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Howard's Way.... a weekly column from the Rt. Hon. Michael Howard QC. MP. 

31 July 2008

Last Friday I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Shepway Volunteer Centre.

A great deal is said about volunteering and all political parties are committed to increasing the role of volunteers in the delivery of public services. I am an enthusiastic supporter of these policies. Indeed when I was in government I was responsible for the ‘Make a Difference’ initiative which was designed to encourage volunteering.

So I was delighted to find that voluntary activity in Shepway is alive and well. Last year saw an increase in the number of volunteers recruited by the Centre. 272 volunteers were referred to other organisations or its own projects.

Apart from sending volunteers to other charities, the lecture provides three direct services: Transport, Befriending (and Reminiscing) and Task Force Gardening.

Volunteer drivers take clients to all the hospitals in the area and some further afield, including London. They also take clients on social trips as well as essential visits to doctors, dentists, opticians, chiropodists, etc.

The Centre has 38 drivers in the Folkestone area, 14 in Hythe and 11 on Romney Marsh. They are still short of drivers in Lyminge, Elham and Hawkinge.

NHS Patient Transport changed their criteria last year and now only appear to take the most severe cases. This has increased the demand for volunteer drivers.

One very serious problem is that the Inland Revenue only allows 40p per mile without requiring the driver to declare this on a Tax Return and most would prefer to avoid this. I have taken this up with the Government in the past and will do so again.

In addition to the Transport Scheme, 27 clients receive regular visits under the Befriending Scheme and there is a waiting list.

And 13 volunteers make up the Gardening Task Force which made 417 visits to gardens belonging to the elderly and vulnerable of our community. This is 80 more visits than in the previous year.

So my thanks go to all those who take part in this generous activity and to Alec Perry and Janet Johnson, the Chairman and Manager of the Centre and their team.

And if you would like to join the team of volunteers in Shepway the number to ring is 01303-259007.