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Why does 'Bedford Care'
exist?
Although we live in a Welfare State which
provides a great range of social and health services, there are still
gaps, with many people needing help and support.
In an endeavour to
meet that need BEDFORD CARE was formed in 1980
by the Bedford and District Council of Churches, as an outreach of the
Church in the local community.
How Does it
Work?
A person or organisation needing help can ring
Bedford 215500 to contact the
Duty Officer and give details of the problem.The duty officer will then
either a suitable and acailable volunteer, or refer the caller to some
other agency better equipped to assist.
No charge is made for
services provided by BEDFORD CARE except for
transport outside Bedford but donations help to defray expenses are always
appreciated.
How
Does it Help?
BEDFORD CARE can help in the following
ways:-
1. Domestic
Support - involving activities such as visiting elderly or
handicapped people at times of difficulty, helping out with
shopping , preparing a meal , checking that all is well, giving a
break to a relative by sitting with the sick member of the
family.
2.
Transport - providing help, normally locally, to elderly
folk wishing to visit relatives in
hospital; a handicapped person needing to do some
shopping; taking an otherwise housebound personto a
social
activity or day centre.
3. Household Maintenance -
involving simple do - it - yourself activities such as replacing a
light bulb for an arthritic person , moving a bed downstairs for
someone discharged from hospital, undertaking some simple decorating or
repairs.
The
Priory Involvement
There has long been a
strong association between Priory and Bedford Care.
Every since its
inception, members of the Church have acted as volunteers. At present
Gordon Beeden, Richard and Sue Butler, Marlene Howker, Della Kemmenoe,
Bill Knights, Liz Little, Jock Mackirdy, John Sackett, David Sewell, and
Pauline Williams are among its volunteers.
The largest call on our
services is for transport and it is here that we have by far the largest
number of volunteers. We hold a list of Transport Volunteers, printed in
August 2007, with 50 names on it. On the face of it this may seem a
healthy state of affairs, but the Committee is seriously worried.
The reason is the issue of availability - or rather the lack of
it! The fact that of our volunteers, each has other regular commitments
reduces their availability for voluntary work. In reality, at any one time
in a week, up to half of the volunteers are unavailable. One-off events,
illness, holidays all make further reductions add to our
problems.
In September 2007 Bedford Care became aware that our
volunteers would have to have CRB clearance. This was organised but,
unfortunately it was met with a disappointing response, The net result was
that in January 2008 the list of volunteers has shrunk to 38 - a reduction
of 25%. Regrettably, there are occasions when we have been unable to meet
a need.
If you are interested in finding out more about Bedford
care, and particularly considering acting as a volunteer in some capacity,
please do contact us. You would be most
welcome.
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Bedford
Care