It was founded in 1990 by local people who volunteered to use some of their own time to act as good neighbours in the Shepperton, Charlton, Littleton and Halliford communities.

Where there is a real need due to illness, age, infirmity or disability CARE provides transport for appointments at medical centres, hospitals, dentists, etc. Similarly, pensions and prescriptions are collected and a certain amount of shopping is done.

CARE may also be able to assign a visitor to keep an eye on an elderly or ill person, whose relatives live some distance from the Shepperton area and are unable themselves to regularly visit.

Assistance in filling official forms may be provided especially for the partially sighted or where the forms are difficult to comprehend.

CARE does not undertake personal tasks, i.e. laundry, housework, etc.

If CARE cannot help, we have a wide knowledge of local services and organisations with whom we can liaise to help overcome problems.

Anyone in the Shepperton, Charlton, Littleton and Halliford area who wants help rings the CARE number (01932-254604). This is a central telephone number which, during duty hours, redirects calls to the number of that day's duty officer.

The duty officer is a volunteer who sits in her/his home and receives the requests from callers. She or he will then take down details of the request together with the name, address and phone number of the client before contacting a duty driver, a volunteer who has undertaken to cover the requests for the required day.

The duty officer works from a driver roster. Immediate contact with the appropriate duty driver may not prove possible so advance notice is desirable. On particularly busy days more than one volunteer driver (taken from a supplementary list) may be called upon.

The duty officer keeps records of the requests and he or she will confirm whether or not requests can be accommodated. The volunteer driver will also make contact with the client to arrange a mutually convenient time.

No charge is made for our services, but drivers carry a box for donations. We do not expect or want donations from clients who are on limited incomes. However, for those who can afford it, any donation is gratefully received and helps us to meet our administrative costs.

Normally duty officer cover is provided Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays) between the hours 9.30am to 1.30pm approximately. However, from time to time, there will be days when CARE is unable to open for business owing to a shortage of volunteers or overriding personal commitments. Because of this and to give CARE more time to schedule resources, callers are recommended to book in advance. Priority will be given to providing transport for medical appointments.

The following sections give a description of some of the jobs in CARE. Many of the roles can be modified to suit the individual needs of people prepared to become a member of the CARE team.

For some jobs it is essential that volunteers have use of a car but for others, where transport is necessary, it can be provided by other CARE volunteers.

We would particularly welcome assistance from anyone with expertise in community organisations, caring or nursing.

The Duty Officer is the focal point for all enquiries to CARE in Shepperton. All calls made to the CARE number will be answered by the Duty Officer. The Duty Officer works in his or her own home, calls being switched to their home number by a call redirection system initiated by the Duty Officer at the start of their duties.

Duty Officers are normally on duty one day a month, on a day of their choosing. Calls are normally accepted between 9.30am and 1.30pm, Monday to Friday only. During the period that CARE calls are diverted, the Duty Officer can also receive calls made to their own number.

The Duty Officer will call the Duty Driver at the start of day to confirm the driver’s allocated jobs (generally, these would have been notified to the driver in advance) and to book the driver for their next duty day.

Calls received will be varied in nature, there may be calls from other CARE volunteers regarding their duty days or general enquiries from members of the public, but the majority will be from existing clients requiring transport, shopping, collection of prescriptions or pensions, etc.

The Duty Officer will organise a driver, either the Duty Driver on the day in question or, if the Duty Driver is busy, a Backup Driver, and phone the client back to confirm that the job can be undertaken.

The Duty Officer will also make any regular calls to housebound clients to check that they are well and to have a friendly chat.

All calls are logged by the Duty Officer and both client and driver records are updated with details of allocated jobs. These records form part of the CARE portable “office” which also consists of a duty roster in which the Duty Officer will record their next day of duty from the available dates.

The final task of the day is to pass this office to the following day’s Duty Officer; if transport is required this can be arranged with the Duty Driver.

All new Duty Officers receive full training plus ongoing advice and assistance.

The Duty Officer role is an important one in ensuring the smooth running of CARE; it is the initial point of contact for our clients; driver resources have to be carefully managed to ensure CARE operates efficiently; and important records need to be maintained to ensure that all requests are met and commitments fulfilled.

A Duty Driver is someone who is willing to provide transport using their car on journeys arranged by CARE.

Duty Drivers are normally on duty one day (Monday to Friday) a month. The Duty Driver will select their next day of duty from the available dates in the duty roster held by the Duty Officer.

Jobs are generally allocated and notified to the Duty Driver in advance of their day on duty. The number of jobs allocated does not normally exceed four, but this will depend on the type and estimated duration of the jobs. Duties will normally finish by mid-afternoon.

Priority is given to medical appointments, e.g. hospital, health centre, etc., but other typical jobs are the collection of pensions and prescriptions and shopping (with or without the client).

Some jobs require taking and leaving the client and then returning at a later time to collect the client and take them home. For other jobs clients may need accompanying or it may be more convenient to remain with the client. The Duty Driver has an opportunity to discuss the possible options with both the Duty Officer and the client at the time that the job is allocated.

All Drivers receive full ongoing advice and assistance and mileage allowance can be paid if required.

Being a Duty Driver with CARE is a very rewarding job. Clients are most appreciative of the service given and you get to meet some of the characters living in the Shepperton area as well as being able to help, at first hand, many of those who have contributed a great deal within our community during their more active years.

A Backup Driver is someone who is prepared, when available, to use their car to provide transport for jobs when no Duty Driver is available or when the Duty Driver is occupied with another client.

When the need arises, Backup Drivers are contacted by the Duty Officer to see whether they are available to undertake a specific job. There is no commitment to be available for any particular period; if the Backup Driver is unavailable, the Duty Officer will try someone else.

This role is suitable for people who are unable to make a regular commitment but who, nevertheless, want to help their local community in some way.

We have many clients who are desperately trying to maintain independence in their homes but who need regular once a week or fortnightly help to achieve this. This would usually involve doing a list shop with maybe a pension or prescription collection or selecting library books. We try to place volunteer One-to-one Helpers with a client in their locality and in the event of holidays or other personal commitments CARE would immediately take over.

This is a role for someone who would enjoy a more personal involvement with just one client.