RSVP WEST PROJECT LIST

Almost every project shown here needs more volunteers to sustain and enlarge its activities. We encourage you to lend your time and expertise to any that match your location and your interests. Either discuss opportunities with the listed contact for a project that attracts you or ask for advice from the Regional Coordinator at the CREATE Centre in Bristol. There are also many opportunties for volunteer placements outside the formal project structure — the Regional Coordinator will be able to advise you. Or you could always start a project of your own — unlimited possibilities exist for new projects to serve your locality or special interest.

Please note that if a project organiser does not have an e-mail address, messages will be referred to the RSVP West regional office.

Complete list of projects by type

REGIONAL PROJECTS

West Region Knitting Group
Volunteers throughout the region make baby blankets, teddies and other goods for hospitals, emergency services, and overseas charities.
Contact: Shirley Stark.

Regional HQ
Regional office at the CREATE Centre, Bristol. Administrative support and regional projects.
Contact: Bob Maggs.

SURGERY-BASED PROJECTS

Fallodon Way Medical Centre
Drivers take elderly or housebound local people to and from the surgery.
Contact: Mike Sims.

Fishponds Family Practice
The project team provides drivers for surgery and hospital appointments, a befriending service which also includes visiting in hospital, and carers support so that while a carer is out the patient has some company.
Contact: Alison Hamlin.

Henbury Family Practice
The project drivers take elderly or housebound local people to and from the surgery.
Contact: Greg Windows.

Horfield Health Centre
Befriending older people in their own homes and providing transport to and from the health centre.
Contact: Brenda Simmons.

Montpelier Health Centre
Providing transport to and from the health centre and befriending older people in their own homes.
Contact: Anita Keeler.

Oldfield Surgery Drivers, Bath
Volunteers take elderly, infirm, and sick people to and from the surgery.
Contact: John Whittingham.

Pembroke Road Surgery
Volunteers provide transport to and from the health centre and to hospital for out-patient appointments, visit lonely in-patients in hospital, and befriend and visit lonely and isolated patients in the community.
Contact: Romy Bowie-Hill.

Southville Family Practice
Volunteers provide transport for patients, befriend them and give advice on welfare benefits.
Contact: Karen Pitman.

Spence Group Practice
Drivers take elderly or housebound local people to and from the surgery.
Contacts: Anne Norbury, Samantha Cockle.

Westbury-On-Trym Primary Care Centre
The project drivers take elderly or housebound local people to and from the surgery.
Contact: Zina Wilson.

COMMUNITY-BASED TRANSPORT

Backwell Backstops
This scheme provides transport for Backwell residents to get to medical appointments in hospitals and local doctors’ surgeries.
Contact: Tina Andrews.

Banwell Fish Car Scheme
A group of volunteer drivers provide transport for the frail and elderly in the Banwell area to get to hospital, clinic, surgery and other appointments locally and in Weston-super-Mare and Bristol.
Contacts: Eila Llewellin, Michael Harris.

Clevedon Care
The volunteer drivers of Clevedon Care transport people to medical appointments, including hospitals, local surgeries, dentists and opticians. We have been established since 1985 and the office, open five days a week, is staffed by volunteers.
Contact: David Steele.

Congresbury Carers
A group of volunteers give their time to take elderly residents or residents unable to use public transport to hospital, doctors surgery, shopping or visiting residents in nursing or residential homes.
Contact: Margaret Liemdorfer.

Failand Volunteer Drivers
The Group provides transport to doctors, hospitals, dentists and other health providers for residents of Failand and Lower Failand.
Contact: Brian Hale.

Nailsea and Backwell Community Care
The project provides help and local transport for elderly and housebound people referred by local medical centres and social services.
Contact: Vic Rawlings.

Nailsea Availables
Providing hospital car transport for Nailsea residents requiring treatment who are patients of the local medical centres of Tower House, Brockway, and Backwell.
Contact: Roger Turner.

Portishead Community Care
The project provides help and local transport for elderly and housebound people.
Contact: Vic Rawlings.

Winford Community Cars
Volunteers make themselves available to take those residents of the parish of Winford without their own transport to local medical facilities.
Contact: Brian Hawkins.

Winscombe Contact Scheme
The scheme provides transport for residents of Winscombe or patients of Winscombe Surgery who would otherwise have difficulty in travelling to medical appointments. Drivers take patients to local appointments (doctors, dentists, opticians etc) and to all hospitals in the area.
Contact: Lottie Enser.

Wrington Helpline
A group of about 30 local drivers take local residents to and from medical practices, hospitals and the link They also take people to visit patients in hospital or nursing homes.
Contact: Peter Owen.

COMMUNITY WORK

Abbeyfield House, Bristol
Visiting residents in a residential home, on occasion relieving the housekeeper and arranging and participating in outings.
Contact: Shirley Stark.

Blagdon Helpline
The scheme provides transport by volunteer drivers for residents of Blagdon to medical appointments at local doctors surgeries, dentists and opticians, for hospital appointments in Weston-super-Mare, Bristol and Bath, and for visiting relatives in hospital or long term care. The project also lends aids to the community, such as wheel chairs, walking aids, children’s cots, high chairs etc.
Contact: Colin Parfitt.

Care Homes Visiting Project
Trained volunteers visit residents in Bristol care homes to discuss the services and support they receive.
Contacts: Jan Derrick, Ken Dolbear.

Gentle Activity Project
GAP aims to help older people keep active by running regular group sessions of gentle seated and standing exercises to music in the community or in sheltered accommodation.
Contact: Ken Dolbear.

Jubilee Day Centre, Portishead
A weekly day centre that provides entertainment and a light lunch for elderly people.
Contact: David Morgan.

Southside Family Project, Bath
The project provides specialist support services to local families, often with seriously disorganised relationships or affected by the “ghosts” of their childhood, in order to strengthen their independence and self-worth.
Contact: Tony Comer.

Swindon Family Contact Centre
The Centre provides a secure environment in which estranged parents and their children can meet and spend time together.
Contact: Angie Angus.

Swindon Older People’s Forum
The Older People’s Forum in Swindon has been co-created by Age UK and RSVP West, and is funded by RSVP, to act as a local voice on matters that affect their everyday lives.
Contact: Dave Brown.

Weston-super-Mare Community Care
Volunteers provide help and local transport for elderly and housebound people who have been referred by local medical centres and social services.
Contact: Vic Rawlings.

SCHOOLS

Bristol schools placements
Volunteers support Bristol schools through help with reading, numeracy, the arts, computing and in other ways agreed between the volunteers and the teachers they support.
Contact: Ian Tennant.

North Somerset schools placements
Volunteers provide help in primary and junior schools at various locations across North Somerset
Contact: Harriet Bradley.

Schools placements in Bath, NE Somerset and NW Wiltshire
Volunteers help in primary schools with reading, writing, arts, crafts, libraries and general administration.
Contact: Joan Whitehead.

South Gloucestershire schools placements
Volunteers are placed into primary schools to help with reading.
Contact: Ian Tennant.

Swindon schools placements
As well as encouraging involvement by volunteers in Swindon schools, RSVP is working in partnership with the local Rotary Club and Swindon Borough Council to promote literacy.
Contact: Dave Brown.

Weston-super-Mare Schools
To find places for RSVP volunteers who wish to assist teachers in local schools with children who have any form of learning difficulties, such as reading and basic numeracy.
Contact: James Morrissey.

ENVIRONMENT

Climate Change and the over 50s
This Swindon Borough Council funded project will target Swindon’s over 50s in order to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of climate change and provide help and guidance to individuals and groups on how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
Contact: Dave Brown.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Matthew, Bristol
RSVP West volunteers guide visitors around this reconstruction of the ship on which John Cabot sailed to discover Newfoundland in 1497.
Contact: Ann May.

Yate Magistrates Court tea bar
Volunteers staff a tea bar Monday to Friday mornings, serving refreshments and light snacks to visitors to the court.
Contact: Violet Luton.

© 2003–12 RSVP West. Page last updated on 20 January 2012.