Our First 20 Years 

In 1986 the Clevedon Voluntary Services and the local Council of Churches discussed the establishment of a volunteer bureau similar to one in Weston-super-Mare.  It would respond to anyone who needed help with problems due to old age, infirmity, family commitments or sudden emergencies.

The idea was adopted and Clevedon Care was born with four members from the Council of Churches and three members from the Co-ordinating Committee of the Voluntary Services appointed to form a Steering Committee, which later made way for a Management Committee.

A ground floor room was offered at the Baptist Church and the Council of Churches underwrote the initial expenses of phone charges and equipment.  A target of 100 volunteers was set and in September 1987, the organisation was launched, opening three days a week, with a wide brief to serve the people of Clevedon. 

Soon the dominant need emerged - transportation to attend medical appointments both locally and farther afield in Bristol and Weston.  As early as October 1987, one unfortunate driver had been fined for parking on double yellow lines - a foretaste of some of the hazards awaiting future drivers!

By January 1990, the office was open four days a week and the volunteers numbered 135.  Rapid hikes in the price of petrol meant that mileage allowances were increased. 

Volunteers came and went. The minutes record pleas for more drivers and duty officers to handle the phone calls. This has been a recurring issue through the years. Efforts at publicity sometimes yield results but word of mouth invariably works the best.  The finances have not, as yet, been a problem.  Initially, local churches were asked to make an annual donation but latterly generous bequests and donations have made that unnecessary, but the situation is always under review.

In 1998 the office moved to St. John’s Lower Hall and is now open each weekday.  Driving jobs average 50 per week and about 40,000 requests have been met since the organisation began. The workload pretty much matches the capacity but more volunteers are always welcome.

The continued presence of some founder volunteers speaks volumes for the commitment and dedication shown by them and countless others over the past 20 years and hopefully by many more in the years to come.