Date published: 27 May 2025 by Sophie Wichman
Meet Alan, a dedicated Volunteer Driver for Rainbow Trust
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
"I’m a self-employed IT Consultant, working with a variety of clients, from healthcare to student letting to renewable energy. In my spare time, I am a school governor and provide free maths tuition to a few Year 11 pupils. Being self-employed, gives me a fair amount of flexibility around my working hours, which has proven very useful for volunteering with Rainbow Trust.
Why did you decide to start volunteering with Rainbow Trust?
"I started volunteering after attending our local parkrun. I’m very much a social ParkRunner. It’s all about the chat and breakfast. At this particular ParkRun, someone was handing out leaflets. I asked the person handing out the leaflets (who I found out later was Natalie, the manager of the Thames Valley Rainbow Trust Care Team) if they were about a running event and after she assured me they weren’t, I took one and I’m really glad I did.
"The leaflets described a couple of opportunities in the Thames Valley Team for Family Support Volunteers and Volunteer Drivers. I must confess that prior to that ParkRun I hadn’t heard about Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. Once I had a chance to find out more about the incredible role they play, I thought it might be nice to apply.
"My parents had passed away a year or so earlier. When Mum was in hospital, a charity in the town they lived in provided transport to and from the hospital. This made a massive difference to Dad’s life. Not only did it take away the stress of organising transport, but it was also a familiar face who over time got to know Dad very well and could provide some emotional support. So, of the two roles, the volunteer driver one seemed the most appropriate for me."
Can you explain what your role involves?
"I’ve now been doing the role for about eighteen months, so still relatively new. At the end of the day, it is as simple as getting a family or children from A to B. This might be a one-way trip to a hospital appointment, or it might be a return trip. It has even involved several school runs for siblings, when the parents are taking their sick child to an appointment.
"When I first started, I did wonder whether I was doing things right. On a few of the longer trips, the mother and child I was transporting would fall asleep almost as soon as we set off. I decided in the end, that with everything they were going through, getting the chance to get some rest was probably a very good thing and this wasn’t just down to my scintillating car chat. Since then, all the trips have been very different. "
What’s the best thing about volunteering?
"The best part about volunteering has been the incredible people that I’ve met. Natalie, the Thames Valley Care Team Manager, works hard to ensure that all the volunteers are made to feel a part of the team. Attending quarterly team meetings has given me an insight into the Family Support Workers’ role and I am in awe of what they do.
"When I’ve been transporting families, it has mainly been the mums who have accompanied the children and they are just fantastic. If you want to restore your faith in humanity, you just have to meet some of these parents. Somehow, with everything they are going through, they are so kind and patient and demonstrate a resilience that I find mind blowing. As one parent said to me, after she had described how a diagnosis had completely upended her life, leading to marriage breakup, loss of home and career, “You just have to get on with it. It is all about my daughter now.’
"On a lighter note, the school runs have been fun. I’ve had fascinating conversations with A Level students, which have shown how little I know, and equally interesting conversations with a seven-year-old about the ideal number of dogs he would have in the house he is going to own (I think it got to about one per room)."
Anything challenging?
"One of the more challenging trips was collecting a mother and child from a hospital consultation. I had met them before, and they really are the nicest of people. Unfortunately, during the consultation they had been told that the treatment hadn’t worked and another operation was required. Listening to the mother explain to the child what was happening, was heartbreaking. She was so kind, honest and patient, but you could hear her heart breaking as she thought about what was to come."
Anything else you’d like to say?
"It is hard in a way, knowing that you can’t cure the illness, but I think that if we can just make one small thing, like getting to a hospital appointment, just a little bit easier for a family that is going through the worst of times, then it is worth doing.
"If you are wondering about whether to volunteer for Rainbow Trust, I would thoroughly recommend it. They are a great organisation to volunteer with, really supportive and inclusive, and I think even the simple things, like doing a school run, does make a difference."