:
00:12:23
And it's the joy on people's faces.
Jo:
00:12:26
It's the look of relief.
Jo:
00:12:28
Oh my goodness.
Jo:
00:12:28
Okay.
Jo:
00:12:29
Thank goodness they're here.
Jo:
00:12:30
And I picked up a family and they said.
Jo:
00:12:32
It's just the nap.
Jo:
00:12:33
I said, look, actually it's empty at the moment, why don't you all get on?
Jo:
00:12:37
And they had two little boys with them and they were squashed in next to me.
Jo:
00:12:40
We're driving.
Jo:
00:12:41
I was like, do you want to press the horn?
Jo:
00:12:43
Yeah, but they'll always remember that.
Jo:
00:12:45
So their experience has started on such a positive note.
Jo:
00:12:50
They're all chattering away as they get off, but they don't, they
Jo:
00:12:54
might not become something really great, but they've had a great time.
Jo:
00:12:56
You know, it just, it gives that little lift.
Jo:
00:13:00
Literally, because of the ant emotionally for them.
Adrian:
00:13:04
I know what it's like going into the hospital.
Adrian:
00:13:07
And, yes, apart from getting that lift up the hill, and you're chatting to them,
Adrian:
00:13:13
are you visiting or something, no, I'm going to have such and such, and you'll
Adrian:
00:13:17
say something like, they'll look after you, you haven't got to worry about that,
Adrian:
00:13:20
they'll look after you, and you just try and put them at their ease a bit.
Adrian:
00:13:24
In this hospital, as soon as you come through the door, if you don't
Adrian:
00:13:27
know where you are, there's some awesome people there to help you.
Adrian:
00:13:30
Again, after doing the buggy, they'll come straight in and they'll very
Adrian:
00:13:34
often say, I don't know where to go.
Adrian:
00:13:36
So I say, just go through the doorknob, talk to the people at
Adrian:
00:13:38
the desk and they'll tell you.
Adrian:
00:13:39
You try and reassure them.
Adrian:
00:13:41
That's what you try and do.
Adrian:
00:13:43
It's not just driving the buggy, it's talking and chatting to
Adrian:
00:13:46
them and putting them at ease.
Adrian:
00:13:49
Not everybody, of course.
Adrian:
00:13:50
There's some really funny ones.
Adrian:
00:13:52
And I had some people from Italy that had come round.
Adrian:
00:13:56
And, oh, she said, she got on the phone, You'd never believe
Adrian:
00:13:58
it, we're sitting in a buggy.
Adrian:
00:14:00
And they said, when we stopped at the car park, she's about to take the photographs.
Adrian:
00:14:05
She had photographs of all the people sitting in the buggy.
Adrian:
00:14:08
Two others sitting in the buggy.
Adrian:
00:14:10
Yeah, so it's just, all of a sudden, all of a sudden it happened.
Adrian:
00:14:13
One really, which brought things to reality, is, I picked up a
Adrian:
00:14:22
lady, And she was quite quiet and I said, Oh, you're right.
Adrian:
00:14:26
She said, yes, I've just lost my husband.
Adrian:
00:14:30
And I said, Oh, dear, it's sad and I'm just now going to get, pick his stuff up.
Adrian:
00:14:35
She dropped her off.
Adrian:
00:14:39
And then out of the hospital came my husband and wife
Adrian:
00:14:42
and a seven hour old baby.
Adrian:
00:14:45
And they were my next passengers.
Adrian:
00:14:48
So that's life and death all in two minutes.
Adrian:
00:14:56
It was amazing.
Adrian:
00:14:56
I've never forgot that.
Adrian:
00:14:58
That didn't happen that long ago, but it's something I always, if anyone's
Adrian:
00:15:02
talking about the bug, I always tell you, I haven't mentioned that.
Adrian:
00:15:05
But that, that really opened my eyes really.
Adrian:
00:15:08
I had 40 years of dealing with the public, having their own shop.
Adrian:
00:15:12
The thing is, you have to listen to people, and be polite to
Adrian:
00:15:16
people, and you'll always find that they're polite back to you.
Adrian:
00:15:20
Dealing with the public, anyway, all my life, has been a help.
Sarah:
00:15:24
As you might expect, given the practical and compassionate
Sarah:
00:15:27
sides of the role, getting volunteers well prepared is a priority for Joe.
Sarah:
00:15:31
We asked her what qualities she looks for in a buggy volunteer
Sarah:
00:15:35
and to tell us about the training and support that they receive.
Jo:
00:15:38
Someone who is confident, just has that warmth and that people focus.
Jo:
00:15:45
It really is all about the patience and it's about that patient focus and
Jo:
00:15:49
someone who you get the vibe from someone as you talk to someone you interview
Jo:
00:15:52
that someone's going to be reliable and trustworthy and has got a real interest.
Jo:
00:15:57
in actually supporting patients, supporting the service and just
Jo:
00:16:01
demonstrates that kindness because actually you might as the volunteer
Jo:
00:16:06
might not be having the best day but the person they're picking up that you
Jo:
00:16:08
need to make sure they've got that sort of level of professionalism really.
Jo:
00:16:12
They'll do trust information governance training and we obviously say the patients
Jo:
00:16:17
will divulge things to you obviously that's not for further discussion unless
Jo:
00:16:22
it's something particularly worrying.
Jo:
00:16:26
It's a very short journey, but as Adrian sort of said, it is.
Jo:
00:16:30
People do come up with the most extraordinary things, so volunteers as
Jo:
00:16:34
part of their training do safeguarding training and that kind of thing, just to
Jo:
00:16:37
prepare them in case there is something that somebody says and they think,
Jo:
00:16:40
well, I don't know what to do with that.
Jo:
00:16:42
obviously come and talk to us and we'll take it the appropriate routes.
Jo:
00:16:45
They do some buggy specific training, how to do the daily checks,
Jo:
00:16:49
maintenance, all the rest of it.
Jo:
00:16:51
We give them a bit of a driving lesson, so I'll take them around the route,
Jo:
00:16:54
show them the route, they'll practice it as well, make sure they're happy.
Jo:
00:16:58
New drivers will be buddied up with existing drivers because it is one
Jo:
00:17:02
thing to do on a practice when I'm sitting next to you, it's another
Jo:
00:17:05
thing entirely to do by yourself and it can be a little bit nerve wracking.
Jo:
00:17:11
They'll come on a shadow shift, and the existing drivers will show them
Jo:
00:17:14
what they do, show them how to use features on the buggy, onboarding
Jo:
00:17:19
people getting off, where to stop, all the tips and tricks of using it.
Jo:
00:17:23
The other driver will then have a little bit of a go with that supportive person
Jo:
00:17:27
there beside them, who's also been that new driver who's really nervous.
Jo:
00:17:31
Once they're up and running, They're free to join the roadster.
Jo:
00:17:34
Some people do different days.
Jo:
00:17:36
Some people have a set day that they like to do.
Jo:
00:17:39
All we ask from our drivers is that they do have a driving licence.
Jo:
00:17:42
It's not actually required when you're driving a golf buggy, but because
Jo:
00:17:46
it's a public car park and a public site, actually for insurance purposes,
Jo:
00:17:49
it's best to have a driving licence.
Jo:
00:17:51
We try and brief them on the fact that they probably are going
Jo:
00:17:55
to be told all sorts of things.
Jo:
00:17:58
The role tends to attract people who are very people focused.
Jo:
00:18:02
or RxLorry drivers because they just, it's a little version to drive
Jo:
00:18:06
around which they love, but they tend to be quite personal people.
Jo:
00:18:10
If a driver has something that was particularly distressing, we always
Jo:
00:18:14
see them at the end of their shift.
Jo:
00:18:15
So they bring the equipment back to the office and we do always check in.
Jo:
00:18:19
Um, if it was something particularly difficult, we're here to throw
Jo:
00:18:23
a debrief and some support.
Jo:
00:18:25
We've had angry people in the car park, Car parking's difficult,
Jo:
00:18:29
people are anxious, and they see someone and they vent.
Jo:
00:18:32
We've had a few incidents of that.
Jo:
00:18:34
We've had some really happy things.
Jo:
00:18:36
And it's the whole range of emotion comes when you're coming to a hospital
Jo:
00:18:42
because we deal with so many things.
Jo:
00:18:46
Most people aren't coming here for something nice.
Jo:
00:18:51
And so I would say to the drivers, try and remember that people are
Jo:
00:18:54
not necessarily on their best day.
Jo:
00:18:56
Because if you think about when you've been asked to come to a hospital, you
Jo:
00:18:59
don't know what you're going to be told.
Jo:
00:19:01
You don't know if the examination you're going to have is going to be unpleasant.
Jo:
00:19:05
You've got all of that worry turning around.
Jo:
00:19:07
You've got to find a way.
Jo:
00:19:08
You're probably not the best version of you.
Jo:
00:19:11
So I do say try and give people that, but they all have a really great approach.
Jo:
00:19:15
And when we interview people for this role, we try and, you have to be very
Jo:
00:19:19
careful to pick the right people because they are your representative outside.
Jo:
00:19:23
They are the first person, you know, with an official QEH badge
Jo:
00:19:28
on that patients see and you want that to be a good representative.
Jo:
00:19:33
And most of them just take it all in their stride.
Sarah:
00:19:36
And then yeah, away they go.
Sarah:
00:19:38
And once a volunteer is ready to go, do they need to wear anything specific?
Sarah:
00:19:43
They can just get
Jo:
00:19:43
comfortable, weather appropriate clothing, because you are out
Jo:
00:19:47
there in all weathers, and then we provide them with a high vis.
Jo:
00:19:50
For winter, we've got really big, warm, long coats.
Jo:
00:19:54
They are bright orange, you can't miss them.
Jo:
00:19:56
For summer, we've got a big, small, a lightweight version and
Jo:
00:20:01
across the back, we have volunteer buggy driver written on it.
Jo:
00:20:03
So it really identifies them.
Jo:
00:20:05
They're not a builder on the site.
Jo:
00:20:06
They're not, it really tells everybody who they are because
Jo:
00:20:10
otherwise it can feel a bit like, Oh, you are the parking attendant.
Jo:
00:20:13
No, I'm the volunteer buggy driver.
Jo:
00:20:15
This is my role and helps them give them the confidence to deal with
Jo:
00:20:18
any queries that they get out there.
Sarah:
00:20:20
Despite the occasional war story, Adrian is still a committed
Sarah:
00:20:24
volunteer who can be spotted in his high vis jacket week after week.
Sarah:
00:20:28
We asked him to share what it was about the role that keeps him so committed.
Adrian:
00:20:32
The thing is with the buggy, everyone is so pleased about it.
Adrian:
00:20:37
Oh, I didn't realise you, this was happening.
Adrian:
00:20:41
If I said, and they say, how long will we have a chat?
Adrian:
00:20:44
Or they'll be waiting at the bus stop.
Adrian:
00:20:45
And if you've been in a little bit too long, they'll say, where have you been?
Adrian:
00:20:48
I suppose the main thing that's kept me here is because everyone is nice.
Adrian:
00:20:52
You meet some lovely people, whether they're patients or people
Adrian:
00:20:55
you work with at the shop or like within the After 11 wards.
Adrian:
00:21:00
You find that people appreciate what you do and what you're doing.
Adrian:
00:21:04
So it makes you feel it's worthwhile.
Adrian:
00:21:07
And I'm fortunate enough to have the time.
Adrian:
00:21:10
Uh, so am I going to sit at home or am I going to do something,
Adrian:
00:21:14
um, positive, which I, which I do.
Adrian:
00:21:17
It's not, I don't do it all day, every day, just one afternoon a
Adrian:
00:21:20
week or as and when they need me.
Adrian:
00:21:23
So, you know, it's just doing your bit.
Adrian:
00:21:25
And as I said before, I have been unfortunate enough to use
Adrian:
00:21:29
the national health quite a lot.
Adrian:
00:21:31
So it's nice to give a little bit of something back.
Adrian:
00:21:34
It's the people that you take.
Adrian:
00:21:38
They are, and they tell you that, you know, they're only in there a few
Adrian:
00:21:41
minutes, but they tell you everything about their husbands or wives in there,
Adrian:
00:21:45
or what they've got wrong with them, and you know, and all this sort of,
Adrian:
00:21:49
their heart problems, or their leg problems, or they're going, waiting
Adrian:
00:21:51
for a hip, and I've been waiting there nearly six months for a hip.
Adrian:
00:21:55
And they just tell you.
Adrian:
00:21:58
And then they say, will you be here when I, when I come out again?
Adrian:
00:22:00
And I said, we're here till, till we finish.
Adrian:
00:22:03
And then, so if I'm here, I'll certainly give you a lift back.
Adrian:
00:22:06
Yeah, but no, it's the people really, all the time.
Adrian:
00:22:09
It's the people and, and the staff as well around the hospital.
Adrian:
00:22:12
They're always very good.
Sarah:
00:22:13
As always, we wrap up our episode today with words of advice from our
Sarah:
00:22:17
guests, for anyone listening, who thinks they might want to become a volunteer.
Adrian:
00:22:21
First of all, any, you will get good training.
Adrian:
00:22:25
So you can, there's loads of things that you can volunteer for here,
Adrian:
00:22:29
amazing things what you can do.
Adrian:
00:22:31
So there's a, A, there's a great choice.
Adrian:
00:22:34
B, you get good training.
Adrian:
00:22:36
And C, you can work round yourself.
Adrian:
00:22:39
You don't have, you say, I can't do next Friday, but I can do next Tuesday.
Adrian:
00:22:43
Then they'll try and work it out for you.
Adrian:
00:22:45
Yeah, just try it.
Adrian:
00:22:48
Until you try it, you will never know how satisfying it is.
Adrian:
00:22:52
And it is satisfying.
Jo:
00:22:54
I would say be bold and make that first phone call, send that email,
Jo:
00:22:59
talk to the team who will be supporting you because if they're anything like
Jo:
00:23:03
my team they'll be really passionate about making sure volunteers are okay.
Jo:
00:23:08
Don't let anything be a barrier.
Jo:
00:23:11
If you're
