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PRIVACY STATEMENT The data held by the Mere and District Link Scheme is both relevant and secure. It is used solely to provide the service to clients. Personal data may be held for a period of one year after last use to facilitate servicing returning clients. There is no access to the data from the …

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Link Scheme News

2023 Stats

In 2023 our volunteer drivers took 236 people (225 in 2022) from Mere and surrounding villages on 1,094 trips (975 in 2022) covering a total of 46,121 miles (36,761 in 2022) in their cars and giving up 4,057 hours (3,541 in 2022) of their own time for free. A big thank you to all our volunteers for this phenomenal service to the local community.

Busy March

We had a busy March with a total of 109 trips including 30 to Salisbury District Hospital and a further 16 trips to visit patients in various hospitals.

2022 Stats

Link drivers did 975 trips in 2022 (982 in 2021) covering 36,761 miles (31,313 in 2021) and our volunteers worked 3,541 hours (3,893 in 2021). A big thank you to all our volunteers for providing this valuable service.

AGM

The Link Scheme AGM for 2022/23 will be held on Friday 23 June at 7pm in the Grove Building. After the meeting we will have a drinks and nibbles social. Everyone is welcome.

New Secretary

At our Committee meeting on 13 February we co-opted Judy Fray as our new secretary. Judy is very welcome and takes over from Hamish Bell who kindly agreed to continue as a Trustee and Committee member until our AGM. We are grateful to Hamish for all his work as Link Secretary.

More Drivers needed

Our volunteer driver numbers have reduced from 38 before the pandemic to 23 and we are having problems meeting all the requests for trips. If you would like to find out more about volunteering please call our co-ordinator on 01747 860096.

Thank yous

It was great to see Ben Benson’s post on Mere Mutters giving a big shout out for the Link Scheme after a trip to Yeovil hospital for a one hour appointment which took four hours. Ben said our driver Dick Morris was still there waiting for him with not a word of anger. He was very appreciative and thanked the great team working for the Link. We are really grateful for Ben’s kind words and delighted we were able to help. We have also received a note of thanks after Derek Stevens found a client’s “lost” bag in his car and returned to Mere from Maiden Bradley to give it back it to its owner. These examples epitomise the work and spirit of our Link drivers who the lost bag owners say are amazing!

Volunteers' Lunch

On Sunday 4 September we held a very successful volunteers’ buffet lunch arranged and hosted by Mary Wilson. Around 40 volunteers, partners and helpers gathered for the Volunteers' Lunch and we were very lucky with the weather as the forecast rain did not materialise. The setting, in Mary Wilson's garden, was ideal. A big thanks to Mary and Nigel for hosting us and organising the excellent food, and to Hamish Bell for arranging the gazebos from the Grove Building and chairs from St Michael's. We were also lucky to have very willing help from the Ukranian refugees staying with Mary who were a credit to their country.

September Update

The number of trips we are doing each month continues around the same level. The September figure was 86 including 23 to various Covid vaccination centres. Most trips were to the Nadder Centre in Tisbury. We were helped by passengers agreeing to share a car in order to optimise the use of our drivers.

June Update

May was a quieter month with a total of 65 trips, 19 of which were to Salisbury District Hospital and 6 were for covid booster vaccinations.

It was lovely to see some of you at the Queen’s Jubilee celebration on 4 June. We were busy speaking to people and handing out leaflets all afternoon and two potential new drivers have contacted us.

Thanks also to everyone who came to the Link AGM on 17 June, the hottest day of the year so far. We were able to formally thank all of our volunteers and our Secretary Hamish Bell produced some interesting statistics – since 2014 Link drivers have covered 271,681 miles in 17,610 journeys and all our volunteers have given 7,908 hours of their time. Amazing numbers. Everyone enjoyed the drinks and nibbles and chat after the formalities.

Covid Update June 2022

We have reviewed our arrangements for minimising the risk of covid spreading during a Link journey and agreed that we should let the passenger and driver decide together if face coverings are worn and where the passenger should sit. Covid is still with us and it is important that both passenger and driver feel comfortable on each journey.

Covid Update March 2022

We remain cautious on covid controls for Link trips and our Trustees have decided to retain face coverings for both driver and passenger, while required by health care settings, and the passenger sitting in the back of the car. We will keep this under review as the covid pandemic develops especially the number of cases in mere and District.

Christmas Times

The Link will continue to take people to medical appointments over the Christmas period but please note that our phone will not be “manned” between 23 and 29 December inclusive. So if you have an appointment between these dates please let us know by 22 December.

October Update

The number of monthly trips keeps rising! In September we did 92 trips but in October this rose to 117 including 27 to Salisbury District Hospital and 38 for Covid booster vaccinations. I am sure the Prime Minister will be pleased with the vaccination uptake in Mere.

AGM

The Link AGM for 2019 and 2020 will be held on Friday 22 October at the Grove Building at 7pm. All are welcome and drinks and nibbles will be provided. Please come along to find out more about how we operate.

June-September Update

Trips have averaged out at around 70 per month but we are expecting an increase in requests for vaccinations for covid boosters and influenza.

Alan Inwood has decided to stop driving after 15 years volunteering in which he has also served on the Link Management Committee. Alan, who lives in Maiden Bradley, has represented the interests of the local villages we serve and been a strong advocate for the Link.

May Update

Normality seems to be returning as only 17 of the 76 trips we did in May were for covid vaccinations. Opticians and dentists are catching up.

Thanks go to four drivers (Gwil Hitchcock after 18 years driving, Martin Leahy and Jean Kantharia who between them have been volunteering for 27 years and Peter Dethick) have stopped driving. If you want to volunteer as a Link driver please call 01747 860096.

April Update – Ton Up

Between January and April we made 101 trips taking people to their Covid vaccinations. Most were to Wilton but we also went to Bruton, Sturminster Newton and Westbury.

Sad News

Bill Pike, who was a great supporter of the Link over many years both as a driver and our treasurer, has died in Salisbury hospital after a long illness. He will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace. Our condolences to his son Doug who, thankfully, we were able to take to the hospital so he could see his dad on the day before he died.

March Update

We had a total of 77 trips. Once again the main work was to Covid vaccinations and we took 27 local residents mainly for their second jab. Because patients at Mere Surgery are given appointments on one or two days a week a couple of drivers went to Wilton twice on the same day to meet the demand.

Photo credits: Steve Hawkins

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