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Tea Party Driver

Re-Engage (Clacks)
VO92966

Re-engage is a charity that is positive about older age and committed to fighting loneliness so that people can have social lives and friendship groups however old they are. They inspire and enable meaningful connections and shared experiences within communities across the UK for people over 75 facing loneliness and social isolation.

Volunteers work together to create better communities and help to enrich the lives of their members by giving them something to look forward to.

Older people who may have felt very alone, now feel valued as individuals, continue to form friendships, and have groups that give support. The group make sure that people know they are important well into old age. Respectful, determined, warm, pioneering, and local: they are Re-engage and they are bringing generations together.

Drivers are a vital part of the Re-engage team.
Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship fo older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Drivers take older people to the parties and stay with them to enjoy the get-together. Over time, drivers and older guests get to know each other well and together you will spend many hours full of fun, laughter, and stories.

As a tea party driver, you liaise with your group coordinator and take older guests to and from the tea parties each month. Staying at the tea party is part of your role, so it’s much more than being a driver.
You will need to have a full, clean, driving license, and either a DBS (in England and Wales) or PVG (in Scotland). You will also need to check that you are covered by your regular motor insurance policy to do this role.

Tasks include:
• Driving one to two older guests using your own car to a tea party venue and returning them home again after the event .
• Staying at the tea party to help with conversation and serve refreshments.
• Liaising with the group coordinator to confirm which older guests you will pick up.
• Informing the group coordinator of any safeguarding concerns or issues you might have.
• Following all guidance in your driver training modules to ensure that the tea parties are enjoyable, appropriate, and in line with the charity's aims.
• Completing a driver declaration before your first tea party and on an annual basis. The declaration is to confirm you will adhere to Re-engage's policies and procedures and that you have completed the relevant training provided for your role.

Experience required

They are looking for volunteer drivers with the following skills and attributes:

• Organised
• Good conversational skills
• Considerate driving ability
• Ability to navigate to new addresses
• A friendly, and empathetic approach
• Patience and understanding of supporting older people
• Basic computer literacy (including the ability to use emails).

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